A SERIOUS ETHICAL QUESTION (HALLOWEEN RELATED)

[The Fake Shemp]

I had an adult couple, with a newborn, come up with two oversized bags trick-or-treating for their baby. Would you give candy in those circumstances?

[Phoenix Dark]

Only if they were my dental patients!

[BobFromPikeCreek]

You have to if you don't want that pumpkin headed kid to come beat the shit out of you.

[Madrun Badrun]

No.  Throw your old mexican food at them. 

[border]

I won't say it, but I think there is going to be an incoming comment about your cultural heritage.

It's just a couple handfuls of fun-sized Snickers, just hand it over rather than making a fuss.  At most I might say something like, "I hope you guys aren't actually going to feed your baby this stuff."  That way you look like you have a conscience, and are at the same time pointing out what a cheeseball move they are pulling by using their baby to collect candy for themselves.

[The Fake Shemp]

You have to if you don't want that pumpkin headed kid to come beat the shit out of you

I'm pretty sure handing out candy to parents holding oversized trick-or-treat bags on behalf of their newborn (who likely is unable to eat solids, let alone candy) is not in the demonic Halloween bylaws.

I won't say it, but I think there is going to be an incoming comment about your cultural heritage.

It's just a couple handfuls of fun-sized Snickers, just hand it over rather than making a fuss.  At most I might say something like, "I hope you guys aren't actually going to feed your baby this stuff."  That way you look like you have a conscience, and are at the same time pointing out what a cheeseball move they are pulling by using their baby to collect candy for themselves.

I've got no problems handing out candy. Hell, I went out and bought extra candy just so I could give trick-or-treaters large portions. But two things irk me - teenagers and twenty-somethings that trick-or-treat (and use backpacks) and the concept of parents using their newborn as an excuse to score free candy.

[BobFromPikeCreek]

It's the rules, bro. The rules.

[The Fake Shemp]

No, the rules state to hand out candy to trick-or-treaters, which are socially defined as children - not parents!

[BobFromPikeCreek]

I want that in writing from a pumpkin-headed demon judge.

[border]

Another important consideration -- was the baby in costume?  Were the parents in costume?

If everyone is dressed up, I don't see why it should be such a big deal. 

You work retail....consider it like a customer interaction there.  You can enforce some petty rules and be "in the right", but ultimately the cost of causing a situation can be greater than just saying "Yes" even when someone is being a bit cheesy.  These people are neighbors and you might need them for something someday.  If keeping the peace only requires you to chuck some M&M's at them, then be the bigger person and let it slide.

[The Fake Shemp]

I haven't worked retail in almost six months! That concept is dead to me!

None of them were in costume either. Also, I don't recognize them from my block. I think they're from a neighboring development, trying to jump across the street to score free candy and not face judgmental neighbors.

[Human Snorenado]

Ok, I thought you were just being stingy until the "no one was in costume" bit.  Sheesh, at least put the kid in some sort of costume if you're gonna do that.  I would have given them like one piece of candy and made a snide comment about their lack of Halloween spirit.

[border]

Something about it doesn't really make sense then.  Financially speaking,  nobody capable of purchasing a home really needs to waste an entire evening collecting what probably won't amount to more than $20 worth of candy.

They are probably just fanatic parents who want pictures and scrapbook mementos of "Baby's First Halloween" or something.  Their actions are not really defensible, but if you can't handle baby-crazy parents cordially you are gonna have a rough go of things in life. 

[The Fake Shemp]

Or I could just move to Los Angeles permanently, where nobody has kids - problem solved! :p

[border]

If it helps you feel better, maybe the baby had an older sick sibling or something that couldn't go out, but mom and dad didn't want him/her to completely miss out on everything.

[Human Snorenado]

I'm so depressed- the first one of my college buddies is about to have a kid.  Well, his wife.  I guess it's the second if you count my old roommate, but he was always kind of an idiot that would get drunk and pass out at parties- no surprise a chick was able to pull the keeper on him years ago.

But yeah, I've spared no expense in mocking the poor bastard mercilessly since the news came out.  Kids are the second worst STD you can get.  Think it's any coincidence that KIDS and AIDS are so close together?  Nope!

Border- yeah, but they didn't even bother dressing the kid up.  I mean Christ, wrap him up in toilet paper and say he's a baby mummy, how hard is that?

[The Fake Shemp]

So their solution was to take a newborn into the cold and rainy weather?

[The Fake Shemp]

I'm so depressed- the first one of my college buddies is about to have a kid.  Well, his wife.  I guess it's the second if you count my old roommate, but he was always kind of an idiot that would get drunk and pass out at parties- no surprise a chick was able to pull the keeper on him years ago.

But yeah, I've spared no expense in mocking the poor bastard mercilessly since the news came out.  Kids are the second worst STD you can get.  Think it's any coincidence that KIDS and AIDS are so close together?  Nope!

 

I've been going through some of that as of late. It's pushing me closer to closer to boarding with my film circle friends again, simply because everyone is settling down and/or having kids out here.

I'm too young to be going to bed before midnight!

[brawndolicious]

throw a few cents of chocolate in their bag, close the door, and call them whores.  that's what I would do anyways.

btw, this thread reminded me to pick up some cheap candy tomorrow.

[border]

So their solution was to take a newborn into the cold and rainy weather?

Well you can maybe leave a sick 12-year-old at home alone for a little while, but you can't really leave a baby.

