I’ve always found it interesting that Election Day and Halloween are so close together on the calendar. A lot of scariness bundled up in a time span of a few weeks.
At least Halloween doesn’t insult our intelligence. As adults we know that there is just an average, ordinary, person under the costumes and behind the masks. It’s a rite-of-passage of sorts to be able to make that differentiation. With voting, it’s not so easy to figure out the tricks versus treats.
Halloween can be frightening to little kids. I remember the October when my oldest son was three years old. I spent hours creating an adorable costume of ice-cream buckets, tinfoil, nuts, bolts, and springs. I didn’t get to show off my little robot because he was glued to my leg throughout the neighborhood Halloween carnival, afraid of the older kids in gruesome masks we passed on the way to the party.
Another year, when my boys were older, we went to a haunted house. It was an especially frightening one because it was on a military post. The basement of the building was allegedly once used as a morgue. While we waited for our turn to be led through the maze of horror, A Nightmare
on Elm Street
video was being played. My younger son, about four, was getting scared and we reassured him that “Freddie” from Elm Street was not real. We managed to calm him down by explaining that it was just a movie; that Freddie was just a guy in a costume; and that we would never encounter anyone so evil and icky. But then of course, as we wound through the eerie dark hallway into a room with a strange red light—out jumped Freddie, dagger hands slashing at us. I’ve never seen anyone move as fast as my four-year-old. He didn’t open his eyes until we were out of the building and on our way to buy apology ice cream.
I’m probably a mean mom for laughing, but both incidents were funny. And they didn’t traumatize my boys too much. They learned that Halloween is all just pretending. And as they got older, they wore their share of creepy costumes and enjoyed scaring littler kids. They figured out it is all good fun.
What isn’t funny is the scare tactics used by politicians seeking office. The televised political ads are the worst. Watching the obviously deceptive ads is as frightening as a horror film. Each candidate will have you believe that if his or her opponent is elected, taxes will soar; our healthcare system will crumble; our schools will collapse, crime will increase; and our economy will echo the Great Depression.
When we go to a haunted house or trick-or-treat at an elaborately decorated home, we know we will see vampires and monsters and other frightening creatures. But we all know that the people behind the mask are just playing a game. That is not always the case with political ads. Although we want to know where candidates stand on issues, we also know that statements are often taken out of context and lists of accomplishments—or downfalls— can be exaggerated.
It’s too bad that we have candidates demonizing one another and masquerading as the solution to all our problems. Voting shouldn’t be as scary as Halloween.
Vote for the man who
promises least. He’ll be the
least disappointing.
Bernard Baruch
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