AIBU?
Men, fire, toxic materials and kids [Rant alert]
acatcalledjohn · 30/08/2015 23:42
Ok, I doubt I am BU, but really just need to vent about the sheer stupidity of some twunts I encountered today.
Went to a BBQ where several kids were present (aged 3-8), and after a while an incinerator was filled with branches, doused in white spirit (whatever is wrong with paper to start a fire?), and set alight...
...WITH THE FUCKING PLASTIC BOTTLE ON TOP! 
So I suggested they really don't want to be burning plastic. Told "it'll be alright". Then more plastic got put in, so I turned to the host (my friend) and pointed out that plastic is really rather toxic when burned and thus you really don't want to burn it, especially with kids running around the place. So she told the guys to stop doing it. Her LO ran in the direction of the fumes, so I ran and grabbed her and took her away from the fumes.
But you know, men and fire is just one of those combinations where testosterone seems to take away any remaining brain cells. Despite being told to stop doing it, one twunt kept adding plastic things like shrink wrap. When the empty polystyrene meat packaging was chucked in as well, we decided enough was enough.
Rather than spoiling the party which I almost did I quietly told my friend we were leaving because I refused to stand around a bunch of dicks creating toxic fumes around kids.
What I didn't mention was that I took offense to the heavily pregnant woman smoking, and the not so heavily pregnant woman smoking but also talking about how she couldn't eat certain cheeses etc as they may harm the baby 
Some people really fucking boil my piss with their idiotic behaviour.
WorraLiberty · 31/08/2015 00:16
But you know, men and fire is just one of those combinations where testosterone seems to take away any remaining brain cells.
What part of that ^^ isn't sexist? 
They were inconsiderate people. That has nothing to do with what they posses between their legs.
My DH is perfectly capable of starting fires responsibly, just like my Dad, my brothers and my sons.
WorraLiberty · 31/08/2015 00:32
So your DP thinks it's down to hormones too, rather than twattery?
Please tell me that when you get annoyed with him, he doesn't ask if you're on a period?
YANBU though in the sense that it was an inconsiderate and stupid thing to do, no matter who decided to do it.
littledrummergirl · 31/08/2015 00:36
Yanbu. Our ndn love a good fire, we have seen white spirit in bottles, cardboard, soft drinks bottles, batteries, a tv (which sounded as though a bomb had gone off when it exploded) a garden shed complete with felt roof which smouldered for three days straight as well as newspapers and other household waste.
Twists!
rembrandtsrockchick · 31/08/2015 07:04
We attended a friend's bonfire party a few years ago. Friend's DH went off and returned with a 10ft GRP dinghy on a fork lift and dropped it on top of the blazing bonfire. The smoke and fumes were unbelievable. I am asthmatic and there were several children present. We left.
Insanity can be medicated. Ignorance can be educated, but there is no cure for stupidity.
DoreenLethal · 31/08/2015 07:34
YABU, very common to burn BBQ rubbish during the BBQ. We have a fire pit alongside, everything gets burned on it. By men and women.
People like you are the reason that people like me end up nearly or sometimes dying - plastic fumes are noxious and toxic and for those of us with weak lungs it can actually kill us. What the fuck do you think you are doing?
DoreenLethal · 31/08/2015 08:54
Doreen perhaps you should steer clear of BBQs and bonfires. And London as the air quality is apparently very poor here.
Or - people should just burn material that is fit for burning. You do know that fumes move through air don't you. Why should anyone have to avoid BBQs and bonfires just because other people are complete arseholes?
I use fires all the time - I have a woodburner and build Earth Ovens for a living. We light it nearly every week and I teach young people how to light and cook with fire.
Plastic has no place on a fire. Ever.
How the fuck did we all get to reach adulthood, a few bits of plastic on a bonfire?? It's not mustard gas!
It pretty much is just as toxic. It can contain all sorts of crap. You do not know what is in that plastic because you do not know what went into it. They release dioxins [you know - actual toxic stuff] and it burning it is banned in many places.
GloriaHotcakes · 31/08/2015 09:06
This reply has been deleted
Message withdrawn at poster's request.
DoreenLethal · 31/08/2015 09:18
Doreen, if you've got weak lungs, why the fuck are you going to BBQs where there's, y'know, a shitload of smoke ?!
Smoke is absolutely fine. Honest.
It is toxic smoke that causes a problem. You know - from burning plastic!
Hence posting on the burning plastic thread. And not the general fire thread.
Birdsgottafly · 31/08/2015 09:45
I agree with never burning plastic.
However, ideally the pregnant women shouldn't be smoking, but if they do, they still have the right to decide not to take further risks by eating known causes of Still Births (via contamination).
Get off your high horse over other people's choices that don't directly affect you (unlike the burning of plastic).
trollkonor · 31/08/2015 10:23
It's not because they're men but because they are idiots.
Who would ever think that burning plastic was a reasonable thing to do? For a start it just smells vile, stinking black smoke around when you're eating?
Then again I have never seen people burn the meat packaging at a bbq or start up an incinerator to burn random rubbish.
LIZS · 31/08/2015 10:34
I'm kind of with you, op. You'd hate to have our neighbours though, who seem to like nothing better than to have friends round for a bbq followed by bonfire, whatever the weather. He is self employed in property maintenance so last one included an acrylic bath (presumably avoiding paying commercial tip fees). Often it is broken fence panels. I've tried mentioning my asthma but he didn't seem to get the point.
acatcalledjohn · 31/08/2015 21:04
Just to clarify: I was not hysterical - like I said I didn't cause a scene. It just annoys me that adults act like this, and quite frankly no one should have to point out that they are asthmatic to stop people from acting like twunts, people ought to use common sense and not burn toxic stuff in the first place.
None of the women took interest in fuelling the fire and it is mostly men that get involved in this sort of stuff IME (though most men clearly are sensible like most of our DPs). It just appears I encountered the most twattish of twunts there.
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