Is that as weird as Halloween?
When else do we encourage young children to accept candy from strangers? (some of them are even intentionally creepy-looking)
@werehatrack I dunno. When I was a kid people gave out candy cigarettes, firecrackers (real ones, not candy), and wax “soda bottles” full of some sugary liquid. Sometimes the soda bottles were in the form of babies or animals. You bit off their heads to drink the liquid.
@rockblossom I remember the wax soda bottles. One kid in our neighborhood liked them, so he’d trade to get them, but nobody would take the Bit-o-honey at all. Often, the swap session would end with all of those and a few other really unwanted items like the wax lips in a pile that just got tossed. I was always invited, despite usually having nothing to trade (more history, TL;DWTR). Sometimes I came away with a few token items where there were surplus things like Necco wafers that weren’t terribly popular but nobody outright disliked. Everybody knew why I hadn’t been out gathering for myself.
@rockblossom Santa is like the “introductory gift”. Have a free Christmas present for signing up, but you relinquish all your privacy and public image rights to Santa.
@OnionSoup As soon as you let Santa down the chimney, you get doorbell cameras, baby monitors, and an Elf on the Shelf. And Amazon asking for your door lock code so they can leave your packages “safely” inside.
@OnionSoup@rockblossom And then, six months later, you get a phone notification while you’re at work. It’s from Alexa, advising that a delivery which was just dropped off inside the front door has begun ticking and heating up, and asking if you want to subscribe to Amazon’s new Bomb Removal And Disposal Service, whose Deluxe level has the option of redelivering the package to the destination of your choice within a 50 mile radius, via Amazon Drone.
That’s a rather personal question.
Is that as weird as Halloween?
When else do we encourage young children to accept candy from strangers? (some of them are even intentionally creepy-looking)
@xobzoo Creepy? The children, the candy, or the strangers?
@pakopako Yes.
@pakopako @rockblossom There are few things as creepy as a handful of Bit-o-honey. That was the only Halloween loot with zero trade value.
@werehatrack I dunno. When I was a kid people gave out candy cigarettes, firecrackers (real ones, not candy), and wax “soda bottles” full of some sugary liquid. Sometimes the soda bottles were in the form of babies or animals. You bit off their heads to drink the liquid.
@rockblossom I remember the wax soda bottles. One kid in our neighborhood liked them, so he’d trade to get them, but nobody would take the Bit-o-honey at all. Often, the swap session would end with all of those and a few other really unwanted items like the wax lips in a pile that just got tossed. I was always invited, despite usually having nothing to trade (more history, TL;DWTR). Sometimes I came away with a few token items where there were surplus things like Necco wafers that weren’t terribly popular but nobody outright disliked. Everybody knew why I hadn’t been out gathering for myself.
/giphy “all in”
Yeah and then there’s the old bearded guy who watches you sleep and then comes down your chimney. The pervert.
@OnionSoup
He sees you when you’re sleeping
He knows when you’re awake
He knows if you’ve been bad or good
So be good for goodness sake!
Santa is Big Brother, and we tell little kids that he’s a great guy who brings them toys and candy. Children shouldn’t trust us.
@rockblossom Santa is like the “introductory gift”. Have a free Christmas present for signing up, but you relinquish all your privacy and public image rights to Santa.
@OnionSoup As soon as you let Santa down the chimney, you get doorbell cameras, baby monitors, and an Elf on the Shelf. And Amazon asking for your door lock code so they can leave your packages “safely” inside.
@OnionSoup @rockblossom And then, six months later, you get a phone notification while you’re at work. It’s from Alexa, advising that a delivery which was just dropped off inside the front door has begun ticking and heating up, and asking if you want to subscribe to Amazon’s new Bomb Removal And Disposal Service, whose Deluxe level has the option of redelivering the package to the destination of your choice within a 50 mile radius, via Amazon Drone.