Is a Halloween Haunt at a cemetery and funeral home disrespectful?

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audiosnow

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Poll Is a Halloween Haunt at a cemetery and funeral home disrespectful? (128 votes)

Yes, it's disrespectful and exploitative. 44%
It's not necessarily disrespectful; I'd have to see it for myself. 17%
No, it's not disrespectful or exploitative. 9%
No, the dead don't care about their former bodies so why should we? 20%
I'm undecided or I've an opinion that isn't listed. 9%

I started a new job at the beginning of this month. I can avoid traffic completely by taking a back road, and this back road takes me right beside a large cemetery.

Today, while driving past, I noticed a large sign that advertised a Halloween Haunt scheduled for the Halloween "season," to take place in the cemetery.

How would you feel about kids tiptoeing over grandma on Halloween?

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jimmyfenix

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I find it very disrespectful.

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Chop

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Good use of otherwise useless bodies

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Disaya

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#3  Edited By Disaya

@chop said:

Good use of otherwise useless bodies

I shouldn't have laughed at this, but I did.

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crusader8463

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Obviously as long as there are no burials scheduled around that time then have it. If someone is going to be put down though their families shouldn't have to stare down smiley pumpkin faces and orange/black balloons and what not.

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Milkman

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#5  Edited By Milkman

A funeral home would be real weird but an old cemetery? I don't think that's too weird.

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audiosnow

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@milkman said:

A funeral home would be real weird but an old cemetery? I don't that's too weird.

It's an active cemetery, and surprisingly busy. I've seen a dozen or so services in progress in only three weeks. Though I imagine they would stop holding services during the "festivities."

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AlexW00d

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First explain what a 'hallowe'en haunt' is please.

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seveword

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They're dead. They don't care. If someone else raises a stink, that's their beef, but there's no "respect" to be given or taken away by hanging out in a cemetery. I actually enjoy exploring them, looking at gravesites and stones for their symbolism and certain little historical oddities here and there.

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audiosnow

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@alexw00d said:

First explain what a 'hallowe'en haunt' is please.

It's generally when a company converts itself into a "haunted" version of itself--quite a short transition for a cemetery. I imagine they'll hire actors to play the dead, set up fog and light machines, and spread decorations around the (real) tombstones.

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AlexW00d

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@alexw00d said:

First explain what a 'hallowe'en haunt' is please.

It's generally when a company converts itself into a "haunted" version of itself--quite a short transition for a cemetery. I imagine they'll hire actors to play the dead, set up fog and light machines, and spread decorations around the (real) tombstones.

That sounds weird, awful, forced marketing, but I wouldn't say it was disrespectful.

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monetarydread

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I feel it is only disrespectful to certain religious beliefs. So fuck em'. If they get bent out of shape over something that inconsequential, then they can pay to have their loved ones buried somewhere else.

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CaLe

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It's disrespectful to steal the newspaper from a person who is reading it. Dead people cannot hold, let alone read newspapers, so it doesn't qualify as being disrespectful. It does sound illegal though.

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dichemstys

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It bothers me more at a funeral home than a cemetery for some reason.

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audiosnow

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I feel it is only disrespectful to certain religious beliefs. So fuck em'. If they get bent out of shape over something that inconsequential, then they can pay to have their loved ones buried somewhere else.

I doubt any family who interred a member there expected or agreed to a Halloween celebration to be held there after they did so.

Also, "fuck 'em" is a disturbing attitude to hold toward beliefs you happen to not, in my opinion.

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big_jon

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Sounds kind of cool to me

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Tarsier

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they film ratpuke comedy movies in those places all the time. if that is ok then so is a spook party.

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NegativeCero

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That probably isn't legal, but ignoring that, I think it's disrespectful as hell.

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TowerSixteen

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#18  Edited By TowerSixteen

I don't personally see how it's disrespectful, myself, as long as a modicum of restraint is exercised. As long as they're not, like, making zombie effigies of the individual people or something as wildly stupid as that there's absolutely nothing wrong with it. The dead don't care, and it's not as if they're crashing a funeral or something. So who, exactly, is hurt?

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musubi

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#19  Edited By musubi

Funerals are for the living. I always have been of the opinion that I don't give any fucks what happens to my corpse once I'm gone. Although I've been of the opinion for years that the best use of my corpse would to be throwing it out of an airplane while wearing a superman outfit over a crowded urban area. So in conclusion no I don't think it is disrespectful. If anything I think we have too much of a weird reverence for the corpses of the deceased.

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alwaysbebombing

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That's pretty cold duder.

Oh god what did I just say?

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TheHT

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I feel it is only disrespectful to certain religious beliefs. So fuck em'. If they get bent out of shape over something that inconsequential, then they can pay to have their loved ones buried somewhere else.

You have to be religious to respect the dead?

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audioBusting

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Cemeteries are supposed to be a place to rest in peace, no? A Halloween event doesn't sound very peaceful to me. But I guess it'd be okay if the dead's families and friends are okay with it.

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SMTDante89

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Although I've been of the opinion for years that the best use of my corpse would to be throwing it out of an airplane while wearing a superman outfit over a crowded urban area.

Well you've certainly given me a great idea.

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monetarydread

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#24  Edited By monetarydread

@mlarrabee: A family does not have to agree to it. It isn't their property to begin with (at least in the nation I live in Cemeteries are run by the municipalities parks department, and you sign a lease).

