Halloween: The Tainted Candy Myth

[DisneyKevin]

Chicago Homicides

1990: 851
1991: 927
1992: 943
1993: 931
1994: 929
1995: 827
1996: 789
1997: 759
1998: 704
1999: 641
2000: 628
2001: 666
2002: 647
2003: 598
2004: 448
2005: 449
2006: 467
2007: 442
2008: 510
2009: 458

Sorry, still lookking up other cities. In case you're wondering, this is FBI data.

Homicide figures for Chicago?

And you are doing more research?

Because we suggested that people check their kids Halloween candy?

 

[dmccarty]

I lived in three states in my Trick Or Treat years. Well before the 80's. I remember LOCAL news reports of finding needles and razor blades in candy and apples. Snopes, Google, blah blah blah is not going to disprove these stories because they do not have records of local TV reports from 30-40 years ago. I just checked online for newspapers in the areas I lived. They do NOT have online archives of the local papers during the years I was going door to door getting candy.

The objects could have been planted so people could get on the news or other reasons but I have no way to know one way or the other. But these events DID happen.

If one wants to argue that the odds are low about getting a poisoned apple that is different discussion. But to say it did not happen is not true.

Attacks on kids have been happening for years. We do hear about it more today than yesterday because we live in a much more connected world. But that connection also makes more attacks possible. Before micro computers aka PCs kiddy porn was very underground. The "media" changed from "magazines" to floppy disks then private BBSes. Now we have Internet connected PCs to transfer "data" around the world. My two cents is that this enables people to go from thinking to the acting stage. We are in a completely different age.

As a kid we had frequent assemblies with the local Police Officer, who would now be a School Resource Officer, about what is now called Stranger Danger. We would see a film about what would happen if one went with a stranger. It was a BLOODY film. No way they would show this film to elementary kids today. This was 30-40 years ago.

While most attacks are still done by a person KNOWN to a child, Stranger Danger does exist. We have had several abduction attempts in my area over the last few months. One little girl was just, shall we say touched, by a stranger while out in her neighborhood.

The good thing about the Internet is that at least in some states you can know if there is a convicted offender living near by. But it is not perfect. In our old neighborhood we had a child attacker living nearby. Everyone knew it. What most people did not know is that across the street from the guy who was convicted lived another man. This man was certainly involved with the man convicted but a deal was reached between the two men so that only one was convicted.

I look back at what I was able to do as a kid and wonder what my parents were thinking. In some cases they did not know. But they also took risks that if things had gone wrong they would have lived with some very horrible guilt.

Life is risky. What is NOT risky for some seems to be a huge danger to another. In some cases the thing that is considered dangerous is caused by ignorance or fear of the unknown. The individual needs to measure the risk for themselves and make a decision that makes sense to them.

Later,
Dan

 

[DaParkers]

Does that prove that the kids(black) in Chicago are safe? In 08, more than 500 school age children were shot in Chicago alone. Granted, "Only" 36 died, but that is still very unsettling to me. I won't go back and forth with you about this because I have lived it, you've only googled it. Thank God that this is not your reality, but your reality isn't the same as mine or several others here on the Dis. I'm not suggesting anyone panic and I don't think you should tell people to be less vigilant about their most prized possession........Their kids.

 

[Disney Dad Canada]

Homicide figures for Chicago?

And you are doing more research?

Because we suggested that people check their kids Halloween candy?

Read the quote above. "I suggest you google New Orleans, Baltimore, Philadelphia, and Chicago crime"

As mentioned earlier, no amount of statistics will move some people's feelings. Don't for a minute suggest, however, that I am telling people to, in DaParkers words, "be less vigilant about their most prized possession........Their kids. " I am saying we live in a time of unwarranted, over-media hyped fear. I as a parent worry about reality, what really ARE the dangers, not what I FEEL.

Here's a great article about thew subject. It shows the differences between what most parents fear verses what they SHOULD fear.

http://boingboing.net/2010/09/08/what-parents-worry-a.html

 

[mikethern]

Trying to change behavior, especially fear based behavoir, by citing statistics on risk is like trying to persuade people not to buy lottery tickets when the powerball reaches $50 million or more.

It is unwise to buy lottery tickets no matter what the jackpot is. I will buy a lottery ticket once a year or so, but I know it is a dumb thing to do. It would make sense to play the lottery if there were no rake. For example, if the odds of winning is 1 in 50 million, and the jackpot is $50 million TAX FREE, then it would make sense to play the lottery.

The lottery has been called a tax on people who are bad at math.

 

[roomthreeseventeen]

Another reading suggestion.

 

[BayouMickey]

I'm kinda With Disney dad on this one..
Let me say that I too live within the New Orleans Metro Area, and we still do the things the way we used to "back when". yes our murder rate is up there, but most of it is pinpointed to one or two certain areas. And let me say even back in the 70's we've known them to be bad neighborhoods.

