Land of the Halloween Grinches

[aggienaut]

   Welcome to Halloween in Australia! Halloween has not historically been celebrated here but it's gaining momentum much to the horror of a substantial number of adult grinches. Every halloween I hear people expressing the sentiment above at coffee shops, in line at the grocery store, in online community groups.. and the Americans in Australia facebook pages usually serve up some good ones like the one above as everyone else's community group pages are filled with these grinchy sentiments. It really cracks me up. It's not like Americans are out here evangelizing Halloween upon them, the primary movers of this horrifyingly "American" festivity are... Australian children! And/or their parents, whomever decided it would be a fun thing to do (which, of course, it is!), but it wasn't us Americans foisting it upon them. There's plenty of other American things they don't complain nearly as much about, from our TV shows to "Maccas" (McDonalds), I rather feel like it's a seriously petty case of sour grapes when adults complain about halloween ... they're just really bitter they didnt' get to do it as kids. Why else would it bother them so god damn much that the neighborhood kids are having such fun?

See also: “Halloween is American!” complains man blasting rock in his Ford on the way to Maccas

Comments

[adoptedwriter.livejournal.com]

I agree. They should lighten up. Same w the ppl who bitch about it being Pagan, but have no problems with the Easter Bunny and Santa.

[hermitsmurf.livejournal.com]

I never thought Halloween would be such a problem...it's just fun and candy!

[baron-waste.livejournal.com]

Well, but they’ve got a point, geographically - you guys have enough problems with Christmas being in midsummer - ALL the customary imagery is ludicrously wrong! - but that’s an important religious holiday as well.

Halloween, on the other hand, is now pure crass commercialism and would be very difficult to explain to aliens from outer space.  [But then, so would be baseball.]

[maju01.livejournal.com]

I disagree that the primary movers are children. I think it's the shops seeing another way to make money.

[cazzicles.livejournal.com]

^ Agreed.

[richaarde.livejournal.com]

Don't blame United States. We got Halloween from England. Blame them.

[ashgaelsonaria.livejournal.com]

Here here.
Tho,
A lot of grinches here are foam at the mouth fundamental Christians who hate that any non-Christian holidays are actually celebrated much less nation wide as actually recognized.
Oh, and Halloween is an Irish import.
So nener nener

[lab-jazz.livejournal.com]

I think that Halloween is a complete load of crap but kids like it so I stock up on treats in case they come knocking at my door. I like them coming to the door.

Last year I had a few kids, but alas this year it was very windy and raining so I only got one boy who came. I felt sorry for the kids that the weather was so bad.

I think that the major plus of Halloween is that it gets kids out interacting and meeting people in their local community

[jaiden-s.livejournal.com]

Halloween is changing here. We haven't had trick-or-treaters in my neighborhood for several years. All the kids now go to trunk-or-treats held at churches or community centers or schools, where parents feel their kids are safer. No knocking on stranger's doors.