Poisoned Candy Is A Halloween Myth ----- BE AFRAID! BE VERY AFRAID!

[HuckleB]

http://www.tampabay.com/features/parenting/poisoned-can...

"You've heard the advice before: Check your kid's candy bucket after going trick-or-treating. Throw away any homemade goodies. Sometimes hospitals even offer to X-ray the candy just to make sure there isn't a needle in that Snickers bar.

This advice turns out to be the ultimate Halloween prank, a horror that has never happened, not once, in the history of Halloween, according to a researcher who has studied reports of Halloween mischief dating back to the 1950s.

"Deviants typically do bad things because they are greedy or they are angry," said Joel Best, a professor of sociology and criminal justice at the University of Delaware. "They don't just poison kids for the sheer fun of it."

In nearly every suspected case of candy poisoning, Best has determined that it was either a hoax or an attempt to cover up other mischief. His conclusion: Reports of poisoned candy from strangers are a myth.

..."

------------------------------------------


We're making oatmeal cookies for the kids we know around the neighborhood. We've let their parents know, so they won't be afraid of the non-packaged treats.

It's time to be a community again.

No?

[NYC_SKP]

NestleCo, Mars Co, et al can't profit from apples or your home made oatmeal cookies...

Thus, apples and homemade cookies are evil.

It's true.

[Autumn]

15. wrong place

[raccoon]

41. By George, I think you've got it! nt

[Tom Ripley]

46. The rumor was propagated by M&M/Mars when they introduced "fun-sized" Snickers, etc...

That is the actual truth

[TheWraith]

54. Do you have any proof to back that up, pray tell?

Or is it just a case of "people will believe any conspiracy theory if there's a big corporation attached"?

[RobinA]

66. I Remember

this myth loooong before "fun-sized" candy. When I went trick or treating we got the real sized stuff, not this minature candy they give out now.

[FarCenter]

1. No.

[HuckleB]

2. No, what?

[FarCenter]

5. No. It is not time to be community again. At least not on a non-critical, naively trusting basis.

There are bad people in the world.

Homemade treats from neighbors that you know are probably OK.

But look what happened to Snow White.

[HuckleB]

8. So, we should ignore the evidence that most people are good?

And that there is no evidence that people have ever tried to poison kids with Halloween candy?

Interesting.

[MH1]

51. Lots and lots of good people can't necessarily save you if a bad person gets to you.

Before yesterday I might have responded to this post differently.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/National-Cat-Day/1778845... <<-- evidence of the supreme assholishness abundant in humanity.

I wouldn't want my kid to be the first statistic, you know?

[TheWraith]

53. Except that there ARE NO "statistics" here.

It's not a case of "one in a million odds."

It's a case of "it has NEVER happened."

[HuckleB]

59. If fear runs your life, then you've already become your own statistic.

You've stopped living, for Pete's sake.

[LanternWaste]

87. I think that intentionally conflating the words 'concern' and 'fear'

I think that intentionally conflating the words 'concern' and 'fear' diminishes any position you may hold.

[HuckleB]

89. Hogwash.

There is no conflating here.

Nice try.

[Autumn]

11. That is such a contradiction, Snow White was poisoned

by a family member and was saved by a stranger.

[FarCenter]

14. Her evil stepmother, the Queen, disguised herself as an old peddler woman

So Snow White accepted the poisoned apple from someone that she thought was a stranger.

[Maine-ah]

17. well, the woodland animals did try to warn her.

[Autumn]

18. Snow White made the wrong choices.

To begin with, she should have washed the apple that had been dipped in poison before she ate it. Never eat fruit or vegetables before they are washed.

[HuckleB]

60. Are you saying the apple was sprayed with chemicals in the days of Snow White?

Or are we just talking about germ phobia?

[Autumn]

90. Dipped in poison.

Had she washed it, that might have gotten the poison off. Just like pesticides.

[HuckleB]

91. Yeah, in an era where few people washed anything.

Goodness. This is fiction you're offering up. Yet, you seem to think this is justification for all the fear around Halloween.

[Autumn]

92. There is no reason to fear Halloween.

All the open candy and home made stuff I have always eaten. Haven't managed to get a drug OD yet. As for razor blades haven't even found one in some really good home baked goodies in a baggie yet.

[HuckleB]

98. Interesting.

[TheWraith]

52. Seriously, what the fuck is that supposed to mean in the real world?

You're citing a LITERAL fairy tale as providing solid advice for parents, as opposed to ACTUAL SCIENTIFIC STUDY?

