I thought you might enjoy the persective of a conservative economist on Halloween. Personally I think this guy needs to get out of the office more often, or take it as I think it really is- a bit of fun at our own expense.
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Halloween Is an Economist's Biggest Nightmare
I thought you might enjoy the persective of a conservative economist on Halloween. Personally I think this guy needs to get out of the office more often, or take it as I think it really is- a bit of fun at our own expense.
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I agree with you there Mr. Rood. I mean seriously... Its halloween!This article is such a joke!This guy Kevin really never gets out does he? Maybe he just never had a good Halloween experience.. having a bad costume or not getting good candy, I guess could alter someones opinion about this sugar filled holiday!But really I think he needs to take it easy with all that talk about Charleston Chews.. they're not THAT bad.
I think this economist is looking at Halloween from the wrong perspective. He's looking at it from the children's perspectives. But if he looked at it from the perspective of the men and women who are giving out the candy he might find that Halloween is not such an economist's nightmare. The reason Charleston Chews are constantly given out on Halloween is probably due to the fact that they were some of the cheapest candy, and the people who are giving out candy to trick or treaters wanted to get the most bang for their buck. As a result, they didn't take into account what the children wanted, they just got the biggest, cheapest bags of candy. If they were to give out money to children, rather than candy, they'd end up spending a lot more money because the children aren't going to want to buy big cheap value bags, they'd going to want to buy smaller, and more expensive, specific types of candy, especially because they wouldn't be able to consume a whole huge bag of say, Starbursts, on their own. Therefore it's better for the people giving out the candy to simply buy big bags and just hand out a couple pieces of candy to each kid rather than giving a dollar to each kid.
This is kinda rediculous and he is totally overthinking a just-for-fun holiday, but his points are valid and do make sense. But America is so rich and does so much other useless comsumption that I dont think a 1.5 bil. dollar waste will really hurt our economy.
Mr. Rood that guy sucks. After I read this article I went out to the store a bought a Charleston Chew. After that I pillaged my little brother's room. I noticed there were NO CHARLESTON CHEWS in his trick or treat bag. So maybe the demand was so low the houses stop supplying them or my little brother ate them all. Halloween can even help our economy because its almost like free advertisement for the candy companies. Trick or treaters get to try new, exotic candies for free. They may get hooked on it and purchase more it or even tell their parents to invest in that company. YAAAAAAAAAY!!!
This guy's arguament might make sense if the world of Halloween candy was actually a seperate economy. However, the market for candy is a very small market within our large economy, which happens to use money. Consumer Holidays like Halloween boost the economy by spurring consumers to purchase goods they wouldn't normally spend money on. Just giving money to kids would't be a practical idea beccause nobody would do it. Take another holiday like Christmas. Find one economist who says Christmas spending doesn't boost the economy. In theory, monetary gifts may be more efficient. But then less money would be exchanged because everybody likes to think they can find the perfect gift for someone and nobody likes forking over straight cash. Consumer holidays set up a structure that gets people to spend extra: they get people to help the economy by hiding the fact that you are helping the economy and making you think you are just celebrating a holiday. Trying to make consumer holidays moe efficient would remove this outer cover and nobody would participate anymore. So while this guy's argument may make sense in an equation on his computer, it doesn't make sense when applied to actual human beings, with whom I'm sure our friend Kevin has very little contact. Not everyone is an efficient econominic robot engine like you Kevin, you sad cubicle-confined freak. Besides, you can go to hell because Charleston Chews are delicious.
It seems that the defenders of the Charleston Chew are out in force on this article.
this guy needs to go pound a few back or something. and lighten up a lot. the world cant be all work no play and still expect most people to be happy. i mean i went to whb for holloween this year and they shut the whole town down for about 3 hours letting kids trick or treat and gave out free silly string and it was loads of fun. so the businesses might have lost some business but it also gave them a chance to advertise and hand out panflits to the parents.
ok so i dont think this man was ever let out of the house as a child. The whole point af halloween is to go out all dressed up and get as much candy as you can and eat it until you are sick. Every childs dream. I disagree with him when he says every house gives every kid the same candy, after all i know at my house we buy the veriety bag and let the kids take what ever they like. funny how he sits there and talks about how its so bad and then he mentions that his sons trick or treat. I think this guy needs to lighten up a bit halloween happens one day a year, not a big deal.
