An Age Limit on Trick-or-Treating: An Appalling New Law Sweeping Across the US

Trick-or-treating began in medieval times, when people went around begging for treats in exchange for praying for the dead of the household, others also engaged in tricks, which often included vandalism or other undesired activities. Later on, in the 19th and 20th centuries, Halloween and trick-or-treating became less about vandalism, and prayer, and more about spending quality time with friends, and politely traveling in costume door to door asking for a variety of things,  including toothpaste, candy, baked goods, drinks, etc. Those who trick in modern times are subject to penalties.
Since medieval times, Halloween, formerly Dia Delos Muertos has been a holiday freely celebrated by a wide variety of people- That's beginning to change though,
Several US cities have passed an ordinance placing an age limit on trick-or-treaters. The limit is usually around 12, prohibiting any person 13 or older from participating in the holiday spirit. Some cities have the limit at when a person enters middle school or high school. Bellville, Illinois has it set at 12 as of 2008 after the proposal by mayor Mark Eckhart after unnecessary complaints by senior citizens and single mothers, driven by the fact that his own father prohibited him from trick-or-treating past middle school.
 Other cities include Richmond, VA, Meridian, Miss., Bishopville, SC, and Boonsboro, MD. Police are cracking down hard every year, and any teens or adults caught in the act can face penalties ranging from a simple warning, a fine from $100 to $1000, or even several months of jail time. Other cities that do not place complete ban on teen trick-or-treating have certain regulations set on costume attire. Dublin, Georgia prohibits the wearing of identity-concealing masks, hoods, sunglasses, makeup, or any other identity concealing apparel by any person 16 and over.

Here are some reasons why these laws are ineffective and an utter violation of human rights:

• It robs many people of the right to engage in traditional celebrations as they please:

 People of all types should have the freedom to celebrate any holiday as they wish, especially if it poses no harm to anybody. This should not be restricted by age, and city officials should simply mind their own business when it comes to such matters and worry about more important issues.

• It will be detrimental to costume businesses in such cities:

Many small businesses will lose tons of loyal customers. Many businesses that paid good money to buy larger sized costumes wholesale, or spent their valuable time hand making them will have wasted money, and customers will be primarily limited to children 12 and under. Plus, large costumes require more material and more money, so stores will be stuck selling cheap, small costumes. Stores will also be limited on the sorts of costumes sold, since some are more popular among the younger crowd than others. This is especially detrimental to costume businesses that do not operate year-round and use Halloween as their time for profit gains.

• Seniors, and others frightened by large people in costumes can shut their doors and turn their porch lights out:

If people do not wish to hand out candy, they can make that clear by posting signs on their door, turning their porch lights out, and leaving their door locked. Those frightened by teens and adults in costumes should not be surprised if one shows up while they are handing out treats.

• Cops make many mistakes when attempting to distinguish those over 12 and those under 12:

Since people come in many different sizes, cops are bound to make mistakes. Many children who hit puberty at an early age, or are simply taller, or more mature than their peers will be subject to unwanted questioning. Parents, older siblings and other relatives supervising their children or younger sibling while trick-or-treating will be unfairly interrogated as well. Also, many teens and young adults can appear to be under 12 with a short stature, and a large, bulky costume, and will often go unquestioned by police, making the law ineffective in the first place.

• Teens and adults will just trick-or-treat anyway:

Many teens and adults will just ignore the law and trick-or-treat anyway. They will find ways to appear younger than they are and bypass police questioning.

• Teens and adults were doing no wrong in the first place:

Many teens and adults who trick-or-treat are simply roaming the streets in a harmless and polite fashion and are being unfairly punished for something that should not even be considered a crime. They are being punished simply for celebrating a holiday and expressing their creativity.

• If adults can drink alcohol, vote, die for their nation, enter a legally binding contract, purchase pornography, purchase cigarettes, and if teens can drive, pay taxes, work, and be tried as an adult in court, then why can't they trick-or-treat?

If adults and  are seen so responsible by the government, if they are given lots of civil freedom, then why are they unable to celebrate a holiday as they please? If teens are subject to some adult responsibilities, and they are already seen as troublemakers by the law, why not give them a break? If all other major civil responsibilities are granted and expected then why is the simple act of asking for candy a crime? Many adults and teens lead stressful lives, playing their role as a mature US citizen and should have the right to let some of the steam off.


