The Social Meaning of Costume

As we saw again this year, Halloween has become a holiday focused on children and fun. But why not use it as inspiration to prolong the fun and give meaning to our actions throughout the year through putting on our everyday costumes? Here are some hypothetical costumes that would make sense for many groups of people. Note: this is fantasy piece, not a serious one!

Parents

First of all, all parents could dress up as a hammock – a kind of social net that wraps around their children, allowing them to rest in comfort and safety. The hammock is also an invitation to enjoy the outdoors, getting away from screens of all kinds for a while.

The world of education

For teachers, there is an ideal costume: a spark. Just enough to ignite the flame of learning in students, or the passion for a particular subject. How many adults have become programmers, engineers, scientists, teachers and even artists under the influence of a teacher?

Coaches

In the same vein, let’s think about coaches and trainers across all disciplines, at all levels. We could dress them up as lungs, so that they could continue to serve as an inspiration to all young athletes. Our young people will also be able to prioritize health by following their advice and guidelines.

Administrative staff

Now what about the administrative staff, in hospitals, schools, courts and other essential services of our society? Why not turn them into vaccines, to combat the viruses of cutbacks, cuts in services and staff or resource shortages?

Workers in the justice system

A word for the police officers and all justice personnel. Why not a parachute costume! It is the perfect symbol for their work well done, since the parachute is similar to the human mind: it only works well when it is open…

Municipal civil servants and their contractors

Another idea for city and municipal staff, including the contract workers who spent their summer doing major road repairs right in front of our offices: why not dress them up as coat hangers? That would be a symbol for all the support they give to the general population! We rely on these dedicated people to provide us with quality services at all times.

The MAVN team

This brings us to the MAVN team, starting with our socio-judicial workers. What if we suggested that they dress up as magicians? Well, let’s face it, we are biased towards this idea. But you only need to know what these people do to discover their magic.

Beware! Their powers do not come from some obscure talent passed down through the generations, nor do they come from a magic potion that we would have our clients absorb. On the contrary, their powers come from a complete and rigorous training program, rich and diversified experience, and a combination of listening, empathy, and benevolence.

For example, our team will magically transform the tension between two people into an opportunity to talk and discover one another’s perspectives. Through their magic, a conflict between two people can become an opportunity for each of them to grow and better themselves. A criminal sanction imposed on a young offender will offer him the chance to develop greater maturity.

In short, through structured and caring interventions, our team of socio-judicial workers is transforming society one phase, one person and one step at a time. Of course, on Halloween, you watched with a smile as all those youngsters were transformed into little monsters to collect candy. But during the rest of the year, keep a grateful eye out for all the adults who also transform themselves on a daily basis to better supervise our youth.