existentialmemes
Alright, I’m going to launch explosives around your house. For several hours. Yes it is dangerous and terrible for wildlife and the environment. And yes your pets will get sick from eating the debris and you will feel terrorized inside your own home.
No you can’t opt out of it. Everyone is doing it and frankly it’s weird that you don’t want to.
No you can’t be the one launching the explosives you need a license for that. You can however launch these marginally smaller ones though. Yeah just whenever you want. 2am sounds great.
So anyway, fireworks were a mistake and it’s never too early to start reminding you of that.
Editor’s note: this is a post about American Independence Day celebrations
Oh noooo, you don’t like fireworks? Maybe fuck off somewhere else for that one day then? It’s not like it comes unexpectedly. For fuck sakes, they even made it a holiday so you CAN go somewhere if you choose to. Don’t want to go somewhere? Get some fucking headphones then.
People have fun setting off fireworks, it’s part of a celebration. You might as well be complaining about kids playing in front of your house. Maybe recognize that part of living in society is that it’s not always about you?
I hate it, but I do enjoy the resulting exploding hands videos
Every cloud has a silver lining
I swear, I thought they were talking about internal combustion engines until the last line.
It’s like if a dog was a human.
I generally like them, except those really loud ones that barely look like anything. After I got my dog who is terrified of them I’d happily never seen fireworks again.
I love fireworks shows done responsibly, our local show is on a beach away from most of civilization and wild life.
That said I think a drone show is cooler, better for the environment, and would love to see densely populated towns replace them with drones.
On a beach… Away from wild life? What?
No you don’t understand, they simply moved outside of the environment.
Beaches around here are out in the open with a treeline that isn’t close to shore, most animals aren’t going to be around due to the threat of predators, with the exceptions of insects.
The area is similar to Peggy’s Cove in Nova Scotia, though not as far removed from everything and on a lake, rather than on an ocean.
As I was reading this I thought it was going to be about Gaza.
If you take into account how much it freaks out animals to the point of heart attacks it might as wel be to them.
I really want more drone light shows instead.
What if it was in the rainy season instead
Take it up with Guy Fawkes then.
Counterpoint
Playing with fire and blowing things up is fun if done responsibly. Really, given the kinds of annoyances that are legal year-round (drunkards, loud exhausts, barking dogs, late-night parties, yelling loudly etc.), it really isn’t that bad to have fire & explosions once per year for like… two hours. (Reiterating, responsibly)
Okay then let’s do it only in winter when it gets dark early enough.
For some reason all the holidays happen when the day is long except new years which for has fireworks happening at midnight.
The laws are not made to minimize the downsides.
I don’t know about The North Americas, but in AU all of those things you listed are illegal here. Except the loud exhaust. You have to really piss someone off to get reported, but if your dog barks every night you’ll get a knock on the door with a mandatory dog training leaflet. Disruptive parties at night are tolerated occasionally by neighbours, but if it happens every Friday for 6 hours you might get told to turn it down by police. Same with belligerent or disorderly behaviour. I think the law is don’t wake people up between 7pm–7am mon–sat. But also the police here won’t attack you, so it’s more annoying than dangerous for the recipient.
Do you guys have noise disruption laws like this? Genuinely curious.
We do, but it takes more than fireworks.
Yeah fireworks are allowed here too, but only when you would “expect” fireworks if that makes sense. “Firework displays and community events” are exempt. I think it’s pretty common sense whether something’s ok or not though. Like randomly popping off fireworks every night at 2am would get shut down. Definitely an entire month of fireworks is insanity. But I hear fireworks every major holiday like Easter, Christmas, new year’s, Chinese New year, etc. The dogs, cats, birds, possums, everything goes mad like there’s a bush fire.
One night a year… Heh. It’s been going on for a month already at my sisters’ place
It depends on enforcement. Where I live it’s pretty strictly enforced. I do wish the big fireworks show was on the edge of town rather than in the middle of it but I still want the show. Just as responsibly as possible.
I love fireworks! I like going to the big displays, I like hearing neighbors setting them off in the distance. It reminds us that even thought things kinda suck now, we can still have some fun.
This country has turned so rigid, it is so disappointing. No loud music, no firewoeks, no dance clubs, no outward displays of anything. Just go home buy stuff online and watch your screens quietly.
