300 million lbs of fireworks and 2.7 billion dollars gone in a cloud of smoke.

  • Xantar@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    4 months ago

    Yup, that could also be said about music, cinema and any other form of art/entertainment/distraction. It doesn’t produce anything “useful”, but again, what is “useful” varies from one person to another. Some would say the waste of money is the point. You blow fireworks because you can.

    Ultimately nothing matters because there is no true meaning of life, so anything that pulls you away from the dark nothingness of existence is good to take.

    • rodbiren@midwest.social
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      4 months ago

      I can’t think of other art forms that blow off the hands of so many people, wake up my daughter in terror at 11PM, and make both dogs and veterans suffer for an extended period of time. I’m fine with the large group spectacle that is planned and controlled. What I can’t stand is the widespread uncontrollable nonsense of just anyone buying them and setting them off at any hour on the 4th. Law enforcement can do absolutely nothing about it. I’m just gonna have to deal with it. I’m just surprised we haven’t collectively shifted to something less harmful.

      • illi@lemm.ee
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        4 months ago

        Not just dogs or other pets, but also farm and wild animals. And it may not only lead to suffering, but also lead to their deaths.

          • illi@lemm.ee
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            4 months ago

            Yep. With wild animals it may result in the running away in fear without thought and get lost or injured which may result in their death. This technically applies to all animals.

            Another aspect which affects all is heart attack from the shock.

            • ColeSloth@discuss.tchncs.de
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              4 months ago

              I guess ban vehicles of any sort, then. I’d imagine animals dying from fireworks are nearly 0. I’d imagine ones dead from traveling are a thousand an hour in the US.

      • A_Union_of_Kobolds@lemmy.world
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        4 months ago

        That’s what I’m saying. One day we’ll look back in amazement that we let the public buy fireworks willy-nilly. Even the “it was good enough for me!” crowd of angry old-timers will have to go “Well, yeah, people blowed they hands off. And it bothered my veteran son and the neighbor’s dogs somethin fierce. They’re alright. It’s prolly fer the best.”

        Now, I fully admit later today I will be running around in a country field with my friends shooting bottle rockets at each other. But we won’t be bothering SOMEONE ELSE, and that’s my thing.

        • ramble81@lemm.ee
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          4 months ago

          Except fireworks has literally been a part of civilization for 1,000 plus years, so I don’t see that changing anytime soon.

        • intensely_human@lemm.ee
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          4 months ago

          One day we’ll look back in amazement that we let people have sex willy nilly and bond with whomever they like on a whim, forming friendships and families without central oversight.

          But that doesn’t mean that future we’ll be looking back from in amazement won’t be a dystopian nightmare, or that our perspective won’t be warped by even more decades of infantilization.

      • intensely_human@lemm.ee
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        4 months ago

        What I can’t stand is the widespread uncontrollable nonsense of just anyone buying them and setting them off at any hour on the 4th. Law enforcement can do absolutely nothing about it.

        Do you understand why this is our way of celebrating Independence Day? Fireworks are a loud, visible, symbol and example of freedom from authority.

      • Xantar@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        4 months ago

        You make a good point. Which can also be made about any form of freedom as soon as it encroaches on someone else’s comfort.

        Ignoring the obvious nuance, a loud concert or a horror movie are also not something law enforcement will do anything against but it could terrorize people as well.

        • Odigo2020@lemmy.zip
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          4 months ago

          If a loud concert or horror movie popped up next door and rattled the houses of an entire neighborhood from 10pm to 2am, I’m pretty sure law enforcement would do something about it.

    • Grayox@lemmy.mlOP
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      4 months ago

      Yeah but none of them are anywhere near as ephemeral as a firework display.

      • Xantar@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        4 months ago

        That doesn’t make them more/less worth it.

        If your criteria for worthiness is persistence then is a nice looking meal as worth it as equally nutritious goop ?