We are deep in the midst of the glorious day that is Halloween — which is better known to some as the one day of the year where we can dress up as anything in the world and somehow feel not an inkling of shame or embarrassment. However, despite the fact that we are given free rein to wear whatever we so desire, this is — unfortunately — rarely what actually happens. Each year when Halloween rolls around, it seems as if we are forced to bear witness to the same few terrible costumes that will certainly be seen countless times over the course of the night.

I do not know if my sanity can take another round of Jokers with poorly applied makeup walking around while I hear the phrase, “Why so serious?” being parroted back and forth. You. You are the reason that I am so serious, because I cannot take another one of your uncreative costumes. And of course, since 2012, how can we forget the old constant of much-too-skinny Banes walking around doing a terrible vocal impression as they try — and fail — to communicate through walkie talkies.

Memes always take many a place in the top 10 Halloween costumes — despite the unignorable fact that it is just as bad to dress as Harambe this year as it was to dress as Left Shark last year or Shia Labeouf the year before. But nonetheless, the inevitable parade of Donald Trumps will — without a doubt — be the fine golden hair that breaks the camel’s back. We are all creative people. We go to NYU, so we have to at least have some sense of this.

Regardless, time and time again we all decide that the one thing we want to dress up as is something that we know is going to be the same as everyone else. We should be celebrating the fun and colorful group of characters everyone chooses to be, and it is simply far less exciting when we all dress up as one character. This, however, is not to suggest that we should all be choosing costumes too obscure for anyone — aside from you and your four friends — to understand, but instead that we should at least have some standards.

Halloween is a holiday so drastically different from any other, and it is our duty to respect its uniqueness to the best of our abilities. So whether you are going as a classic movie monster or a pop culture figure from your favorite movie, please, for the love of all things scary, do not be predictable.

Opinions expressed on the editorial pages are not necessarily those of WSN, and our publication of opinions is not an endorsement of them.

A version of this article appeared in the Monday, October 31st print edition. Email Thomas Price at [email protected].