[JVS]

35. "Look what happened to Snow White"

[didact]

101. Snow White had it coming!

[Autumn]

3. Are you putting pot in them?

Cause if you are I want some. Trick or treat.












Kidding, good for you

[HuckleB]

4. Those are good, as long as they're labeled, IMO!

One of our neighbors gives out jello shots to adults. I'm good with that, too!

[Autumn]

7. Cool I do the jello shots too.

They are a big hit with the neighbors.

[HuckleB]

9. +1

[HuckleB]

6. Someone gave this an unrec?

WOW!

[TheWraith]

56. Some people hold on tightly to things they "know," even when it's proven not the case.

And I'm sure you can find plenty of people who will mention that they heard about this happening to someone they know... but when you track down the details, it's always that they heard it from someone, who heard it from someone, who heard it from someone... myth is often more persistent than truth, because the truth isn't as satisfying.

[HuckleB]

57. Exactly.

Perfectly put, btw.

[bluestateguy]

10. Remember the "crack babies" myth in the 80's and 90's?

Right up there with that nonsense too.

[HuckleB]

13. Indeed. -eom-

[TheWraith]

55. Not so much a myth as simply hysteria and science-free reporting.

It's certainly true that a baby born to a woman who's been using crack will suffer physical addiction symptoms and withdrawal, as well as often being underweight as well. But all the speculation beyond that was severely lacking in scientific basis.

[kestrel91316]

12. When the razor blade scares happened in the 60s, and we wanted to give out

our usual popcorn balls, we just included our name and address with them so people knew if there was a "problem" they could trace it. People happily accepted them. Everybody in the neighborhood knew us anyway.

[BanzaiBonnie]

16. So, do you suppose it might have been a myth started by the candy companies?

So we would HAVE to buy their crappy candy?

[HuckleB]

19. Who knows?

The myth has also served the media well. So...

[Odin2005]

20. My mom scared me shitless with stores about poisoned candy and razor blades in apples.

She claimed it was "common" when she was growing up in the 60s and 70s because "people hated kids".

[HuckleB]

21. Ouch!

I remember having to spread the candy out on the table every year, so my parents could inspect it.

Oddly, my mom made home-made treats many years. Most of the kids who came by were people we knew, and it wasn't a problem.

[Codeine]

22. Why do people lie to kids?

We don't even do the Santa stuff -- I just don't get why lying to kids would be fun for parents.

[Art_from_Ark]

31. The first Halloween I remember was 1963

I had gone trick-or-treating and had received a popcorn ball (I even still remember the house I got it from). Anyway, when we got home, that was the first thing I wanted to eat. However, my grandmother saw it and took it away from me. "You can't eat that! Someone might have put poison or a razor blade in it!" she exclaimed as threw my prized popcorn ball in the trash. I cried for the rest of the night

[HuckleB]

63. Ugh. Irrational fear has permeated us for far too long.

[Odin2005]

81. Wow!

[Art_from_Ark]

82. I think Grandma felt a bit guilty about that popcorn ball incident

She ended up giving me a bunch of stuff the following Christmas

[RobinA]

67. I Grew Up

in the '60's and '70's, never got a razor blade apple, never got poisoned by candy. Mybe your mother grew up in a rougher place. My father was a radiologist and used to go dutifully to work on Halloween to X-ray candy. Neither he nor his colleguse ever found a thing in all the years they did it.

[TheMadMonk]

23. Yup, right up there with a syringe and a "congratulatory note" in...

...a change slot or theatre seating.

Not to say you won't find a syringe stuffed between seat cushions on the train, or a used feminine hygiene product, candy wrapper, condoms... They're all there, but never with an accompanying note.

Couldn't give a shititis, yup people have that in spades. Deliberate, random maliciousness, is thankfully one of those things we DON'T do very well. Kill babies and kids out of frustration? Yes that sadly is within our nature, but deliberate maliciousness requires a target.

Poison Nestle chocolate bars, and you make it clear that Nestle is the target and that the fault will lie with them if someone is hurt, because it was something about Nestle which made you do it.

Worst case, a truly desperate junkie might threaten/hold hostage a child with a contaminated syringe, but still balk at setting a mantrap inside a copshop in case an unintended target "gets it".

The psychopath is searching for a "human connection" made impossible by his broken brain chemistry. The soldier who KNOWS with absolute certainty that his future existance (Usually as a result of being the one who didn't die. THAT TIME!) is entirely up to "god and/or chance" can be uderstood (even while vilified) when he "dashes out a baby's brains" because it stands in the way of one last shot at genetic continuation, both as immediate distraction and future competitor for resources.