Don't you think everyone can enjoy the Halloween spirit?

Caught In the Middle: The Dishonorable Divorce Courts of America

The papers are served and the battle begins. Two parents who were not meant to be nervously inform their child of their heartbreaking rift agreed upon. Soon its off to court , which when between two fit parents includes the negotiation of child custody and alimony. The parents and at times the children too present their case before a judge and the judge makes the final call on which parent is given custody over the child, or what schedule is to be followed in cases of joint physical custody. Often times multiple factors determine the decision of the judge, such as state legislation, federal legislation, the wishes of the parents, the financial stability of each parent, the moral fitness of each parent, and child preferences. Based on these factors, the judge makes the decision based on what he or she perceives as "the best interests of the child". Often times, child preference is treated as the most trivial factor in creating a suitable parental plan, and deciding custodial possession. There are several methods to obtaining child preference, either through a private indirect interview, testifying on the witness stand, or being directly interrogated with one or both parents present. Children are legally deprived of the right to have a definite decision in the divorce proceedings, so what influence a child has is at the discretion of the judge.Some general rules of thumb many judges follow when determining the weight of child preference include:The age of the child.This is the biggest influence for the vast majority of judges. Children younger than 7 or 8 are often deemed to young to even have a preference, or weigh out the reasoning behind their preferences and their opinions are therefore not taken into consideration whatsoever. The preferences of children 8-11 are taken as trivial influence, and at around 12-14 years of age, their preference is taken as a major influence- often being the determining factor of parental planning, due to the judicial assumption that older children can easily run away from a parent they do not wish to live with. Some states set laws in which all judges must follow in terms of the age in which a child can have an influence. In some states child preference is not taken into consideration at all no matter the age of the child, and in some states an nonnegotiable age limit is set. For instance, in the state of Georgia it is 14.The validity of preferences.When children bring their preferences to a judge, they are always questioned, and children are required to explain their logical reasoning for having such preferences. The judge may decide at any point that the reasons are invalid and ignore them. The preferences of older children tend to be taken more leniently,where as the preferences of younger children are more thoroughly interrogated.Parental influence.Children's preferences are often examined for contamination with parental influence, and the preference is ignored if it shows signs of parental influence.
SiblingsAn effort is generally made to keep all siblings in the same household. Older siblings usually have more influence in the determination of where the others are to live.
Day by day, hundreds of American families are torn apart. Countless children are placed in the dead center of raging parents and ignorant judges. Their voices taken with a mere grain of salt by parents, and ultimately by the judge, and state legislations. Every day, countless children are left miserable screaming for help, unheard as they ride on the rocky roller coaster of an atrocious divorce. Already miserable children have the misery magnified, when they are blind-sighted, and when they are given so say in their future. When children are involved in divorce, they are treated as objects to be split and traded, rather than human  beings just as affected by the outcome as their parents, allowing parents and the courts to treat children as pawns and not human beings in a stressful situation. Custody is often times allowed to become a war over "possessions", rather than a peaceful negotiation between parents and children.Why are children treated as mere material possessions? Why are legislations continuing to practice such injustices in the name of family divorce?Shouldn't children have a say?

Lower the Drinking Age..Join The Movement

This is another great argument on why US alcohol laws and youth prohibition have been a failure from the start!

A Shocking Experience at the Glendale Americana

On October 9th 2010, I went with a few friends to the Glendale Americana to see the new hit movie, The Social Network. We met up at around 1:30 PM, got a few snacks at the Starbucks inside Barnes and Noble, and then headed off to see the movie. From the time we hit the concession stand, our peaceful and fun time together quickly turned into a time of harassment and discrimination. As we waited in line, we each stood in a different line to see which one moved faster. When one friend got to the front of the line, we all moved over to order at the same time. The woman directly behind scowled at us and said in a harsh angry tone, "That is not okay. I have been waiting here for so long." We argued that we had been here first, but we were pushed to the back of the line, all because we were adolescents. This spot saving method is one I have witnessed in many adults, being practiced with no complaint or question. Adults are simply respected when waiting in line, and children are simply not. If we had been adults waiting in that same line, chances are, the woman would not have uttered a word.

