How do you feel about fireworks?

[Dave Gray]

I don't know if I'm becoming a curmudgeon or what, but I find them annoying.

I just wonder, as a society, why we will do this.

They are expensive.  They are wasteful.  They are bad for the environment.
They are disruptive to veterans.  They are disruptive to pets.  They are disruptive to zoos.


I suppose I wouldn't mind it so much if it were just the night of the 4th but in my area, made up of a demographics that love fireworks (hispanics and rednecks), they go off sporadically in the night and day for days prior to and post July 4th also.

I'm not a super hater or anything.  I just can't imagine me spending hundreds of dollars to make loud noises and blow shit up in the street, and then have to go sweep up the debris.  It just seems like a waste of resources and energy and are annoying for everyone else.

[EDGECRUSHER]

Liked them as a kid, hate them now. Honestly, I think it's an age thing with us and where you live. If it's a nice community where everyone does it after having BBQs, then it's less bothersome. However, if it's a quiet street where there is only one drunk jerkoff setting off M80s at 3 AM then it's awful and I hope they blow their hand off.

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

You left out dangerous and destructive. People are injured and killed, wildfires are started.  

[ArtieChokePhin]

You left out dangerous and destructive. People are injured and killed, wildfires are started.  

I recall a few years back, me and my family were over at a friend's house for an all day BBQ/Pool party, culminating with shooting off fireworks in the middle of the street.  Some pre-teen boys were doing the lighting and when some of the fireworks weren't going off properly, these boys were running towards them trying to find out what happened.  One of the boys dad was yelling constantly for him not to do that as it's unsafe.  After the fourth time, I pulled the kid aside and told him, "You need to listen to your dad and do what he says.  He brought you into this world and he could take you out of it."

[CF DolFan]

I was bringing mortars into the neigborhood before we had firework stores in Florida. We set off fireworks for the kids every New Year's or 4th of July party and although it was illegal the locals didn't seem to mind. I now live in the country and don't do it any longer and am forced to "babysit" our animials on those nights. My wife's horse specifally got spooked this year.  A few years ago when we still lived in an HOA one of our Flemish giant rabbits passed away from the noise.

While I don't really expect anyone to stop it does seem annoying to me that the nights and timing have continually grown longer. We used to only do it on the night in reference but it goes on a week before and after these days. 

[Brian Fein]

I like the big commercial fireworks shows that parks do at city-sponsored events, or that you might see at the end of a day at Disney World.

The "show off how much money I can blow on nonsense" neighborhood fireworks, I find annoying and irritating.  Probably because I'm old and want peace and quiet, and because people start on the 3rd and do them until Thanksgiving.  Its inconsiderate to be setting off mortars and bottle rockets at 3AM when there's hundreds of people around you trying to sleep.  Its just enough.

[Phishfan]

I also like the commercial shows but really can't stand the crowd our local ones draw. I don't spend money on them either,  just too wasteful. I don't mind others doing it though. Around me they seem to be as respectful as they can be.

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

I fortunately live in a state where unlicenced firework displays are illegal.  While that doesn't stop all it does limit it.  But a few years ago the police department in my town began treating all reports as "possibly fireworks/potentially gun fire". It worked like a charm.  In the past cops would head over to suspected fireworks folks would deny.  Cops would leave it would start in again.  Now cop shows up and says they are investigating potential gunfire and the folks volunteer that it was illegal fireworks, which gets confiscated and they get a firm warning that they have already confessed to violating the fireworks law, if there is another call they will be spending the night in jail.  In the last 4 years I have heard illegal fireworks twice at my house.  Surrounding towns it is still sometimes a problem.

[Fau Teixeira]

Here, fireworks are legal only if they don't leave the ground and don't explode  .. so really sparklers and roman candles are legal .. everything else isn't.

[Fau Teixeira]

That being said, we did have a big fireworks display on saturday night for Sailfest: https://sailfest.org/

[stinkfish]

I love professional fireworks displays. I can live with the people's own displays for the first few nights before and after the 4th as long as it's not too obnoxious, which I really haven't ever encountered. I personally stay away from things like that. My dad brought some firecrackers home from Chinatown when I was a teenager. I lit one, fuse burned faster than any of the other ones that he and I  played with, pow, just a few feet from my right ear. totally deaf in that ear for at least half an hour. Fine now. So I never went near things like that again.

[Spider-Dan]

You guys are really effing old.  "I used to like fireworks when I was young.  But now I'm not young, and I don't like them any more."



Is there some way we can get fireworks classified as "self-defense"?  That way, everyone can have every crazy-ass firework they can get their hands on According To The Constitution and at least it'll be entertaining, instead of just boring and hyper-deadly like our gun epidemic.

[stinkfish]

NICE!!!

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

You guys are really effing old.  "I used to like fireworks when I was young.  But now I'm not young, and I don't like them any more."

That could be a bit of an oversimplification.  As I have gotten older my knowledge about the damage fireworks causes has increased.  My knowledge of traumatic brain injury has also resulted in an shift in opinion regarding bicycle helmets.  That isn't an yelling at clouds, but new information, new opinion.

Also times have changed.  While loud bangs have always been scary for children.  (Every fireworks show I have ever been has had kids holding their ears and crying)  The dynamic is different today.  When I was a kid a firecracker going off didn't result in kids being worried about "active shooters"  because we didn't have active shooter drills in school when I was a child.  Yes I am so old I went to school B.C.............  (Before Columbine)

[Phishfan]

Here's what I don't understand, what's the point of shooting one mortar? I was locking the gate at work tonight and someone down the street shot one off. Just one. I don't get that at all.