Editor’s note: this is a post about American Independence Day celebrations
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.
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)
if the idiots would actually do that, it wouldn’t be a problem. instead it’s a two week window of booms and flaming bullshit DURING A HEATWAVE IN WILDFIRE SEASON.
how fucking dumb do they have to be, that this needs to be explained?
Where I am from, civilian fireworks are pretty much happening only during NYE. It is roughly 2 hours. The rest of the year fireworks are pretty much happening on some special shows or celebrations. You almost never hear fireworks the rest of the year.
Where I live now people like to shoot fireworks at random. I used to live near private small garden area and fireworks would fire on weekly basis all year long. It is even forbidden to do it at random, but that is not stopping people for some reason.
Wanted to add also that in my homeland fireworks are sold typically in hunting shops and I guess are strictly regulated while at the country I am at right now you can buy loads if fireworks in a grocery store if some sort of a festive celebration is around the corner.
oof sounds lovely.
in past years it’s been like this. I think that they tightened some of the sales because the world cup is in town, but we still have mortars and other shit going off two weeks before the 4th :|
there’s too few consequences for irresponsible assholes.
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.
Further reading
it was nice for a few years. i’m not sure whether it was better enforcement or mass trauma after the town nearly burned down, but all the nighttime fireworks just didn’t happen for a couple years.
Many regions in America do have those kinds of laws, but the cops are too busy shooting our dogs and pulling over minorities to enforce them
Where do you live where it’s only two hours?!?
Large town in Sweden. I’d say 95% is within the legal time span in our neighborhood and from what I’ve seen elsewhere it’s fairly similar.
This is excepting no-go zones & rougher neighborhoods, but in some of these areas they literally attack first responders with fireworks so I’m not counting them.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Especially barking dogs.
All of whose owners, who let them bark 24/7 the other 364 days a year, go into full meltdown mode on social media over their poor pupper’s right to be catered to every 4th of July.
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
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.
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.
Well, that’s how it is in my country, and mostly respected outside no-go zones :)
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.