The media is a scare tactic machine. If they didn't grab your attewntion their subs would fall. And what's the best way to get ones attention? Scare the bejesus out of them.
Yes there are bad things out there, but they've always been there. We're are just more aware now and it seem more frequent. But really it isn't.

My kids still go out to play and come home when the street lights come on, they still go to friends' house, thjey still trick or treat by themselves. and as PP stated only search i do is to pick out the reese's and vinilla tootsie rolls...

 

[Disney Dad Canada]

Another reading suggestion.

Listening to that on audible. Great book.

 

[Disney Dad Canada]

It is unwise to buy lottery tickets no matter what the jackpot is. I will buy a lottery ticket once a year or so, but I know it is a dumb thing to do. It would make sense to play the lottery if there were no rake. For example, if the odds of winning is 1 in 50 million, and the jackpot is $50 million TAX FREE, then it would make sense to play the lottery.

The lottery has been called a tax on people who are bad at math.

Move to Canada. There's no tax on lottery winnings, and you get all your money at once, not over 25 years.

I buy 1 maybe 2 tickets a year just for fun, but some people treat it as a form of retirement investing.

 

[DisneyKevin]

Read the quote above. "I suggest you google New Orleans, Baltimore, Philadelphia, and Chicago crime"

As mentioned earlier, no amount of statistics will move some people's feelings. Don't for a minute suggest, however, that I am telling people to, in your words, "be less vigilant about their most prized possession........Their kids. " I am saying we live in a time of unwarranted, over-media hyped fear. I as a parent worry about reality, what really ARE the dangers, not what I FEEL.

Here's a great article about thew subject. It shows the differences between what most parents fear verses what they SHOULD fear.

http://boingboing.net/2010/09/08/what-parents-worry-a.html

You've quoted me and then attributed a quote about "prized possessions" that I didn't make.

 

[Disney Dad Canada]

You've quoted me and then attributed a quote about "prized possessions" that I didn't make.

Sorry about that, it was another person's quote. Trying to quote multiple people at once, and it ended up wrong. I've since corrected my mistake. My apologies.

 

[DaParkers]

You've quoted me and then attributed a quote about "prized possessions" that I didn't make.

Those were my words. He quoted you, but spoke mostly to me. No more debating for me. I respect his attempt at making us less "Paranoid".

 

[Disney Dad Canada]

Those were my words. He quoted you, but spoke mostly to me. No more debating for me. I respect his attempt at making us less "Paranoid".

All this over candy corn??

 

[BriarRosie]

I think Disney Dad needs to acknowledge this Snopes link:

http://www.snopes.com/horrors/mayhem/needles.asp

While the poisoned candy stories were labeled false, foreign objects (pins, needles, razor blades) were most definitely true. This is what really fostered the "check your kids' Halloween candy!" scare in the 1980's.

I do remember seeing stories on the news about this, like someone else already posted.

I would trust WDW candy distribution.

 

[parrotheadlois]

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

Just listened to the latest show, and heard people talking about "where else can you let your kids eat out of the bag"?

It's really sad that we live in a society of unwarranted fear. Most people take common fears at face value, without bothering to check their validity. "These days" is aphrase that parents have used since the beginning of time. I'm sure cave men went on and on about "these days".

"The good old days" were never that good, and "these days" we should not live in constant fear of mythological boogy men.

I know I'm in the minority here but I just wanted to let you know Disney Dad - I'm on your side with this one. Being older than most of you, I remember when these stories started - "these days" started when my kids were at trick or treating age (mid 1970's). The stories were either proven to be false (or in any case were unable to be proven as fact), but now, so many years later, they've become so ingrained in our culture that one dare not speak against them!

And yes, my grandsons are now old enough to trick or treat - by themselves - and they do.

And abductions are certainly real and scary - but again consider, in one of the most scary recent abductions, that of Elizabeth Smart, the poor child was taken from her house. A more recent Amber Alert here in NJ, while true, was an abduction by a parent.

It's my opinion (just my opinion) that all stories, real or not, must be looked at in their entirety. I don't think children should be raised thinking that someone is going to steal them every time they go out to play.

ok, hit me with it - I know it's coming -

 

[dansyr2514]

I don't have children but if even one child was abducted or even one child received candy that was tampered with ....I would still be taking precautions.

Also, times were different when most of us were kids. The people that lived in the neighborhood all knew each...they all kept an eye on you. Believe me...if I did something I wasn't supposed to ...my parents knew about it before I even got home. It's not that way anymore. Do you really know all your neighbors?

 

[Disney Dad Canada]

Also, times were different when most of us were kids. The people that lived in the neighborhood all knew each...they all kept an eye on you. Believe me...if I did something I wasn't supposed to ...my parents knew about it before I even got home. It's not that way anymore. Do you really know all your neighbors?