Or they could have had another kid waiting on the curb that was too nervous and shy to go door-to-door.  Or maybe some asshole jumped out of the bushes at another house and now she's too scared to go to other doors.  It's the retail thing again -- unless you want to go nuts over every person that wants a little more than they should get, try and at least imagine and accept that there is a more reasonable, sympathetic explanation for people pushing the accepted rules.  Your rationalization might not make a lot of sense, but then again the more negative scenario that you might assume doesn't make much sense either because a homeowner probably doesn't need to embarrass themselves asking for cheap candy.

[BlueTsunami]

I agree with Triumph about kids being AIDS. I went Trick or Treating with my sister and cousin (both who have kids). My cousins kid bit into a large bendable glow stick and it unleashed its contents into her mouth. She was bawling with her mouth wide open with all this glow stuff in her mouth. She literally looked as if she was powering up to shoot a laser. I wish I got a picture of it but everyone was panicking and I couldn't be that douche that laughs and takes snapshots.

[Robo]

Some dude stopped by our place this evening with two tall kitchen garbage bags looking for candy for his two kids who apparently were too sick to trick-or-treat themselves.

[border]

The plastic on those glow sticks is pretty damned thick -- that kid must have had jaws of steel or something.

[BlueTsunami]

The plastic on those glow sticks is pretty damned thick -- that kid must have had jaws of steel or something.

She must have had it in her mouth most of the time, probably gnawing on it like a straw. Just another case of "Watch yo' kids, yo'". I love how her Mom was all like "SEE, YOU COULDA DIED!"... poor kid

[The Fake Shemp]

... because a homeowner probably doesn't need to embarrass themselves asking for cheap candy.

Well, two things. They could easily not be a homeowner, since my neighborhood is surrounded by apartments and rental townhouses - actually the likelihood that they're a homeowner is remote. Second, in these dark economic times, being a homeowner doesn't necessarily mean that one is financially secure.

Next year, they get the candy with razor blades!

[Yeti]

If there really was a sick kid at home then one of the parents should have stayed at home with that kid.

Hell, one of the parents should have stayed at home anyways to hand out candy! Fuck the both of them.

[The Fake Shemp]

A quick glance at my Facebook shows this was apparently not an isolated phenomenon last night.

[FlameOfCallandor]

We had someone come by just like that wilco. We only had like 5 trick or treat partys anyway though.

Fuck this free shit gimme gimme culture shit.

[Joe Molotov]

Should of have spat in their bags.

[FlameOfCallandor]

Should have given them a copy of Atlus shrugged and a swift kick in the ass.

 

[The Fake Shemp]

We had someone come by just like that wilco.

Yeah, I talked it over with a few folks, and this happened throughout the nation. It seems to be - dare I say? - a pandemic.

We only had like 5 trick or treat partys anyway though.

What does this mean? Like, five total trick-or-treaters or a party of trick-or-treaters or you attended five trick-or-treat parties?

[Human Snorenado]

Of course the Libertopian hates Halloween. 

"How did you EARN that candy?"

[Mr. Gundam]

I haven't worked retail in almost six months! That concept is dead to me!

None of them were in costume either. Also, I don't recognize them from my block. I think they're from a neighboring development, trying to jump across the street to score free candy and not face judgmental neighbors.

No costume? Not even on the little one? NO CANDY.

If you're feeling sinister, Dan Savage has your solution:
http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2009/10/31/too-mean

[cool breeze]

You should have given them booze or something.  In my neighborhood, some of the parents would give adults wine while we brats would grab candy.  Or fruit.  I had too many neighbors who thought apples was a worthy treat.  I guess it helped balance out the people who lived right across who would give full sized candy bars.

[BobFromPikeCreek]

They had no costumes? I think the halloween powers that be would have no problem with you denying them candy, regardless of their age. In fact, I bet they were paid a visit later that night.

I think the best solution is to have a backup box of potato chip bags to give to undesirables. Getting potato chips on halloween blows. Or, even better, give them apples or something.

[The Fake Shemp]

I should give out formula to babies.

[cool breeze]

or condoms and birth control pills

[Madrun Badrun]

or old Mexican food and swine flue

[BobFromPikeCreek]

or old Mexican food and swine flue

The thought of someone giving a big sloppy cough into a kid's halloween bag and then closing the door is really funny.

[chronovore]

Insist on "Trick" instead, and see what the parents make the baby do.
As for the uncostumed shits collecting for their kids who are too sick to come out, tell them to go the fuck home and look after their kids.

or condoms and birth control pills

swaggaz

[Fragamemnon]

I wanted to get a box of MREs to hand out to the trick or treaters-we never have very many-but was overruled by the wife. Instead I got something just as unpleasant, fun-sized Mounds candy bars, but decided to just turn off the lights and not deal with trick or treaters because children are disease vectors and the swines vaccine is still not fully available.

Parents were probably trick or treating with their infant because they were sooo excited at the kid's "first halloween" and couldn't think of anything else. Kid-centric "tunnel vision" thinking is pretty common with parents, especially when it's their first kid.

[Mr. Gundam]

I wanted to get a box of MREs to hand out to the trick or treaters-we never have very many-but was overruled by the wife.

I like MREs, that would've been cool.

Instead I got something just as unpleasant, fun-sized Mounds candy bars

I love Mounds!

[Fragamemnon]

I like MREs, that would've been cool.

It would have been really neat, and definitely stood out from normal candy. It's novel stuff, kids would have loved it.

Oh well, maybe next year.

[Mr. Gundam]

I should totally hand out MREs next year. Too bad we don't get Trick or Treaters in my part of Seattle.

[Yeti]

Also, I think this is what those mini boxes of raisins was invented for

[BlueTsunami]

Also, I think this is what those mini boxes of raisins was invented for

Or 3 Musketeers