It’s bad enough that Americans get blamed for every cultural breakdown in Australia; now we’re responsible for a Halloween house egging. (Letter excerpt follows since that link will break tomorrow.) The gist is that some crotchety old fart put up a sign saying he didn’t want to participate in Halloween so a gang of teenagers egged his house. Somehow we Americans are to blame because the Australians kids were just “slavish[ly] copying … misunderstood American practices.” That ticked me off so much that I sent in my own response (which the Herald will no doubt neglect to print). It’s not my damn fault that Aussie kids don’t get the rules. I had to deal with a couple little jerks myself who A) weren’t wearing costumes, B) stole extra candy from me when I gave in to their pleas, and C) tried to run off with my pumpkin. There are bratty asshole kids everywhere. Complain about George Bush’s foreign policy if you will – heck, I’ll probably join you – but blaming every snotty Aussie kid’s behavior on American influence smacks of nothing more than xenophobia.Letter from The Sydney Morning Herald:

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Not wanting to be a part of Halloween activities, our family put up a polite sign discouraging children from trying to beg treats. Upon reading this, a group of teenagers, not a Halloween costume in sight, proceeded to throw eggs at our house.

This confirmed our conviction that slavish copying of misunderstood American practices does nothing to enhance our society.

It is bad enough that we blindly follow America into unjustified military campaigns. Must we also submit to cultural colonialism?

A. Keating, Adamstown Heights, November 2.