All wishful thinking aside, murder, rape and pillage are an absolutely natural part of warfare. It requires an absolutely "unnatural" counter pressure from "above" (gods or superior officers) to maintain peacetime order in a wartime situation.

But always, there is REASON sometimes it's unreason masquerading as reason, but almost never is it, total non-reason.

[HuckleB]

24. I like how reality is actually more interesting than the myth.

Although the myth sometimes helps create the reality.

From the article:

"The best-known case of Halloween candy tampering came in 1974, when Texas dad Ronald Clark O'Bryan killed his son by lacing his Pixy Stix with cyanide to claim $20,000 in life insurance. Before that, a Detroit 5-year-old died in 1970 after eating heroin supposedly hidden in his Halloween candy. It turned out the boy had simply gotten into his uncle's stash."

[Manifestor_of_Light]

36. The O'Bryan case happened about five miles from where I grew up.

I was already in college in 1974. That happened in Deer Park, Texas.

I think the distinction between "poisoning your own kid" and "poisoning strangers" is splitting hairs, in that case.

There were three other kids, including his daughter, who got the cyanide laced Pixy Stix, but did not eat them.

[HuckleB]

39. So we should be afraid because this guy wanted to kill his kid?

And he was dumb enough to believe that this myth was true?

[FiveGoodMen]

69. "killed his son by lacing his Pixy Stix with cyanide"

So...never eat anything given to you by your father.

[HuckleB]

70. I'm not sure that's a great survival strategy either.

[FiveGoodMen]

71. But it DOES follow the same logic as

"I once heard someone say that they heard someone say that some kids got bad candy for Halloween, so we'd better never trust it again!"

[HuckleB]

72. Absolutely.

[Irishonly]

25. The kids I know get homemade goodies

I don't know why the scare tactics are used every Halloween.

[HuckleB]

30. That's awesome!

And I don't get the scare tactics either.

[Irishonly]

86. Not earth shattering but I gave it all away

I had so much fun last night. It was almost like a blast from my childhood/

[athenasatanjesus]

26. It has happened,just not often.

And the times it has happened were murder attempts by people that knew one of the kids.

[HuckleB]

27. Did you read the article before responding?

[AngkorWot]

28. No, he's right. It actually happened several times.

My cousin's hairdresser told me.

[HuckleB]

29. +1

[geardaddy]

45. lol

[AsahinaKimi]

32. I really think because of these Myths that

HALLOWEEN has stopped in many places. People do not go tricker treating to neighbors houses any longer. In the big cities, people don't know people. There was the trend to go to some mall and get candy from some stores that would hand them out for free, but even that is not truly trust worthy to many, any longer.

If you wanted to destroy the fun of halloween, ..then create these myths.. and over the years they become "true" ..and then the event stops all together.

I miss tricker treating as a kid, and many kids these days will never know the fun of it, because people have simply stopped doing it because of these very myths.

[HuckleB]

40. Well, we live in a big city, and our neighborhood is filled with kids on Halloween night.

It's a "middle class" area in a neighborhood built in the 1920s. Many people from "less affluent" parts of town drive here with their kids, too.

[Withywindle]

33. Thank you.

It's a fucking urban legend. Not real. Never ever happened.


There is real money to be made in isolating neighbors from each other and encouraging more isolation.


FOLLOW THE MONEY, people. Always ask, 'Who profits?" Who profits from the spreading of this rumor? On the surface, of course mass manufacturers of individually-wrapped candies. In the long run, companies that run gated communities, and politicians who bolster fear.

[Laluchacontinua]

38. All the connections that would unite people in large enough units to stand up to power are

being dissolved: family, community, workplace, traditional practices & mores.

You have to wonder if it's not deliberate.

[SoDesuKa]

34. Terrorists Sprinkle AIDS Germs on Toilet Seats

That's why you should always carry around a travel-sized spray bottle of Lysol.


New! Cleans under the rim!

[freeplessinseattle]

37. One year my parents were so paranoid they didn't want me to go

trick or treating, was the late 70's or early 80s, I don't remember what story triggered their fear. Of course I pitched a fit until my mom made a quick ghost costume for me, drove to find my friends, then when I got home they threw away all my candy, except for my friend's moms M&M cookies (and the toothbrush from the dentist neighbor, woohoo).

I think my dad kept some for himself though...guess he thought that since he was bigger the potential poison would affect him less-or maybe it was all just plot to get a bunch of candy for himself, hmmm...

[HuckleB]

78. You bring up a possible motive.

Maybe it's about candy junky parents getting their fill.

Hmmmm.

