The fireworks tonight

[annabel85]

AIBU or are you probably just an anarchist or an arsehole to be setting off fireworks and firecrackers during a lockdown, when official displays are banned?

There's no excuse to be frightening animals either tonight. Don't be a dickhead.

@DisgruntledGuineaPig and what about the feelings and anxieties of people that are triggered by the loud noises and fireworks or is that irrelevant too

@DisgruntledGuineaPig

Well surely it was obvious this year people who like fireworks and aren't allowed to go a big display would have them at home?

Most animals that aren't livestock were bred deliberately for the pet market. Buying a pet feeds that industry. You know you don't live in an isolated property, fireworks exist and still chose to buy a pet. Therefore you should plan for it. Your animal will be distressed, your animals feelings aren't any more important than a humans feelings.

It is selfish to set off fireworks. It is selfish to own a pet. (Soo many times its been repeated the best thing for the environment is to get rid of all pet dogs and cats!)

Both you by owning a pet and the neighbour setting off fireworks are being selfish. You don't get to take the moral high ground on this one.

(Disclaimer- didn't have any fireworks, have guinea pigs as pets, just brought them indoors and accept its a normal part of pet owning in November in the uk)

Very good points.

@Newnamenewopenme

I’ve just been out in the car and there are groups of kids in the streets setting them off and police cars sat around doing nothing (I don’t know how they would deal with it).

This is a really nice area too so I was surprised - I think because of stuff like this they should be banned!

The police in this country are an absolute joke. No wonder people just do what they want.

[quote TidyOmlette]@annabel85 and in what way was my private family display cruel? They lasted for 8 minutes and were all low noise. Ours happens once a year and all of our neighbours are fully aware of often watch from their houses. Not one of our fireworks involves a large booming rocket.[/quote]
I'm not referring to low noise displays.

This barbarism has to stop in future

I assume you're a vegan.

@Premiumhaircut

I do get to take the moral high ground when I rehabilitate rescue animals. Is this some sort of bizarre straw man argument now?

DisgruntledGuineaPig is right. Dog owners do all sorts of selfish and anti-social things all day 365 days a year without a thought to all the rest of us (and I'm a dog owner). Neighbours do all sorts of crap - smokey bbqs all summer, barking dogs, screaming kids, etc etc. We all have to do our best to get along. Allowing people to set off fireworks once a year is fair enough. Some people may abuse this - just as some dog owners abuse the goodwill of their towns by walking their dogs off lead in busy parks, leaving bagged up dog-sh-t, etc etc.

If you don’t like people setting off fireworks on bonfire night, move somewhere without neighbours.

@hopingforonlychild

Yeah, people really love their fireworks.

I asked quite nicely on my local community facebook group if there were any locals planning firework displays in their back gardens as i have a new hamster and want to know if tonight is a good night to introduce it to the playpen.

People just laughed and thought it was a joke. Don't really see how its a joke, a hamster might be a tiny animal but its still included under animal welfare laws.

I'm sorry but this made me laugh, surely this is a joke?

I'm very grateful one of our neighbours put on an amazing display tonight in their garden which we could see from ours. The kids loved it and all the organised displays have been cancelled this year. I don't see the problem with 5th November fireworks. Just for that one night. I do agree that people shouldn't be letting them off all week though, just tonight.

Anything else you want to belittle and slag off op? People who enjoy fireworks are sadists and now our police are an absolute joke.

@swansongs the problem with that argument is that a lot of what you listen is just annoying. It's annoying, yes, but as you say we get on with it because it's part and parcel of having neighbours.

Fireworks aren't just annoying, they are dangerous and cause actual physiological and psychological stress to humans and animals.

Offs

@BakedTattie

Anything else you want to belittle and slag off op? People who enjoy fireworks are sadists and now our police are an absolute joke.

Sorry, but what is the point of the police if they just sit there and watch people flagrantly break the law in front of them and do nothing? Fireworks are not only banned in public places, they're banned for use by kids.

