Review [Issue 43] A Spectator's View of Humanity: Halloween!

[sonofchrysalis3 3,719]

 

Holiday time is my favorite time of the year, whether it is the surreal euphoria of Christmastime or the casual and restful observation of Labor Day. Each one of our traditional holidays is a special day we set aside each year to step back from the stress and toil of our lives so we can reconnect with what matters most: our families, our communities, and our nations.

 

There is, however, one holiday that I have never celebrated: Halloween.

 

Halloween is a very mixed-up holiday. Some celebrate it correctly by visiting family and neighbors, munching candy and other goodies, while others celebrate it in a ghastly and violent manner. I am saddened each October when I see how blindly society follows the dark traditions that, while they may seem “fun”, are turning our hearts and minds away from what’s most important and guiding us to be indifferent about the darkest and most horrific realities conceivable.

 

But this year, for the first time in my life, I participated in the celebrations. Kind of.

 

First, let me explain what's wrong with the holiday, i.e. why I don't celebrate it:

 

1.) Evil

 

See all those cute little kids out trick-or-treating in their costumes? Step back and look hard at those costumes. They are dressed as vampires. Gremlins. Witches.

 

Think about that for a second.

 

Such monsters are all humanity’s interpretations of one particular evil being: the demon. Demons are the manifestation of the most grotesque and unmentionable wickedness possible. They are the enemies of any and every good thing, yet people are dressing like them.

 

Of course, there are plenty of families who prefer to dress as superheroes and other non-satanic characters, which is fine; I have no problem with a kid dressed as Optimus Prime. But how about all those decorations in the front yard - gravestones, the Grim Reaper, bones, and other evidences of death?

 

2.) Death

 

Downplaying the terrible reality of death is not merely unwise, it is downright unintelligent. Anyone who has ever held the hand of a loved one as he choked out his last breath knows that there is no tragedy more heart-crushing than the end of life.

 

Take a moment to think of your dear loved ones.

 

Now imagine them dead.

 

Still think a plastic grave marker on your lawn is a good idea?

 

3.) Fear

 

Fear is a mental reaction to unfavorable conditions and is intended to motivate the individual to either fight or run. Fear is a necessary function for survival, but it is not something to pursue.

 

Many people have laughed at me for saying this. “But Stratus, scary movies or Halloween stuff isn’t that bad. It’s just for entertainment.”

 

Seriously?

 

How about I chain your hands and feet together and drop you in the center lane of a busy highway? That would be pretty frightening, right? How fun it must be, then! Gosh, if word of this brilliant idea gets out, I might start a new Halloween tradition!

 

Think of the people living in the turbulent times of old, when barbaric tribes roamed freely. At any moment, a man with a machete could have come crashing through the door and slaughtered everyone in the house. A corrupt policeman could have arrested them all and taken them to a prison where they would be tortured and killed. And there was nowhere to go; no one to help them.

 

Fear is not a good thing. You may view it as entertaining, but that doesn’t mean it’s morally right to pursue it as entertainment. That guy with the machete probably thought what he was doing was morally right, and he sure was having fun.

 

* * * * * * * *

 

Now, I would be sending the wrong message if I were to say that everything about Halloween is bad. That’s like saying that pencils are bad just because some people use them to write casserole recipies.

 

I despise casserole.

 

Anyway, let me take a moment to highlight the good points of Halloween:

 

1.) Exchanging candy

 

I would never, ever have a problem with you giving me a mountainous bowl of chocolate (HINT HINT HINT!). In fact, I would not mind if you did so right now!

 

This attribute of the modern Halloween is blameless. I mean, it may be a little disturbing at first when a toddler dressed as a giant bumblebee comes bounding onto the porch, bucket held high, demanding a pile of sweets, but really, I can’t say a bad thing about this because if I did, that may mean you won’t give me any candy.

 

Ahem!

 

2.) Dressing up

 

Another thing I can’t complain about. I myself “dress up” all the time; it’s part of my nature as a changeling. What is a problem is when you pour fake blood all over yourself and run around pretending to be a zalgo. That is just not right. If you want to wear a costume, why not pick something decent, like… oh, I don’t know… Semyon Kirov?

 

Nah, forget that. You’d be swarmed by adoring fans who’d be highly agitated when they find out you aren’t the real thing.

 

3.) Time with family and friends

 

This is the best element of any holiday. Your family and friends are the most precious treasures in your life, and the more time you spend with them, the better. Halloween is, for many people, a time to come together and enjoy having each other.

 

So why do those same people buy a Grim Reaper at the department store for 20€ and prop it on their porch?

 

Sigh.

 

A better Holiday

 

The tankiverse is a hub of many different nations with many different cultures, and most of them celebrate Halloween. Tanki caters to those cultures as any good business does, and that means Tanki put together a special Halloween celebration this year.

 

This is the first time in my life that I have celebrated Halloween, or as I like to call it, “Tanki-ween”, and only for three reasons:

 

1.) The Halloween map

 

 

Tanki is better than most other online games in that you can play for years and never scratch the surface of everything it has to offer. Endless maps, equipment variations, and special events make Tanki a never-boring-because-you-never-complete-it game.

 

And this Halloween, we saw yet another perfect example of that.