[freeplessinseattle]

83. NNow that would make a lot more sense!;) n/t n/t

[HuckleB]

84. +1

[myrna minx]

42. The 1982 Tylenol poisoning murders fanned those fears too.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_Tylenol_murders

All of the parents in my community (in southern WI) were too terrified to let us trick or treat that year so we went to Shakeys instead. It wasn't the same, though.

[HuckleB]

76. Indeed, it did. -eom-

[MiddleFingerMom]

43. Snopes.com COMPLETELY debunks the "Halloween poisoning" myth (click on the word "poisonings"...

.
.
.
... near the very top of the link), though there is EXTREMELY minor
concern about "pins and razors" (several stitches needed in ONE case).
.
.
.
http://www.snopes.com/horrors/mayhem/needles.asp
.
.
.

[HuckleB]

44. Yup. +1

Most of Snopes' information derives from the researcher interviewed in the OP article.

[Dreamer Tatum]

64. Bullshit. See link.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronald_Clark_O\'Bryan


Meanwhile we have certified fucking asshole Bill Maher telling people to put drugs in candy.

[HuckleB]

65. Read the article in the OP.

Are you saying that an idiot who believed the myth chose to kill his kid because he thought he would get away with it, thus justifying the myth and the ridiculous fear mongering that has ensued?

[leeroysphitz]

47. I've spent the last 6 months making small but lewd wood carvings that I plan to pass out.

[HuckleB]

50. +1

[geardaddy]

48. I agree. It's got to be a myth.

One dude scared the shit out of me though when I was a kid. He was handicapped in a wheelchair and suffered from Hydrocephalus and as kids we were always a little scared of him (because we didn't know any better). He was giving the candy out at his house and as I took some and was leaving the porch, he said, "I put poison in it." I went home and couldn't remember which piece he gave me.

Years later, I thought, good for him. He probably was sick of kids looking at him wierd.

[Tom Ripley]

88. That is a great story! (n/t)

[quinnox]

Well, thats a relief

Now if we could just get rid of all the thieves, rapists, criminals, murderers, serial killers, weirdos and psychos running around in the world then everything will be rainbows.

Trusting is great, but its also wise to have caution and not blind faith in people. Some folks really do wish you harm.

[robdogbucky]

49. BTW, I would give you the same advice RE: LSD n/t

[HuckleB]

58. You think LSD is a myth?

[robdogbucky]

61. No, and you are being intentionally obtuse

I was referring to your same type of fear-mongering on the LSD thread herein.

That fear-mongering relies largely on myth, but you already knew that.



We will not be silenced

[HuckleB]

62. Show me one post where I've done any fear mongering about LSD.

Thanks!

[HuckleB]

73. So. robdogbucky, it appears that you've made a false accusation.

How is that much different than fear mongering?

[robdogbucky]

94. It's not

As I explain downthread, I had you confused with another asshole.

Can you ever forgive me, oh wise one.

[HuckleB]

97. That's your claim.

The reality is like far different.

[HuckleB]

85. Are you going to back up your claims?

Hello!!!!!

[robdogbucky]

93. No, you're right, I had you mixed up with another asshole

You're the arrogant prick that mocked everyone as they related their LSD experiences to you.

I apologize profusely and won't make that mistake again.

Like some unaware person, who tries to extract others' reality to compare to their own to see what fits their worldview.

Again HuckleB, I apologize for confusing with one of the other assholes.

You stand out completely on your own.

[HuckleB]

96. I'm sorry to bring reality to the table.

Apparently you think those who believe that they're world view is bigger than that of others simply because they've taken LSD are somehow not assholes.

You have a very selective view on who is and who is not an asshole.

You falsely accused me: Now that seems like a VERY assholish thing to do.

[robdogbucky]

99. To wit:

Go fuck around with someone else, okay, we all had enough of you in that thread, as far as I can tell. You don't appear serious in that obsessive kind of way, hence it raises the question, why do you bother?

What kind of drug are you on anyway?


From that thread, here is what I mean about you:




You do realize that your entire post contains no meaning whatsoever, right?

In response to NYC Skip’s

Who's to say that you wouldn't "see a bigger picture" if you had never tried it, or maybe...






Only if you ignore reality.

In further response to Skip

Everything is possible, and nothing is possible.

Actually, it only means that you don't understand how ridiculous your claims are.

And

So does religion.

In response to SwampG8r’s

lsd is for beginners dmt promotes travel through dimensions




Actually, it only means that you don't understand how ridiculous your claims are.