@annabel85 you picked and replied to my post with your own comment about things being cruel. So please tell me in what way it’s cruel?

@DisgruntledGuineaPig is correct. Every single human act can be selfish to someone else.

@TidyOmlette yes but most human acts don't cause psychological/physiological harm to other people/animals.

If a human act does cause those things, it's usually illegal. Why aren't fireworks treated the same?

Hope the NHS won’t have to deal with 2000 extra patients like they had to last Bonfire night.

Surely if you or your pets don't like fireworks then go into a room, shut all your windows and doors and put on some music, the tv or radio, volume up, job done? Or am I missing something?

[quote TidyOmlette]@annabel85 you picked and replied to my post with your own comment about things being cruel. So please tell me in what way it’s cruel?

@DisgruntledGuineaPig is correct. Every single human act can be selfish to someone else.[/quote]
It's not a secret that constant loud bangs are terrible for animals or some people to have to deal with: i.e. PTSD sufferers or people with sensory issues. It's like reliving the blitz for them every November. It's not fair on them from people wittingly helping to cause them that distress for a few minutes of fun.

The issue, primarily, is the noise. A nice, relatively quiet firework is one thing, but bangers and rockets have got no place in a residential neighbourhood; not in a civilised society anyway.

And, yes, people can be selfish in a more general sense in many different ways, but it doesn't excuse other selfish behaviour.

@pipnchops did all that still had a highly stressed dog for every night this week so far. Her heart and breathing is so fast and she feels safe nowhere even though we tried building her a den in each room

[quote StormcloakNord]@swansongs the problem with that argument is that a lot of what you listen is just annoying. It's annoying, yes, but as you say we get on with it because it's part and parcel of having neighbours.

Fireworks aren't just annoying, they are dangerous and cause actual physiological and psychological stress to humans and animals. [/quote]
BBQs are dangerous. In fact, I bet more people are seriously burnt by them than by fireworks.

Dogs are dangerous. Surely more people are seriously injured by them than by fireworks.

Sorry, but there are dangers all around us but we manage the risks. No need to exaggerate the risk of fireworks. They may be psychologically stressful to YOU, but your dog barking in the night is psychologically stressful to ME. We're just asking for one night a year.

@pipnchops fireworks can still be heard over it. Just turning up the TV doesn't work. Just as I've been writing this an almighty bang just went off right next to my fucking house. I've gotten such a fright and my cat is literally screaming.

I'm fucking sick fed up of this. The fucking noise is unbelievable how the hell is this acceptable? I felt my fucking house vibrate it was that loud. What the fuck?!

Surely if you or your pets don't like fireworks then go into a room, shut all your windows and doors and put on some music, the tv or radio, volume up, job done? Or am I missing something?

That doesn't begin to cover the noise. Especially the ones my arsehole worthless, anti-social piece of shit neighbours are setting off now without a fuck given for people, animals, wildlife or farm animals and we live opposite a farm and woodland.

We're just asking for one night a year.

BS. They go on for bloody weeks

@IHateWasps we must have the same neighbours. I'm actually wracking my brains trying to think of how to let them know how disgustingly selfish they are.

I don't know exactly which house it is as we're in a row but with any slice of luck they'll blow their own fucking house up. Selfish horrible absolute CUNTS.

@annabel85 but none of my fireworks were constant loud bangs. I specifically go and purchase the quietest ones possible as my eldest loves them but can’t handle the noise.

I don’t go about calling for peoples heads because of my situation. We live and let live and prepare for situations like tonight.

@StormcloakNord plenty of human acts cause psychological harm but aren’t made illegal. My friend has ptsd and the smell of cigarette smoke brings back horrific memories but I don’t see smoking being banned?

People were always going to respond to the lack of official displays by setting off fireworks in their gardens, especially given there are literally zero rules against it. I really have no idea what lockdown has to do with this, but some people do seem to use Covid as an excuse for their own misanthropy and puritanism. Anyway my DC really love our big annual firework display and have enjoyed the extra fireworks round ours this evening, as have I to be honest. Anything that feels like life is good right now.