 

I had only seen a few images of the super-rare, Halloween-only map in the v-log, but I knew that it was going to be utterly awesome (despite of the grave markers, which we have already been over). For one day only, we were treated to a strange new world in which to battle, with new terrain to master, new strategies to employ, aaand...

 

2.) The Halloween Gold Boxes

 

You thought you saw a Gold Rain back when the battlefunds were set to five times their usual growth rate? On Halloween, you needed to wear a helmet, because those Golds were dropping ten times as frequently on the Halloween map.

 

 

 

3.) The perfect excuse to stay home

 

I typically endure a hundred invites to join ponies in their Halloween rumbles festivities, and I usually just give a quiet "no". Eyebrows are raised, feelings are hurt, and explanations are requested. I know I could not possibly get them to understand why I don't celebrate it; they have never watched a sister being put in a coffin and buried.

 

This year, however, I had an answer. All I had to do was mention the word "Tanki". They would roll their eyes and walk away, saying "Never mind, we should've known you'd be doing that."

 

Heh heh heh. Problem solved.
 

 

Edited July 29, 2017 by Hexed

[jharri19 2]

Well written. I personally don't mind costumes or candy or the 10x gold frequency, but i do wish you could respect others views. Sure demons are bad, sure lawn decorations are scary and unneeded, but it's all in the Halloween Spirit.

[Ambitious 2,084]

A humorous and well written article!

 

Pssst. We don't celebrate Halloween in India, so I had like the entire day to no-life on tanki!

[lukey0 27,543]

Very well written and backed up views on Halloween. I don't celebrate Halloween where I live, and it being on a weekend, perfect day for no-lifeing.

:D

[Helindu_2014 830]

 they have never watched a sister being put in a coffin and buried.

 

 

Have you seen it?

I'm so sorry! :(

[austlee 56]

Great article! I share the exact same views as you do on Halloween. Instead of celebrating Halloween, my friends and I enjoy an afternoon of games, and have lots of chocolate and candy  :D

[Bluebird13 95]

Well written. I personally don't mind costumes or candy or the 10x gold frequency, but i do wish you could respect others views. Sure demons are bad, sure lawn decorations are scary and unneeded, but it's all in the Halloween Spirit.

Hmm...

 

Halloween Spirit?

[KillerGnat 3,135]

Good job as usual Strats (your new nickname because Stratus is too long  :P). I totally agree with your views on Halloween, and if I didn't agree, you would convince me with your good arguments. Keep up the good work.

[goldensentry22 26]

 they have never watched a sister being put in a coffin and buried.

 

OMG thats so sad. 

im so sorry

Edited November 15, 2015 by goldensentry22

[m6ttetu 288]

Absolutely agree

[halloween 11]

A nice article :D 

[DragonOfStorms 2,706]

Are you saying if I give you candy, you'll give me crystals?

Anyways, we don't EVER dress up as anything dark/evil/demonic That's also our family's view. However, me and dad went hunting (youth season) so I only had a total of 2-3 hours to no-life. :( I did complete my mission and catch a gold box though!

[forsansuperman 0]

hhh nice!
 

[forsansuperman 0]

add me please  :P

[Chee5er1 1]

I do agree with your opinions on the map, and about death in general...however...halloween truly did originate from "The Day of the Dead" and several "Irish Family Traditions." In these cultures, death is celebrated, revered, and respected...this is a positive attitude towards death, and one that we should all take. That does not mean death should occur....it means that when natural death does occur we should celebrate that person's life. I think this is something Halloween strives to do...having gravestones in the map is not bad...it simply shows that people die, saying death does not matter is horrible, however saying that we should ignore it altogether is equally bad. 

[rothro3 50]

Thank you!  Finally someone put into words my dislike of Halloween!  One holiday better spent in Tanki.  :P

[Devin_The_Armageddon 30]

I beleive you are confusing demons and devils. Devils are the embodiment of evil, and demons are contract servants. In other words, devils are chaotic evil, and demons are lawful evil. I much prefer refrences to demons, except when incorrect.

[sonofchrysalis3 3,719]

I beleive you are confusing demons and devils. Devils are the embodiment of evil, and demons are contract servants. In other words, devils are chaotic evil, and demons are lawful evil. I much prefer refrences to demons, except when incorrect.

According to Webster's New World Dictionary, Third Edition:

 

Devil: "the chief evil spirit."

 

Demon: "a devil; evil spirit."

 

Evil is evil, no matter what technical term you call it. There is no such thing as the preposterous notion of "lawful evil."

Edited November 19, 2015 by sonofchrysalis3

[Quarks 2,255]

A nice article :D

the irony here is fantastic.

[momy950666 960]

A nice article  :D 

[sonofchrysalis3 3,719]

the irony here is fantastic.

I know, right?! I am so honored to have a guy named "halloween" read my article on halloween.

[TheDarkKnight1168 4]

Have you seen it?

I'm so sorry! :(

This is so sad! 

I'm so so so sorry!

Now I fully understand why you don't celebrate Halloween! 

[yaakov20 0]

Halloween was good

[yaakov20 0]

It wasn't the best though

[caution_tanker2 3]

i agree with you i dont celebrate holloween and i have not ever celebrated it in my LIFE