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FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2009
HALLOWEEN
WWW.KANSAN.COM
VOLUME 121 ISSUE 50
Howard Ting/KANSAN
Juniors Morgan Stewart of Topeka and Margaret Walck of St. Louis take time to decorate their apartment on 12th and Kentucky. Walck explained that celebrating Halloween had changed from trick or treating as a kid to dressing up for the spirit of the celebrations.
Holiday traditions consistently change
BY ANNA ARCHIBALD aarchibald@kansan.com
"They thought it was ungodly and thought it would taint us somehow," said Karleskint, Fort Scott freshman. "I couldn't stay for school when they were doing the Halloween festivities."
To avoid the trick-or-treaters, the Karleskint family would always turn off their front porch light Halloween night.
As a child, Molly Karleskint didn't celebrate Halloween. Her parents wouldn't allow it.
Karleskint, whose parents are Jehovah's Witnesses, didn't partake in Halloween activities until she was a high school junior.
"Whenever I would leave the house, my parents would always give me a talking to," she said. "They would say, 'Do you know what you're doing is a sin?'"
Karleskint is just one University student who wasn't allowed to celebrate Halloween because of the stigmas associated with the holiday. Now, she said she still isn't crazy about the "night people use as an excuse to chase ghosts out of town."
"It evolves into something else as you grow up," she said. "It starts out as a cute dress up holiday then you just get more annoying about it as you get older, and now it's just a
Follow Anna Archibald at twitter.com/ archmonarch
The Halloween we celebrate today originated from not only pagan traditions, but Christian beliefs, as well. Its history goes back further than many other holidays, even Christmas. Over 2,000 years ago, the Celts celebrated Halloween night as Samhain, the eve of their new year, which began on Nov. 1.
party thing."
Christianity eventually collided with Celtic traditions, which then meshed into a Halloween practice acceptable to the Catholic church.
Halloween is now the second-largest consumer holiday for decoration spending, garnering nearly $5 billion in sales, according to the National Retail Federation. And, according to a news release from PR Newswire, nearly 94 percent of kids between the ages of four and 12 are expected to celebrate nationwide.
Tony Bedora, Interim Pastor at First Christian Church and Director of Campus Christians, said he thought a problem with Halloween was also the loss of innocence.
SEE HALLOWEEN ON PAGE 3A
TRANSSEXUAL TRANSLYVANIA
Mike Gunnoe/KANSAN
Mike Gunnoe/KANSAS
Kaitlin Schaub Manhattan sophomore and Michael Turner Manhattan freshman from left show their moves in the dance contest at the Rocky Horror Picture Show Thursday. Turner was the overall winner and Schaub received second.
Creatures of the night
Annual screening of cult film thrills chills and fulfills
BY JUSTIN LEVERETT jleverett@kansan.com
The pouring rain yesterday was real, but Brad and Janet were not.
Follow Justin
LeverettX at
twitter.com/
schmendric.
It was pouring rain when Brad and Janet's car broke down and left them stranded in the woods. The frightened fiancés were forced to take shelter in a nearby mansion.
They tentatively approached the ominous house. As Janet opened the door, around 230 voices suddenly screamed the word "Slut!" and cheered.
They were the lead characters of the cult film "The Rocky Horror Picture Show," which played at the Ballroom in the Kansas Union last night. The voices were those of audience members, many of whom were dressed in drag. A few wore black leather, red lipstick and fishnet stockings.
"The Rocky Horror Picture Show" has become a participatory ritual throughout most of America, with showings occurring weekly in New York and Los Angeles and yearly, usually around Halloween, in most other
towns. Students have yelled, danced and enjoyed the general insanity associated with the film for nearly 35 years.
Kristian Bucy, Kalispell, Mont.,
graduate student, said the racy material of the film gave it a remarkable staying power.
"No matter how experienced you are, not just sexually, but in life, it will always shock you," she said.
The film revolves around a newly engaged couple's encounter with a rock-and-roll transvestite scientist named Dr. Frank-N-Furter, who sweeps them up into a promiscuous sex-fueled gothic
dance party.
During the film's multiple dance numbers, including "Dammit Janet" and "Time Warp," audience members sang and danced
"... it's about sex. Just sex for an hour and a half, which is great at any age."
JESI LIPP
Lenexa sophomore
along. They watched as the couple, played by Barry Bostwick and Susan Sarandon, was seduced by actor Tim Curry's over the-top. cross-dressing character.
Jesi Lipp, Lenexa sophomore, was dressed normally
last night, but said she enjoyed the spectacle of the famously sexual cult film and the amazing variety of costumes
"It's so campy and absurd, that
SEE ROCKY ON PAGE 3A
PSYCHOLOGY
'Science of happiness' aims to explore people's positivity
BY MEGAN HEACOCK mheacock@kansan.com
An emerging field of psychology could be called the "science of happiness" because it examines the effects of positive emotions.
This field, known as positive psychology, could be the difference between a moderately enjoyable life and a truly satisfying life, according to John Wade, psychologist for Counseling and Psychological Service at the University. Wade held a positive psychology workshop yesterday to explore the topic in depth. He said the basic principles of positive psychology could apply to people of any age, especially students.
"I think college is a time when we're develop new habits," he
Follow Megan Heacock at twitter.com/ meheacock.
Wade said the purpose of positive psychology was to explore the factors that lead to successful, meaningful and happy lives. Wade said counselors and researchers tended to focus on alleviating the negative aspects of one's life. While this was important, and often led to general acceptance of one's situation, it did not always result in full happiness.
said. "We're intentionally thinking about what we have to do and how we'll live our lives."
During the workshop, Wade asked participants to imagine their lives in 10 years with all their goals met. He called this the "miracle question," because it's hardly ever asked but it has a strong positive effect on those who participate. Those who attended the workshop agreed.
"Being happy isn't just the absence of negative stuff" he said.
Geri Lamer, a Lawrence resident who was present for the workshop, participated in the exercise. She said she was surprised by how encouraging it was.
"And that's where one field of psychologists now intentionally study the factors which help people to experience meaning and satisfaction in their lives."
"We got more energetic because we were talking about things that are possible and, more importantly,
TIPS ON BECOMING HAPPIER
■ Write down three things each day you are thankful for.
- Write a letter to someone who has made a difference in your life.
- Imagine yourself in 10 years with all of your goals established.
- Perform an act of kindness.
John Wade, Ph.D. in Counseling and Psychological Services gives a presentation on positive psychology Thursday morning at JRP Hall. This new field of psychology focuses on helping people be more productive and happy in the workplace.
- Recognize negative thoughts and challenge them.
Ryan Waqqoner/KANSAN
Source: John Wade, psychologist for Counseling and Psychological Service
positive," she said.
Wade said happiness consisted of three components: genetics, actions and circumstances. Genetics alone accounted for 50 percent of people's happiness. Wade described this as the good and bad news of it — that there was a biological range of happiness.
People's actions account for a
third of happiness, though people tend to forget this. Wade said people often focused on circumstances, or everything that happens to them, as the determinant of happiness.
A study in 1994 by Sonja Lyubormirsky found that happy people and unhappy people tended to have very similar life experiences. The difference comes from how
they respond to those experiences.
index
"Unhappy people tend to ruminate about what isn't working in their lives — what they're missing or what they're wanting," Wade said. "While happy people tend to focus on what is working, what is making their lives go better."
SEE PSYCHOLOGY ON PAGE 3A
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Man arrested in Florida for shoplifting ferret
The shoplifter was caught outside the pet store by a 17-year-old, who was then bit by the stolen merchandise. ODDI NEWS|2A
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