Then as we headed inside the theater after we had to wait horrendously long to purchase popcorn, candy, and drinks, a supervisor is in the hallway arguing with one friend, because he thought he had touched the screen when he swore he didn't! He nearly removed all of us who paid decent money to see the movie for something one person did not even do! If this had been an adult, or if a parent had been present, all of that unnecessary interrogation and harassment would have been avoided. Only after much persuasion were we allowed back in. After the movie had ended, we hit the restrooms walked outside, and stood in the playground area between two kiosks. As we were discussing what to do next, a tall, young, hispanic security guard approached us. He immediately said, "Hello, how are you doing today? Well, I'm here to make you aware of our policy here at the Americana that you must be shopping at all times. When you come here, we want everyone to shop."

One of us then said, "We just saw a movie though."

The security guard then replied, "But when you come out, you have to begin shopping immediately, and when you get movie tickets, you must head straight into the theatre, no walking around beforehand! And by the way, all minors have to be out of here by 10:00."

We then replied, "Were just figuring out what to do."

The security guard then said, "Well, okay, as long as you get shopping soon." and then walked off.

This security guard clearly harassed us entirely because of our age.

All youth deserve the same respect as adults when in public. It's that simple. They should be able to enjoy time with friends and by themselves without unnecessary harassment, questioning, ridicule or interrogation.

CARU-The Most Insulting Advertising in the US

In 1974 the NARC(National Advertising Review Council) established the Children's Advertising Review Unit (CARU) part of the Council of Better Business Bureaus(CBBB) in order to enforce "responsible children's advertising". CARU is based on the core belief that children under 12 have not yet acquired the cognitive capabilities necessary to effectively evaluate the credibility of an advertisement. CARU believes that children under 12 are more vulnerable to advertising than adolescents and adults and therefore require special advertising regulations. CARU is composed mainly of parents, child development specialists, child mental health specialists, psychologists, and psychiatrists. Advertisers must adhere to stringent guidelines when targeting their advertising to children. Complaints are issued by CARU and parents are encouraged to be on the look out for "irresponsible children's advertising" and voice their complaints to CARU where necessary.
 Regulations require that advertising is not misleading, does not pressure purchase, and that it uses simplified vocabulary otherwise known as baby-talk, or child directed speech. CARU also requires that advertisers air their advertisements on appropriate stations and at specific times during children's programming. Ads containing characters adjacent  the programming taking place must air either after the show is over, or must clearly state that it is indeed an advertisement.
 Ads targeting children must air during children's programming, and ads not targeting children must not. Ads must depict realistic product performance, must properly depict adult supervision, and children must not appear using products that are labeled "keep out of reach of children". Advertisers that are out of compliance are first issued a warning and are given a chance to modify their ads and comply in their future advertising. If this is not done, ads are removed from the air, and advertisers are subject to long and grueling court battles.
Many companies have been unfairly confronted about their child-directed advertisements.
Many ads which inflict no harm on a child's well being are subject to ridicule and unnecessary modifications.
Such instances include J&J's Listerine Smart Rinse ad which aired during Dora the Explorer. Advertisers were subject to ridicule as CARU found this ad "inappropriate for children" due to its  "Keep out of Reach of Children" label. J&J found the proposal absurd, and an unnecessary battle occurred. Many stations have been confronted for airing trailers for movies rated PG-13 during children's programming. CARU is not only invasive to the rights of advertisers and TV stations, it is simply insulting to the children. CARU underestimates the overall intelligence, maturity, and skepticism of children, and promotes a false and insulting image of children throughout the United States. Children are no more vulnerable to deceptive advertising than are adults. Children and adults alike have the same potential to be deceived. Children often mock and question advertisements, ignore them all together, or think before purchasing, or having their parents purchase.
 Children can sense misleading ads when they see them and treat them with skepticism. Children often do not take ads at face value at first sight and can often distinguish between advertising and programming. Advertising does not influence whether children will handle the product correctly, and children do not think about how it was advertised when judging the proper usage advertised products. Many children of today's society hardly even view commercials at all. Children will often fast-forward through commercials to continue watching the desired programming, meaning that advertising is missed almost entirely and is almost never taken seriously! Why impose severe, unrealistic, and falsely based guidelines. Children's advertising should be treated just as the rest, and should be handled no differently.

