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Halloween And Patriotism -- A Debate Of Scary Proportions
One of the big questions after the terrorist attacks on WTC in the United States was, should we continue with our ways knowing full well that there should be more things done to prevent the WTC tragedy from happening again?
While Halloween 2001 was still a fun occasion, questions were being asked as to whether the "pointless consumerism" was the right thing to uphold.
Halloween and Patriotism
How is patriotism viewed in the United States? In such a large country with a trillion dollar economy, spending is tantamount to patriotism. When you spend your hard-earned money, you keep the economy going. When you spend money, you keep the small and large businesses operating.
This means that spending maintains the entire American economic system. This is why when people suddenly question their spending habits, especially during Halloween and other retail-heavy seasons, commercial entities have cause to worry. After all, when people stop spending, business stops running.
The defenders of Halloween insist that spending helps keep the economy afloat. In doing so, you'll also be doing your duty in protecting the best interests of America and its people.
Whether this view is true or not, it does make a little sense.
"Sorry, I don't buy that."
But some people obviously aren't amused with the American spending mentality. Kevin Horrigan of the newspaper Post-Dispatch says:
"Take the dough you'd spend on Halloween candy and send it to the Red Cross. How about $1.9 billion instead?"
It's a fact that Halloween in America seems to make everything it touches look very commercial, and may run contrary to the values that many people hold. But the supporters of celebrating Halloween say that it's a bad idea NOT to celebrate Halloween, since it will ultimately leave the country open to more terrorist attacks.
Subsequently, making the country vulnerable will cheapen the deaths of the victims of 9/11.
Interest in the Economy
Halloween is one of those seasons when people like to do business. People tend to spend a lot more during Halloween than on other times of the year, except perhaps Christmas. The economy benefits from all the people trooping to malls and making Halloween purchases.
What happens when the Halloween industry suddenly disappears? The economy may slow down as a whole.
These "main cogs" are the large companies that produce most of the money. The economy depends on these big companies. This is the reason why the US government is quick to lend out bailouts to keep these big companies from collapsing.
If the big companies do badly, then its employees and dependent small businesses suffer. It's a downward spiral that the government would like to check as early as possible. By pumping these companies with money, the government keeps the economy from breaking down completely.
Today, people have returned to the former habits of spending during Halloween, largely because the memory of 9/11 has toned down a bit. Let's hope this keeps up.
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