So if Halloween candy giving does not make sense in economic terms, what about those millions of Hallmark cards on Valentine's Day? Or those chocolate eggs on Easter? Or flags on Flag Day? (Maybe?) Should those be replaced with the green bills? But I have come up with the solution to this problem: give out the chocolate Hannukah coins on Halloween. Then it's both candy and money. What now Kevin?
i think this guy is out of his mind! true 2.1 billion dollars is a lot to spend on halloween candy, but i don't think giving a kid a penny to buy his own halloween candy is the solution. chances are even if they don't like charleston chews they will trade them in school anyway or not be so picky and eat them anyway. i think he has some serious issues against the charleston chew company. but either way he is spending way too much time and energy on the subject.
i think this guy is out of his mind! true 2.1 billion dollars is a lot to spend on halloween candy, but i don't think giving a kid a penny to buy his own halloween candy is the solution. chances are even if they don't like charleston chews they will trade them in school anyway or not be so picky and eat them anyway. i think he has some serious issues against the charleston chew company. but either way he is spending way too much time and energy on the subject.
I loved this article! It was really funny (I'm assuming he was joking about the whole thing?) If not, I agree with Jaime and Sean: he needs to get out more because he is WAY overthinking it. BUT! I actually really liked the idea about bringing it to school and trading there because personally, KitKats just don't float MY boat, but I'm sure they'd make someone else whos stuck with Charleston Chews overjoyed. (In fact, I'd happily trade with them because I actually have a thing for Charleston Chews.) But it would also help teach kids about trade and values of different things. (For ex: Butterfingers value is MUCH higher than that of the Orange Peanut Marshmallow.) As far as the idea about giving out money though, it stinks. That would completely wipe the fun out of the holiday, not to mention dull the sparkle of the toothfairy.
wow this guys a joke and seriously needs to live a little and plus i like charleston chews. does he honestly think kids if given money are gonna go out and buy candy the next day, well maybe i would have when i was younger but like now if i spent it on something i could eat i would probably just get a sandwich from herbs or something and totally destroy the point of halloween and the fact that he thinks we would become enlightened if we started giving out money instead of candy is funny.
Its Halloween its ment for candy no matter what candy even if it is a charelston chew which isnt that bad the holiday allows for children to recieve plentiful amounts of candy from people and enjoy it for however long it lasts. there is no reason why people should give money as appose to the candy thats already being given out because adults buy big value bags probably from places such as WAL MART to have enough for aot of trick or treaters which is better than giving money to a child and haveing them spend money on a certain kind of treat
I like Charleston Chews the vanilla AND strawberry ones. Kevin must have had a bad experience or hes just nutty. Like Matt said Halloween is "free advertisement for the candy companies." Halloween is possibly the only time in the year when such an excessive amount of candy is bought and this one "just for fun" holiday is not worth such a fuss.
Kevin A. Hasset is a liar. He definitely does not have children, because that would require finding a consenting female. And no girl I know of would ever date a guy who doesn't like Charleston Chews.
Why did I know that this would be a popular post?
i think this guy takes halloween way to seriously. it is suppost to be fun not economical if it was then no one would go and spend their hard earned money on candy for kids they don't even know. as for the charleston chews what did they ever do to him that much hate a descrimination over a candy bar must be the effect of a bad childhood or at least a bad halloween.
Mr. Hasset must have had one bad Halloween when he was a child. He doesn't seem to understand that kids who are trick-or-treating don't think about the economic standpoint of the candy they are getting. If he truly believes that the economics of Halloween are wrong, than he probably is handing out money to the people who come to his house expecting candy. As almost everyone else said, who can not like Charleston Chews? I hope that he doesn't make his children suffer and not let them enjoy Halloween.
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