Free Speech

Curfews: Violating Basic Liberties

Child curfews are laws requiring youth below a certain age to either return home, or leave the streets between certain hours of the night and day. Youth who are simply on the streets late at night are swept off by police officers and often taken to police stations and issued warnings. Youth are often arrested simply for being present in public during the night  without causing any disruptions. Young adults who are mistaken for children are arrested, even when they are legally capable of public presence in the night. Many perfectly behaved, polite, and responsible children are arrested in vain for their harmless public presence simply because of the time they were born. Curfew laws fall identical to the Jim-Crow laws, or sundown laws which limited what hours blacks were allowed  in public places and on the streets. Now children are the target of such unfair prejudices.

Child curfews laws were enacted in the 1980's  in an attempt to lower youth crime has unnecessarily punished many youth who simply roam the streets in a non-disruptive fashion. Curfew laws are not federal, many states and cities have varying curfew times and ages. Some cities even enforce daytime curfews, which generally cover school hours and at times immediately after school. Curfew laws have done nothing to lower teen crime rates as many parents and policy supporters have claimed. Children continue to commit crime in the hours that they are allowed outside their homes and those who commit crimes against youth do the same. 

Curfews simply are not an effective way to deal with crime. Curfew laws continue to punish many very polite and respectful youth who should enjoy the right to liberty and their privileges as a United States citizen under the 14th amendment should which should not be violated or undermined due to age. Children should be able to decide when they are on the streets as they wish. Child curfew laws are clearly unconstitutional. They violate 14th amendment rights, making children treated as the lesser as US citizens. Youth should be taught responsibility,  and instead of restricted, allowed to exercise that responsibility with liberty when in public.

Top Six Reasons Graded Schooling is Failing Students

Graded schooling is a system based on grouping students into several grade levels based on approximate ages. Traditional public schools in the United States will organize students into four standard categories based on age, pre-school from ages 2-4, elementary school for ages 4-11, middle school for ages 11-14, and high school ages 14-18 with many sub-levels for each approximate year of age. For instance, most 6 and 7-year olds will be in the 1st grade. Graded schooling has existed in the United States since the 19th century, being introduced between 1848 and 1870.



1. Graded schooling is one-size-fits-all.

Graded schooling offers no flexibility. Students of a certain age are all placed in on classroom at a given school. Gifted and high-performing students often feel neglected, bored, and under-stimulated, making them loose their enthusiasm for school early on and often find themselves unable to relate socially to peers. Slower students often find themselves unable to keep up with their chronologically similar friends and end up feeling unintelligent and worthless and many students find themselves strong in one subject and weaker in another, in which the one-size-fits all nature of graded schooling leads to inappropriate placement in both areas. No two students of the same age are alike, and forcing a large number of approximately aged students into one or two classrooms is highly unfair, and detrimental to the learning process.



2. Graded schooling creates severe social segregation.


Graded schooling often influences social segregation among peers. Grades often play a huge role in who a student chooses to befriend. Students often stay within a narrow age grouping often only befriending children in their own grade, or no more than one to two grade levels above or below them. Graded schooling makes many older students feel superior and entitled to pick on younger students. Students become more arrogant when amongst younger peers as they become older. In most high-schools, seniors often engage in group bullying rituals that they perform on incoming freshmen,  in elementary schools fifth-graders feel entitled to authority over those in kindergarten. Students who try to join cliques outside a narrow age range are often rejected and ridiculed simply because of age and grade level.


3. Graded schooling creates many stereotypes.


Students are often initially judged by their grade level. Many false assumptions are often made about the cognitive and judgement capabilities of students in a certain grade level. Knowledge is often under or overestimated. Stereotypes and assumptions about a students personal interests and personal qualities are often made based on grade when every student is different. Many people tend to think of high-schoolers as sex crazed party-animals and troublemakers, while they also think of many pre-school students as irrational beings. High school students are often assumed to have more knowledge and maturity over middle-school students, when in many cases such is false.


