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

  • Xantar@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    1 year 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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      1 year 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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        1 year 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.

        • nilloc@discuss.tchncs.de
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          1 year ago

          A local icecream place that also had goats and ducks was fucking setting them off right over the goat pen. They were sprinting from shelter to shelter inbetween explosions.

          I don’t plan on going back there now. It’s a shame because it’s one of the better shops nearby.

      • A_Union_of_Kobolds@lemmy.world
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        1 year 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 vet’ren 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.

      • Xantar@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        1 year 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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          1 year 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.

          • Mac@mander.xyzBanned
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            1 year ago

            it would bother you that much even only being once a year? really?

            that’s wild

            • Odigo2020@lemmy.zip
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              1 year ago

              If only it were once a year. This year, people started on the 28th of fucking June, and didn’t stop until the goddamn 6th.

              If it actually was contained to the 4th, I would be fine with it, but getting woken up by an explosion every night at 1:30am for a week straight, it gets real old, real fast.

              • Mac@mander.xyzBanned
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                1 year ago

                Ah. In my area it was like 3 days but I also don’t get woken up by them so i can’t really understand.

    • Grayox@lemmy.mlOP
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      1 year ago

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

      • Xantar@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        1 year 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 ?

      • howrar@lemmy.caBanned
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        1 year ago

        A theater performance is equally ephemeral. Or a concert. Or meeting your favorite celebrity. Or a good meal.

    • mecfs@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Eh. Half of that 2.7 billion being put into research into a disease like Myalgic Enceph. (ME) could probably significantly improve the quality of life of 80 million people who have one of the worlds most disabling diseases.