Halloween is the time of year when some things that would be deemed unacceptable other times are quite OK. But there are some times when people draw a line, even during Halloween.

Like people, who possibly are adults, emptying a whole bucket of candy, which was meant for trick-or-treating children. A video of such an occurrence infuriated quite a lot of people this Halloween.

More info: Instagram

A country singer shared a video from their security camera of people, who are possibly adults, cleaning out the entire bucket of candy, even though it was written that each person should take 1

Image credits: Kristina Paukshtite (not the actual photo) 

“And this is why you can’t trust people”

Image credits: codytatewm 

“If you know who it is, share. I figured it would happen, but not adults”

Image credits: codytatewm

“Now all the kids after these people can’t have any candy”

Image credits: codytatewm 

Fortunately, the Halloween spirit was brought back by an incredibly nice neighbor, who filled the bucket with new candy

Image credits: u/No_Database4323

You can watch the video below

 

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A post shared by Cody Tate (@codytatewm)

The story started when country musician Cody Tate posted a video on his Instagram. In the video, you can see a group of adults along with children clearing out a Halloween candy bucket. And they take all the candy and even go back to see if they took everything.

Cody Tate is a member of an American Southern rock/country band called Whiskey Myers. Cody plays lead guitar, and rhythm guitar and is vocals of the band.

Soon, the video was found by Redditors and got posted on r/PublicFreakout. And, well, it could be said that it caused quite a freakout among people online.

But before you freak out like the rest of people online did, do you know why trick-or-treating became popular? Well, its popularity started after the Second World War. The rationing of food ended and candy was available again. Additionally, the suburbs grew, where it was safe for kids to go from house to house asking for candy. 

As the popularity of the trick-or-treating event went up, people found out that it was more convenient to give out individual candy rather than homemade goods or fruits. This way candy became the staple of this event.

By the mid-20th century, the tricks from the saying “trick or treat” basically disappeared, because it was replaced by giving out candy. Children only wanted candy. So, it became a tradition for them to go to houses where lights were on, and avoid houses where they were off since it meant that people didn’t want to take part in this tradition. 

For more information about Halloween and trick-or-treating, Bored Panda reached out to a professor of anthropology at the University of British Columbia, Sabina Magliocco.

She said that people of various ages enjoy Halloween because it is a time when it is acceptable to engage in behavior that would be socially unacceptable at any other time of the year. “They can embody their alter-egos through costumes, engaging in a form of culturally sanctioned make-believe. Death, dismemberment, decay, eroticism, and hypersexuality — all kinds of themes that would otherwise be taboo to express in public are celebrated. For those whose identities are already socially transgressive, such as queer, non-binary, and trans folx, Halloween can be the one night they can freely express who they are without stigma.” 

Image credits: Charles Parker (not the actual photo) 

Talking about why people enjoy trick-or-treating, the professor said “Parents and other adults often take small children who are too young to trick-or-treat on their own. For them, the pleasure is in seeing their children learn and participate in this tradition. Older teens and college-aged students may participate to relive some of the fun they experienced as children.” 

Then she shared her knowledge about guidelines for trick-or-treating events. “Most communities limit the times during which it can occur. Some hold trick-or-treating events on the weekend nearest Halloween when children receive candy from local businesses, or from residents’ cars at “Trunk or Treat” events.” 

Then she talked about informal and formal rules that are in place for trick-or-treating events. “Informal rules regulate people’s behavior: which age groups can participate, the fact they have to wear a costume, how much candy kids can take, and how far afield they can roam in search of treats. Of course, as with all rules and laws, there are always those who violate them. No amount of formal or informal rules can stop that — especially around Halloween when many kinds of transgressions are permitted that would be sanctioned at any other time of year.” 

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The professor said that the main driving force for people emptying Halloween candy bowls is greed, and the fact that any behavior that is not socially acceptable is tolerated on Halloween. She also thinks that to avoid all candy being stolen, people should not leave it unattended. “Trick-or-treating involves interacting with kids who come to your door and doling out the candy yourself. It’s quite effective: you maintain full control of how much to distribute. If you’re not willing to do that, turn off the lights and don’t participate in the custom.” 

Coming back to the freakout on r/PublicFreakout, let’s look at what people there had to say. Well, since we defined it as a freakout, it’s easy to guess what the main kind of reaction was. Folks were freaked out by the entitlement of these people. Quite a few were cheering that soon face recognition apps or just other online folks will find out who these people are and the action will get back to them. Others joked that these people chose tricks with which they would get treats as well. A few even felt sad for these people and their children, who are growing up with such a poor example.

“They picked trick”: people online were not fans of candy-stealing behavior

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