Editorial
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      opinions
      expressed
      in
      this
      column
      do
      not
      necessarily
     
     
      reflect
      those
      of
      the
      staff
      of
      this
      publication
      or
      the
      Student
     
     
      Union.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      alloween
      has
      come
      and
      gone,
      but
      its
      effects
      are
      still
     
    

    
     
      H
      everywhere
      a
      few
      days
      later:
      motorists
      try
      to
      wipe
      the
     
     
      last
      traces
      of
      egg
      and
      soap
      out
      of
      their
      long-suffering
     
     
      windows;
      department
      stores
      do
      their
      best
      to
      sell
      off
      enough
     
     
      leftover
      treats
      to
      give
      every
      kid
      in
      Ethiopia
      cavities,
      while
     
     
      surreptitiously
      switching
      from
      gaudy,
      black
      and
      orange
      sales
     
     
      displays
      to
      gaudy,
      red
      and
      green
      sales
      displays
      (only
      49
      shopping
     
     
      days
      before
      X-Mas,
      don’
      cha
      know);
      lobotomized
      pumpkins
      rot,
     
     
      abandoned
      on
      people’s
      lawns;
      teachers
      struggle
      to
      control
     
     
      classrooms
      full
      of
      hyperactive
      rugrats
      high
      on
      sugar
      overdoses;
     
     
      and
      just
      about
      every
      man,
      woman,
      and
      child,
      in
      the
      land
      is
      coping
     
     
      with
      the
      guilt
      and
      calories
      they’
      ve
      been
      left
      with
      by
      an
      orgy
      of
     
     
      junk
      food
      consumption.
      Unfortunately,
      though,
      extra
      poundage
     
     
      and
      emotional
      trauma
      aren’t
      the
      only
      things
      our
      candy
      binge
     
     
      leaves
      us
      with.
      We’re
      also
      stuck
      with
      piles
      of
      chip
      bags,
      candy
     
     
      wrappers
      and
      zillions
      of
      other
      useless
      packagings
      that
      will
     
     
      probably
      be
      floating
      around
      long
      after
      the
      calories
      have
      melted
     
     
      away.
      Halloween
      has
      become
      one
      of
      the
      worst
      symptoms
      of
      our
     
     
      culture’s
      obsession
      with
      wastefully
      packaging
      everything
      that
     
     
      we
      consume.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      It’sno
      secret
      that
      our
      planet
      is
      drowning
      in
      garbage.
      Every
      week
     
     
      the
      news
      is
      filled
      with
      discouraging
      reports
      on
      how
      we’re
     
     
      running
      out
      of
      places
      to
      put
      our
      trash,
      especially
      that
      man-made
     
     
      monkey
      on
      our
      backs,
      plastic.
      The
      darn
      stuff
      is
      virtually
     
     
      indestructible
      and
      will
      probably
      outlive
      its
      makers,
      and
      we
     
     
      seem
      bound
      and
      determined
      to
      wrap
      everything
      from
      corpses
      to
     
     
      candy
      in
      the
      cursed
      material.
      It’s
      one
      of
      the
      drawbacks
      of
      living
     
     
      in
      a
      capitalist
      socioeconomic
      system
      that
      caters
      to
      ‘‘the
      con-
     
     
      sumer’’,
      devoted
      to
      the
      buying
      and
      selling
      of
      goods
      and
      hence
     
     
      dependant
      upon
      packaging
      as
      a
      sales
      tool
      for
      most
      of
      our
     
     
      products.
      Halloween
      treats,
      for
      example,
      are
      among
      the
      most
     
     
      outrageously
      overpackageéd
      items
      on
      the
      market.
      Take,
      for
     
     
      instance,
      your
      average
      bunch
      of
      chocolate
      bar
      treats,
      wrapped
     
     
      in
      a
      big
      plastic
      bag,
      with
      a
      couple
      of
      dozen
      little
      wrappers
      inside
     
     
      around
      the
      actual
      candies.
      By
      the
      time
      you’ve
      ingested
      the
     
     
      chocolate
      you’re
      left
      with
      a
      pile
      of
      packaging
      that’s
      pretty
     
     
      useless
      to
      you
      unless
      you
      were
      planning
      on
      wallpapering
      your
     
     
      livingroom
      with
      the
      ‘‘Mars’’
      logo.
      Then,
      there
      are
      those
      delight-
     
     
      ful
      mini
      chip
      packages,
      each
      bag
      used
      to
      seal
      a
      fingerfull
      of
     
     
      botato
      chips
      that
      take
      about
      two
      minutes
      to
      consume
      if
      you
     
     
      linger
      over
      them.
      It
      all
      adds
      up
      to
      massive
      waste
      for
      the
      sake
     
     
      of
      some
      pathetically
      tiny
      helpings
      of
      snackfood.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      logical
      question,
      then,
      is
      what
      should
      be
      done
      about
      this:
     
     
      the
      easy
      answer
      would
      be
      to
      ditch
      our
      obsession
      with
      packaging,
     
     
      but
      that’s
      probably
      nota
      practical
      proposition
      until
      our
      society
     
     
      develops
      ways
      to
      market
      and
      distribute
      its
      products
      without
     
     
      Packaging
      everything
      to
      death.
      In
      the
      mean
      time,
      it’s
      a
      good
     
     
      idea
      for
      all
      of
      us
      to
      look
      into
      recycling
      a
      lot
      of
      our
      waste
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      materials
      so
      that
      people
      won’t
      be
      picking
      up
      after
      us
      in
      the
      next
     
     
      century;
      and
      as
      for
      Halloween,
      it’s
      a
      fun
      holiday
      that
      shouldn’t
     
     
      be
      deep-sixed
      entirely,
      but
      we
      might
      think
      about
      different
      ways
     
     
      of
      celebrating
      it,
      at
      least
      in
      terms
      of
      ‘‘trick-or-treating’’,
     
     
      perhaps
      doing
      instead
      what
      some
      communities
      have
      tried
      by
     
     
      holding
      community
      gatherings
      where
      all
      the
      kids
      can
      dress
      up
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      "It's
      no
      secret
      that
     
     
      our
      planet
      is
      drown-
     
     
      ing
      in
      garbage."
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      and
      stuff
      themselves
      without
      roaming
      the
      streets
      at
      night
      and
     
     
      without
      accumulating
      dozens
      of
      individually
      wrapped
      goodies.
     
     
      At
      the
      same
      time,
      we
      big
      kids
      can
      stick
      to
      buying
      our
      junk
      in
     
    
   
   
    
     
      bulk:
     
    
   
   
    
     
      It
      may
      not
      sound
      quite
      as
      fun,
      but
      it
      could
      be
      one
      small
      step
      in
     
    
   
   
    
     
      _
      preventing
      our
      packaging
      problems
      from
      haunting
      us
      in
      the
     
    
   
   
    
     
      future.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Sean
      McQuaid
     
     
      Editor
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      FEW
      AS
      GOOD
      NONE
      DETTER
     
    
   
   
    
     
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      Student
      Discount!
     
    
   
   
    
     
      (must
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      Stadent
      LD.)
     
     
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