Agreed, but it is interesting to hear about its impact on the environment. Obviously it spooks pets and livestock. But what is it doing to the local flora and fauna? In some situations it probably kills birds through constant stress. And what about trees that are normally used to peace and quiet? They’re probably deaf now.
Oh honey. You think it’s for 2 hours? It’s roughly once an hour from the middle of June to the middle of July
Where do you live? That’s excessive.
Worst I’ve seen in rural Michigan, is occasional fireworks the week before and after the 4th.
Now that I’m in the suburbs? Maybe a day before and after. Eh, could be worse.
Kansas baby, deep red territory. It sucks here lmao
Doesn’t have to be deep red. Sacramento is fairly purple and they’ve been at it too. Same as every year.
I love this time of year. It drowns out the sound of gunfire.
fr, oh to live such a privileged life that the worst noise pollution you have to deal with is fireworks a couple of times per year.
Well, that’s how it is in my country :)
Slightly different per municipality, but in general it’s permitted 23-01 around the new year. Outside that, you need to apply to the police for permission.
This sounds like a grumpy old man ranting about “kids these days” lol let people have their fun.
Let children lose fingers and get blinded.
Let people have their peace and quiet.
How often do you get disturbed by fireworks?
I usually only hear them at halloween or at new years eve
In my area it’s multiple days before and after most holidays, at times ranging from 6pm to 2am. Hell, this past year someone set off fireworks at midnight Christmas eve.
it’s the 4th of July weekend my dude.
also, it was just Juneteenth
and in the UK they have the 5th of November
I’m not British or American, I’m just wondering how often that’s an occurrence.
apologies, your post read as a rhetorical question- but also, Diwali, Eid… there are plenty of celebrations around the globe throughout the year
If you want that deeply to be away from people, go live deep in the woods for something.
But I don’t want to be away from people? I just don’t want bombs going off outside my house, which is generally considered normal 364 days out of the year
I think you have the crux of it, it’s normal 364 days of the year. Lots of folks like fireworks and they mostly limit it to one day annually.
Honestly at this point in my life when I think about fireworks I mostly just have a hard time getting over how expensive they are. But also, they are noisy and sometimes I get dragged out in crap weather to not enjoy them. I’m not a huge fan.
I also was also a kid once though and remember a time when they were the coolest shit on earth.
I can put up with the rare day and let others have their fun 🤷 just my take.
If I punch you in the face once a year for my own amusement, you wouldn’t be saying “it’s ok because he doesn’t punches me in the face 364 days a year”
Living around other people involves them doing things you don’t want them to sometimes.
Living around other people also involves a certain level of respect for them and their presence. This goes both ways. If you want to lit up bombs you are free to go out deep in the woods for it (…well, except you’ll also freak put the poor wildlife there)
Careful dude. The folk on here really don’t like being told that
Usually agreed, but July 5th I’ll be shopping for some discounted boomies.
They will be on stand by to celebrate a long overdue deposition when the day finally fucking comes.
What if it happens on the 4th? America 250 indeed.
Fireworks start early then I guess
I’d happily see consumer fireworks banned. If people like them so much then there are plenty of organized displays which have way better shit than you can buy at Walmart, and I know roughly when they’re happening so I can turn the TV up loud, close my windows and keep my pets from being too traumatized.
What I can’t stand is the random 3AM explosions that sounds like the start of WWIII. If you’re one of those people, fuck you. Sincerely.
Well, you could always be the reason they get banned… just gota get creative with it?
I promise you if that ban happened people will buy gun powder and build their own. Now they’re more dangerous and made in Jimmy’s garage
You may say ban blackpowder, but then you run into the 2nd amendment lobby
Idiots making home-made explosives sounds like a problem that can solve itself eventually.
You’d be quite surprised. Making fireworks isn’t all that complicated.
Of course more would die, but not enough to eliminate the practice
A few winters ago, I took a trip to Iceland, specifically Reykjavik. I learned that, for new year’s, there is an organized party well outside the city limits with no fireworks. This was for folks that didn’t want to participate in the usual celebrations that take place in town. They noted that it was quite popular with the Syrian refugees on the island. I think about that a lot.
I’ll add that NYE Fireworks in Iceland make American Independence Day celebrations look like a solemn funeral in comparison. I’ve never been anywhere that has been shelled, but I now have a really good idea what that would look and sound like.








