Episode 3: Tainted Halloween Candy

Kristina and Jesse discuss a legend that shaped (a small portion of) their childhoods and that keeps making the news: Are Satanists injecting poison and hiding razorblades in Halloween candy? Are hippies handing out cannabis laced edibles to unsuspecting children? No. None of these things is happening (aside from the occasional isolated incident). We discuss the origins of the legend, why it is so persistent, and a few random Halloween memories.

Sources:

Associated Press. n.d. “Warning of Marijuana Halloween Candy Derided as Scare Tactic.” Snopes.Com. Accessed November 5, 2020. https://www.snopes.com/ap/2017/10/29/warning-marijuana-halloween-candy-derided-scare-tactic/.

Best, Joel, and Gerald T. Horiuchi. 1985. “The Razor Blade in the Apple: The Social Construction of Urban Legends.” Social Problems 32 (5): 488–99. https://doi.org/10.2307/800777.

Segalov, Michael. 2016. “The True Story of the Notorious Trick-or-Treat Murderer.” Vice. October 31, 2016. https://www.vice.com/en/article/8ge87v/halloween-killer-ronald-clark-o-bryan-candy-man.

Snopes Staff. 2000. “FACT CHECK: Poisoned Halloween Candy.” Snopes.Com. November 2, 2000. https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/halloween-non-poisonings/.

Sex Trafficking Legends Part 2 Crimelore

In the second part of our discussion of sex-trafficking legends we discuss some actual rumored and documented cases of sex trafficking, Susana Trimarco–a mother fighting back against sex traffickers, and how legends about sex trafficking interact with these actual case in contemporary culture. National Human Trafficking Resource Center hotline (USA) 1-888-373-7888Polaris Project has resources for Trafficking victims. Sources:Anne. 2020. “Stop the Spread of Fake News: No One Is Sex Trafficking You at Target.” Iowa City Moms.  https://iowacity.momcollective.com/2020/02/08/stop-the-spread-of-fake-news-no-one-is-sex-trafficking-you-at-target/. Barron, Alexis. 2019. “Letty Serrano Was Abducted And Trafficked For Sex At 13; Two Years Later She Committed Suicide.” Mitu. https://wearemitu.com/things-that-matter/human-slavery-is-alive-and-well-letty-serrano-committed-suicide-two-years-after-being-rescued-from-sex-traffickers/. BBC News. 2013. “Argentina Convicts 10 in Marita Veron Sex Trafficking Case,.  https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-25429736. Buenos Aires Times. 2018. “32 Years after Her Kidnapping, Argentine Woman Rescued in Bolivia,” December 26. https://www.batimes.com.ar/news/argentina/32-years-after-her-kidnapping-argentine-woman-rescued-in-bolivia.phtml. Chiaramonte, Perry. 2019. “Houston Teen Takes Own Life after Surviving Sex-Trafficking Ring,.” Fox News. https://www.foxnews.com/us/houston-teen-takes-own-life-sex-trafficking-ring-ongoing-epidemic. “Corinna Paige Slusser–Charley Project.” https://charleyproject.org/case/corinna-paige-slusser. “FBI Informant Speaks with News10NBC; Says He Witnessed Brittanee Drexel’s Murder.” 2019. WHEC-TV. https://www.whec.com/news/fbi-informant-speaks-with-news10nbc-says-he-witnessed-brittanee-drexels-murder/5260439/. Jackson, Angie. 2018. “Man Named in Brittanee Drexel Investigation to Be Released on House Arrest.” Post and Courier. https://www.postandcourier.com/news/man-named-in-brittanee-drexel-investigation-to-be-released-on/article_f97655aa-9fc4-11e8-b719-e3e542ec89c4.html. Johnson, Scott C. 2012. “Argentina’s Susana Trimarco: One Mother’s Fight Against Human Trafficking.” Newsweek, https://www.newsweek.com/argentinas-susana-trimarco-one-mothers-fight-against-human-trafficking-65407. Lahman, Sean. 2019. “Jailhouse Informant in Brittanee Drexel Disappearance Files Lawsuit.” Democrat and Chronicle,  https://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/news/2019/02/28/brittanee-drexel-jailhouse-informant-lawsuit/3015000002/. Pasqualini, Kym L. 2020. “The Reality of Sex Trafficking in the US: Corinna Slosser Missing.” Medium. https://kympasqualini.medium.com/the-reality-of-sex-trafficking-in-the-us-corinna-slosser-missing-74e617cbd2dc. Recklein, Courtney M. 2020. “The Strange and Unsolved Disappearance of Amy Lynn Bradley.” Film Daily. https://filmdaily.co/news/amy-lynn-bradley/. Roy, Anusha. 2017. “Read This before You Share That Viral Facebook Post about Ross.” KUSA.Com. https://www.9news.com/article/news/verify/read-this-before-you-share-that-viral-facebook-post-about-ross/73-455672734. “R/UnresolvedMysteries: On the 4th of March 1998, 11-Year-Old Rui Pedro from Portugal Disappears near His Mother’s Workplace. 3 Years Later, His Photo Is Found on the Database of Wonderland Club, a Child Pornography Ring. This Is the Last Anyone Saw of Him.” n.d. Reddit.  https://www.reddit.com/r/UnresolvedMysteries/comments/9iiawr/on_the_4th_of_march_1998_11yearold_rui_pedro_from/. Staver, Anna. 2017. “Do Child Sex Traffickers Look for Victims at the Store?” KUSA.Com, https://www.9news.com/article/news/verify/verify-do-child-sex-traffickers-look-for-victims-at-the-store/73-455918970. 
  1. Sex Trafficking Legends Part 2
  2. Sex Trafficking Legends Part 1
  3. The Boyfriend's Death
  4. Is Crime a Laughing Matter?
  5. Organ Theft Legends

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