4. Graded schooling has influenced many extra-curricular groups, summer camps, and private instructors to do the same.


Many summer camps will also categorize their sessions by age. This is a disadvantage to many students who are challenged planning wise with only one age-specified session, and many who attend summer camps have to hound and pester camp directors to allow them to attend a younger or older session. Many private instrumental instructors will often tailor their instruction to specific age categories, rather than the students abilities or learning speed and many child-prodigies and music students who progress above an average rate are troubled with teachers due to grade level. Extra-curricular groups will often limit participation above or below a certain grade level, resulting in many unhappy customers.

5. Graded schooling causes lots of unneeded stress.
  
With graded schooling, students and teachers alike have to stress over target curriculum, and cramming it all into a certain time period. Teachers and students have to worry about grade level assessments. Students have to worry about skipping grades, and if they are going to pass to the next grade at all. Students are forced to compare themselves to grade level standards and are looked down upon if they are not met. Parents, siblings and other relatives often stress over the same matters.



6. Graded schooling limits opportunities.


Adults who were not blessed with a formal education as children often struggle with the pursuit of one, often being unable to attend past a certain age, having to revert to online courses which miss the school social experience and do not properly meet many peoples academic needs. Gifted students who could have excelled, and been granted many great opportunities often miss out and have their talents go unrecognized. Slower students who could have just stayed behind in one area are forced to repeat an entire year or more often due to one weak subject, and are held back both socially or mentally.

Graded schooling has always been useless, unfair and detrimental. If students are to ever obtain success in their learning experience it will be when graded schooling is eliminated.

Ageism: Not Just the Elderly-Racism and Sexism's Evil Triplet

Ageism is defined by the prejudice, stereotyping, or hate against a certain age group. It is commonly recognized, treated as taboo, and disdained when it concerns the elderly. When a person shows prejudice toward a senior citizen, others are quick to shun the offender, and instantaneously become offended. ADEA(Age Discrimination Employment Act) passed December 15, 1967 prevents employers from discriminating against people over 40, and it prevents employers from setting a retirement age. Racial segregation was banned in the 1960's during Martin Luther King's time, and many sports and occupations recently opened their doors to women. Dictionary.com even defines ageism as

"1. discrimination against persons of a certain age group, and 2. a tendency to regard older persons as debilitated, unworthy of attention, or unsuitable for employment."


While all this is wonderful-what about youth? To many people, discriminating against youth goes completely unrecognized and is a socially and legally accepted day to day component of everyone's life. Schools go on day by day segregating it's children by approximate ages, employers will happily refuse many young workers before even getting a peek at their resume, or meeting them in person. Parents treat younger siblings different than their elders, and speech is often filtered and simplified around toddlers and the list goes on. Many people go their entire lives practicing such discrimination without their blatant prejudice even crossing their mind. If you happen to confront someone about their day-to-day ageism practices, most will argue that it is not discrimination at all, or that its just what you are supposed to do, yet they will say that it is wrong to discriminate against the elderly and that it is wrong to practice racism or sexism. Many people are hypocritical when it comes to this. They will say that ageism is wrong, yet practice it daily. Ageism against the young is widely accepted both ethically and legally-and its even supported.

The truth is, ageism against youth is just as harmful and hurtful as it is to the elderly. It is just as harmful and degrading as racism and sexism. Many youth from the minute they are born are bombarded and overwhelmed with prejudice, stereotyping, and discrimination. Most children grow up being treated as inferiors, as lesser beings by both their parents, older siblings peers, and most of all the government. They are often pressured as pre-teens and adolescents to treat younger children this way, being shunned and looked down upon if they fail to do so, and are treated the same way by adults. When they reach adulthood, the vicious cycle continues.
Many adults who endured discrimination as youth forget how it felt, blindly accept it, and repeat these practices with their children and any other children they may encounter throughout the rest of their lives. Many adults and children too support government sponsored ageism blindly and fail to see the wrong in it. They look down on many youth advocates, youth rights protesters, or people who simply defend children in day-to-day social situations.

- Ageism today was racial segregation six decades ago, and slavery before the civil war- Just as widespread and accepted as racism was in the past, and just as deadly.