In response to SwampG8r’s

that you would make that comparison tells me you have no basis for it



Since you haven't actually read the thread, ignorance is all yours.
Of course, since you fail to understand the true meaning of ignorance, that means nothing at all

In response to EOTE’s

And I assume you have a large amount of experience with the drug?
Because if you didn't, you'd certainly look like quite the ignorant ass.




BS.

In response to Hobbit709’s

Once you've tripped, the world is never the same.
Even Dr. Albert Hofmann said that.

It means mostly nothing.
It's just another substance that affects the central nervous system.




Reality has nothing to do with it.

In further response to Hobbit709’s

What does it all mean, Mr. Natural?




Yes, I have.
And no one needs to have tried it to know that it does not do what the OP claims.

Religion is an interesting thing, but it's not that interesting. Same goes for substances that affect the CNS

In response to Zorra’s

HuckleB, have you ever tried LSD? And if not,
how can you make judgments on how it affects others?



And ETC., ETC., ETC.

Is it because your religion tells you that the life changing experiences they had from ingesting LSD can't be real or something?

Yes, a dozen times or so. No, it did not change the way I think
If it did, then I guess actual evidence would not mean much to me.

Further, it just might be that the "bigger picture" you think you see is actually a smaller picture than what others see….

"Truth and insight."…

I love religion. Sort of.

PS: I love the "good old days" twist you're pushing, too. Man, that's rich….

Yet, your post is all about religion.
You don't know shit about good drugs, btw.

Try again…

You think you're doing something besides offering up religious BS?...

Whoops!
Someone's nervous is a bit too defensive. It looks like nothing has helped you so far…


All of the above kind words from someone that deems themself to be some kind of authority. "...sound and fury signifying nothing."



Can you hear me now?



Bye Bye

[HuckleB]

100. In other words, it's ok if you and those you agree think you're better than others...

... for a most ridiculous reason. But it's not ok for someone else to point how ridiculous your stance is.

Yeah, I'm thinking the whole asshole thing is quite backwards in your mind.

BTW, you're quite obsessed with my posts now that you've been caught making false accusations. I love it!

[robdogbucky]

102. As I personally witnessed hundreds of times, some folks don't get it.

It's not just me as you can see from my excerpts.

Not obsessed, Sparky, just clarifying for you.

I am monitoring Oaktown and Angela Davis' address to the crowd while I swat you away occasionally.

I was with hundreds of folks tripping hundreds of times in dozens of settings. What I learned is that the middle class kids in this culture will only take in what they can comprehend. Some things just are lost on some and no amount of tripping will turn the light on for them. Same thing with religion as you cited. Some folks believe and some don't. Some get hit over the head and can't help but believe when they witness Dog act, and he's not subtle, he's like a bulldozer. Some folks don't believe in a Dog simply because they can't see him. Well, doesn't that say something about what they can or cannot see? Or maybe refuse to see?

Some people can have the trip of a lifetime their first trip, others could trip dozens of times and never have their mind opened past their pre-conceived notions.

I was thinking of posting an account of my first LSD trip, but then there are so many assholes in the world, they would have to chime in and attempt to negate/smear/denigrate what is a factual account of a real event. No thanks.

I listed all the reasons for my opinion about you and that behavior on that thread, it's just there were so many over the top rejections of what people claimed by you in that thread. I explained that I had you confused with someone else over there, yet you continue with your rantings here.


Carry on, regardless


Have a good day, I will.

[HuckleB]

105. Indeed. You really don't get it.

And the fact that a bunch of other people who want to feel superior for religious reason don't get it, doesn't make you right about anything. Interesting that you can't see the clear hypocrisy in your stance, btw.

I always have a great day. I'm not so sure about any of your claims.

[Iggo]

68. Oh yeah? Well I heard about this one kid...

Oh, wait.

No, I didn't.

It's all bullshit.

[Pacifist Patriot]

75. Oh I know him!

My cousin's nephew's best friend's next-door neighbor's grandson.

[chrisa]

104. Was he little Mikey, the Pop Rocks spokesman?

Whose head supposedly exploded?

[ddeclue]

74. It is all about perpetuating the culture of fear so that we all remain obedient.

[HuckleB]

77. Well, at least so we all buy prepackaged candy at a huge mark up.

[rucky]

79. Kids, don't listen to this. Hand over your popcorn balls.

to my mouth.

[HuckleB]

80. +1

[yellowcanine]

95. My favorite Halloween treat was the Coneheads on SNL putting 6 packs of beer in the bags.

After complaints from neighborhood parents they agreed not to hand out any more "liquid consumables."

[chrisa]

103. Yup. Urban Legend. I wonder how it started?

[HuckleB]

106. That seems to be the big mystery. -eom-