You also cannot please everyone. No matter how harmless things might seem, there is someone who will disagree with it. When those minority opinions take precedence then it will only send a message that their opinion matters more than the majority.

The reality though, is that you say Party, but the city I live in has one of these every Halloween and it is more of a gathering than anything else. Though I have never been to one myself, it's never been a case of bringing out the DJ and luring a bunch of drunk teens out to get smashed. It is put on by the local Alliance Church (christian), they decorate the place, have local historians put on a tour of famous residents (Train robber Billy Miner for example) and it ends up with Hot Chocolate and snacks. There is no real disrespect going on.

Like I said before, if someone is not a fan of that practice, they can protest and hope they raise enough of a stink to change things. If they cannot change peoples minds on the subject then they can pay to have the corpse exhumed and placed somewhere else. If people do not care enough to stop this, and this offended family cannot afford to have the corpse exhumed then they are fucked. They have to deal with it, or start saving up money.

@theht said:

You have to be religious to respect the dead?

No, but in our community, the only people who care enough to protest are the local Catholics.

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penguindust

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It bothers me more at a funeral home than a cemetery for some reason.

You know, I feel the opposite way. I am less bothered by the funeral home since that is a place of business anyway than I am by the haunt being held at a cemetery which is where people go to pray and pay their respects to deceased loved ones. Still, as long as nothing is being harmed, I find it hard to get worked up about it.

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Aetheldod

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I would take offense if the party is a drunken/drug fest with people barfing and shit.

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TobbRobb

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Are they peeing on the gravesm yes/no. This is a key component to my answer.

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AgnosticJesus

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@monetarydread: in the US you buy your burial plot and headstone, both of which can be quite expensive. The cemetery here would theoretically only own the unused, unpurchased land. If people are running around trampling on the grave sites, it'd be disrespectful. But because of the liability issues associated with people possibly messing with headstones or personal items left at the grave site I'd think they'd only be using the cemetery as a backdrop, which isn't disrespectful.

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Bruksberry

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It goes under the category of "too soon".

Long abandoned/full cemeteries are fair game.

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LikeaSsur

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As long as they're not digging up bodies or using the names of the deceased as the ghosts, there's nothing wrong with it.

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davidwitten22

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#31  Edited By davidwitten22

I think it sounds like fun; however, I'm the type of person who like Ouija boards.

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SocietySays

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They are dead! So long as no damage is done, I say go ahead. I assume it will be held at night so it's not like they would have to worry about grieving visitors.

Hell I personally think it would be awesome if someone dressed up as a zombie and just sat on my headstone and scared kids as they walked by.

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SpoogeMcduck

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If they can guarantee that no one will damage/destroy/pee on any graves then I don't have a problem with it, but there's pretty much no way to guarantee that(given how dumb some people are.) My dad died a few years ago and the thought of someone doing something to his grave makes me want to get punchy/shooty.

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ShaggE

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@cale said:

It's disrespectful to steal the newspaper from a person who is reading it. Dead people cannot hold, let alone read newspapers, so it doesn't qualify as being disrespectful. It does sound illegal though.

I love the idea that "can you hold a newspaper?" is a good litmus for whether you can be disrespected. Of course, then you have the issue of people without the use of their hands, but still... :P

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#36  Edited By Tireyo
Loading Video...

Don't forget to bring a shovel.

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I think the thing that people are completely and a little bit hilariously confusing here is who could be disrespected. I'm not huge on respecting the dead beyond not disturbing their resting places. Or I'm not super concerned about it. For the folks that are dead anyway. However, most people who are buried in cemeteries are buried by other people, on their dime. And they are very much alive, and very much care about the preservation and respect about their loved one's resting place.

Try to see life as more than a narrow tunnel, and look at how things might impact a somewhat bigger picture. You might see a lot you're missing. I'd say if anyone has an issue with that sort of thing being done at the location that has buried someone there, it shouldn't be done. They paid for that space, and it should be respected.

Most of you I assume, by your logic, would be okay with the assholes protesting at the funerals of war heroes. Completely ignoring that A) regardless of who cares, an act can still be gross, and B) other people will absolutely care about it. No one who's lost a loved one should be made uncomfortable by how their loved one's rest is treated. No matter how stupid you think it is for them to care about something, at the end of the day, it's not more stupid than the idea that you can't just have the event in a field with fake graves where no one could potentially have their family, friends, or loved ones disturbed.

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thevisitor451

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Well, if someone put up a sign for that, I'm guessing the funeral home approved of it? Overall, it's not the most respectful thing in the world, but if someone in charge gave it the go ahead, I wouldn't worry about it too much.

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SchrodngrsFalco

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@thevisitor451: I don't think they're the end-all be-all judge of whether or not this is disrespectful; they don't get to make that call just because they own it, but they do get to make the call about the event. Personally, I wouldn't want to bury a loved one in a cemetery that approves this kind of stuff because I personally would find it disrespectful. It would be nice if a cemetery had policies on this sort of stuff and a contract that could be signed by both customer and director whether or not they would allow this sort of stuff. I would want their written contractual word if possible.

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BisonHero

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While the event is all in good fun, paying for a cemetery plot and gravestone costs some serious coin, and implying that "ooooOOOOOOOoooooHHHHHHH, everybody's grandmas and grandpas are restless ghosts who are stuck in some kind of weird ghost afterlife" would kinda seem like a dick move if I had a relative that was buried in that cemetery.