We should go back to when the worst thing to go along with the words "black" and "friday" was "Rebecca". At least that was ultimately a harmless evil.

I'm reminded of a "kit" provided by some travel agencies for Mecca pilgrimages, I presume for the non-initiated, which includes a quarterstaff, and they're reminded they'll need it if they try to discard it. If they insist, they get told that given the extreme crowds there, if you ever trip, a staff is your only lifeline to avoid getting trampled.

I wonder if things would be more polite if everybody was given a long piece of wood and instructions to not let it go. Everybody is equally armed and most of the time there isn't enough room to maneuver it… nah, people would open a circle and perform trials by combat to snag that last item. Or stay outside and run a gauntlet.