avatar

Hear Me Out: On Halloween, Death Should Be Celebrated

Slate Debates
Slate Debates
Episode • Oct 31, 2023 • 37m

On today’s episode of Hear Me Out… the veil is thin.


It’s easy to forget, between the plastic skeletons and cheap chocolate, that Halloween was — and is, for many cultures — very much about the reality of death. 


As the Northern Hemisphere goes dormant for the winter, it’s worth remembering that the circle of life includes death. And instead of a punchline or a thing to be feared, we might actually celebrate death, when we can. And who better to consult on how to do that than modern-day witches?


Helen Berger, sociologist and researcher at Brandeis University, joins us to discuss.



If you have thoughts you want to share, or an idea for a topic we should tackle, you can email the show: hearmeout@slate.com


Podcast production by Maura Currie


You can skip all the ads in Hear Me Out by joining Slate Plus. Sign up now at slate.com/hearmeoutplus for just $15 a month for your first three months.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Switch to the Fountain App