Trick of Misdemeanor: Times Up For Tricks and Treats Trick or Misdemeanor
Remember being a kid on Halloween wearing the most perfect costume fresh off the racks of Party City? Choosing which pillowcase to lug your candy around in? Swapping candy with your best friend because they somehow always got better candy?
How about the thrill and rush of independence you got when your parents finally let you go trick-or-treating by yourself, or how amazing it was when the holiday fell on a Friday or Saturday night because it meant you could stay out as long as you wanted?
For nearly as long as the holiday has existed, Halloween has been synonymous with trick-or-treating. Going door-to-door reciting those magic three words that grant you access to free candy. What’s not to love?
If you’re like me, you milked this practice for as long as you could — going out each Halloween night in some minimal effort costume, asking strangers for free candy despite the fact that you were probably far too old to do so.
Well, this might soon end as trick-or-treat bans are beginning to pop up in some U.S. cities. One town in particular that has implemented this ban is Portsmouth, VA. The town put in action a ban that prohibits teens over the age of 12 from trick-or-treating. Any teenager found doing so will be guilty of a class three misdemeanor.
When I first heard about this, I honestly thought it was a joke. What kind of world are we living in that we have laws prohibiting trick-or-treating? What is it about kids over 12 knocking on doors and asking for candy that is so dangerous? Not to mention the fact that 13 is still such a young age. What else would 13-year-olds be doing on Halloween besides trick-or-treating?
It’s completely absurd.
In my opinion, I say let kids, teens or whoever wants to trick-or-treat to go out for however long they want to. Maybe once you’re up into your 20s it’s time to think about getting other hobbies, but to an extent, I see nothing wrong with it. Isn’t it a better alternative to whatever else teens could be doing Halloween night?
We’re all college students here, we know all about Halloweekend and the activities that happen there. Wouldn’t you rather see teens go trick-or-treating than participating in that? When you take away the option to go trick-or-treating, you’re leaving teens with nothing else to turn to. Especially when you take it away at the ripe age of 13. This could potentially lead these young kids towards darker pathways instead of lighted walkways.
So this Halloween, go out and get your free candy. Unless of course, you live in Portsmouth and are over age 12, then go out and get your candy, but don’t get caught.
