h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Whatever history this charming practice may have, raising a few coppers for enthusiastic children, it has lately become more of a Mafia-like means of extortion.
The 'guys' tend to appear any time after the end of August and the level of intimidation used by the young scamps / psychopaths in order to part passers by from their cash seem to be in direct proportion to the amount of actual effort that has gone into producing the 'guy'.
A stuffed pair of slacks tied to a balloon with a smiley face drawn on it, if attended by 3 seven-year-old kids can generate anything from £2.50 to £36,000 over the course of a Saturday morning.
Just to add to the mayhem, the American version of Trick Or Treat (i.e. door to door extortion) is rapidly taking hold.

Ironically, here in the States most neighborhoods I've lived in have very few children door-to-door trick-or-treating because of the danger of letting children out at night. There's a lot of unfounded paranoia about people poisoning candy, but also a lot of legitimate stories about people stealing children.

When I lived in the suburbs here in Canada, there were lots of kids doing trick or treat. Now I live down town there are lots of older kids partying in coatumes. But Bonfire night would never happen here, the only fireworks we see are the official Canada Day ones.
Not quite the same.

Guy Fawkes day has always been about getting even and often that meant making people give you money who would ordinairly not wish to do it.

Generally those with influence were targeted.
The general population knew that individuals had paid their way around the law and never got to court. As a result the payment was extracted on the 5th of november.

For one day mobocracy replaced democracy and the oppressed could vent and society could reach a temporary reconciliation. If you were clever you paid off the mob in advance with a bonfire, drink fireworks, music...food....that generally worked.

This occured in the american colonies right up to and in some cases beyond the revolution.

What put a stop to it was the emergence of democracy in america and the reforms of the victorian era. Now with perfect governments reformed and better.....who could possibly have any complaints! So there was no need to address grievances in the street.

That is when a stop was put to it all except in symbolic acts.....

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CB