If you're asking me, yes I do. We live in a condo, and I know most families on our floor, as well as most of the families with kids that have children in my kids classes. We've organized our own backup system for school, so that if a child in a multi-child family is sick, someone else can help out during the day if need be. Our nanny is great at socializing with the parents of the other children, as she sees them when sending my children to and from school.

My children's school is the most ethnically diverse in all of Toronto, with more than two thirds of families having non-English speaking households. While this does have it's share of issues in conversing at times, it more than makes up for it in the school making a conscience effort to celebrate its diversity. They celebrate not only the Christian holidays, but those of Muslims, Jews, and various other groups and creeds. They do not fear other cultures or religions, as it seems a lot do these days. In fact they've learned to enjoy everyones differences while realizing deep down we are all the same.

Am I saying life is perfect here? Far from it. But I refuse to live in a world of irrational fear. I refuse to believe that the boogie man stranger lurks around every street corner waiting to pounce on my children. Just tonight I let my kids go get some "treats from the treat store" across the street by themselves, and they all came back alive and well.

It's my job as a parent to teach my kids right from wrong. To protect them at times, of course, but not to the point where I'm protecting them everything humanly possible, regardless of how minuscule the possibility. It's to give them the ability to think for themselves, and be proud of themselves for becoming independent, contributing members of society.

 

[Cap.Steamboat Willie]

The myth about razor blades being found in apples first arose after the very real cases of medicine bottles (Tylenol) being tampered with back in October of 1981 or 1982 (my memory is not what it used to be).

Tylenol took it on themselves to come up with tamper-proof containers in order to ease customers concerns and regain the public trust in their product.

This led to demands for strict government packaging requirements for all over the counter medicines and products. Many companies followed Tylenol's lead and made changes on their own.

After the initial scare of the tampering and because it occurred during October and the perpetrator(s) were not discovered, copy-cats fears, and fear that other things may be tampered with lead to speculation/fear that Halloween candy could be targeted.

News broadcasters began to report that certain hospitals/clinics would be available to x-ray candy bags to verify the absence of needles, razor blades, or any other foreign object having been inserted into candy bars or fruit (personally I never received fruit from anyone ever).

After these announcements, the urban myth was born (7 lbs. 6 oz. - has his mother's smile); namely: "razor blades were found in apples".

I have often times wondered how much did the Snow White lore contribute to the quick acceptance that this urban myth truly happened.

 

[TheTrickyTwister]

Abduction and abuse of children hasn't gone up. The reporting of it has. It isn't like there weren't rotten people 50 and 100 years ago, too. The fact that it is news to me or you doesn't mean it is a brand new event on the planet.

This is the main reason why I don't read news papers and only watch TV news if a major news story hits. It's not because I want to live in a safe bubble oblivious to world around me, that's why I go to Disney, it's because most of the time the news doesn't deliver all the facts and is very negative. They used to have balanced news stories, ying and yang, and news shows on TV, however, it's now very unbalanced with the good positive stuff left on the cutting room floor.

If I hear a story that I want to know about, I go online and read as many different reports, only then do you start to find out what each reporter leaves out to create a dramatic story. Reporters and the media are wired this way. It's equal to gossip around the coffee machine, each time the gossip is passed on it changes and gets more dramatic.

So in short I totally agree that the reporting of these events has gone up and not the events themselves. We get bombarded with media from all over the world now and not just our home towns. So it does seem like there is an increase, the fact is that we now have the weight of the world on our shoulders. Remember, they are edited to create drama and fear so that you buy the next issue of the paper or watch the next news report. It is very sad that some people develop and over active fear of the world, who can blame them if they buy into the news, and yes this will effect the next generation.

Be aware of you immediate surroundings, use your instincts and research the real facts before you buy into a story.

 

[3guysandagal]

The myth about razor blades being found in apples first arose after the very real cases of medicine bottles (Tylenol) being tampered with back in October of 1981 or 1982 (my memory is not what it used to be).

...........

After these announcements, the urban myth was born (7 lbs. 6 oz. - has his mother's smile); namely: "razor blades were found in apples".

I just have to point out that I believe you are wrong in these statements.
I was 17 at this time (1981), a few years after my T or T'ing days, and believe me, the "myth" of razor blades, needles or pins in fruit was around long before that.
My mother checked my fruit (yes, we got apples and oranges) diligently from 1969 -1977.
Not many, but we did get them.
Mom would peel the oranges for me before eating, and apples were sliced up.
I'm not saying there was any truth to the "myth", but it was around long before the Tylenol scares, which I remember quite well.
The Tylenol incidents more than likely just brought the thought of it back to the forefront in the early 80's, and it was something else to think about.
Whether you believe the myths or not, there are some pretty sick people out there, sad but true.