Bonfire night!

[purfectpuss]

AIBU to think that complaining about the noise is ridiculous. My facebook feed is full of people moaning:

"It's too loud, it's affecting my elderly mum and her health condition"
"I can't hear the telly..."
"the cat's hiding"
"how can people afford fireworks- we're in a cost of living crisis?"

Really...?

On the one hand I can see your point that it’s just one night (in theory) and it’s nothing new so we should all expect it. But I do agree with other posters, they seem to get louder every year and more people seem to be setting them off in residential areas.

My issue is less the noise and more that they turn people feral. There’s two areas of the city I’m in basically shut down tonight with residents asked not to leave their homes as the police attempt to deal with hundreds of teenagers out running riot, throwing fireworks at cars etc. You also get the annual psychopaths who think it’s funny to strap fireworks to animals.

They just shouldn’t be sold to the general public, keep them for organised displays at set times.

I agree with this
I was of the age to enjoy and appreciate the magic of them between C1970 and 1975 or so.
Loved it. Over to Nan's (who had a garden whereas we did not), small bonfire and a box of fireworks. And a jacket potato.
They were not as noisy as now.
Tonight some were actually screaming and a few created huge flashes in the sky

I'm convinced people are just miserable and want to stay miserable. Life is dull enough why make it even more dull by moaning about festivities. I understand the argument about those suffering PTSD, however I'm talking about just the general moaners that complain about EVERYTHING, it's boring reading it on SM every time something slightly fun comes around each year.

I have no issues with bonfire night being on 5th November, I have no issues with it being on the weekend nearest, if the 5th is during the week.
I think that organised fireworks should be allowed and that's it. They are advertised so people are able to sort out help etc.
I dont think loud fireworks should be allowed anywhere.
I'm fortunate, none of my cats have been worried about them, I even had one cat that used to watch them.
Having fireworks happen for the entire month (which has happened) is not on.
I would imagine that ptsd sufferers know that they need to be prepared for November and hopefully have things in place to help. And they wouldn't want people to stop doing stuff, just because of their troubles.
After that date, all bets are off and people have every right to complain.

YABU - they are annoying as fuck, and it's not just bonfire night! It goes on and on... its ANNOYING not mention TERRIFYING for animals. Do you only care about yourself?

I heard many many more than I usually do on the 5th tonight. I was surprised because the people letting them off are probably the same ones who will be complaining that they can’t put a tenner in their meter any day now.

By around 8pm my kids (who love a display) had had enough and put headphones on to drown them out a bit.

Totally agree there’s no point complaining on SM.

I'm fine with public fireworks one or two nights depending on when the holiday falls (despite having my own reac from childhood). I do marvel every year that they're allowed for private use; they are very dangerous. Do people not realise? Every year it astounds me, and every year tonight we get ambulances

In fact we’ve got the opposite on Facebook here at the moment. People posting to thank others for their ‘amazing’ displays as they really enjoyed them. Although I suspect it’s really just to goad the usual ones into complaining about them.

Ask anyone who works in A&E this time of year.. huge influx of kids with firework injuries. No need for it at all.

That’s what I mean - keep it to organised displays and this shouldn’t happen

The local organised displays are far louder and longer than my little box of fireworks in the back garden.

The firework threads always confuse me, I assume a lot depends where you live? We have had fireworks going off all night in the neighbouring surrounds, but you don't really hear that much & they don't stand out much over the other noise of traffic, etc. & people who use fireworks at home use them correctly, not throwing them at houses.

its ANNOYING not mention TERRIFYING for animals.

My cats & dogs have never been bothered. Lots of people walking their dogs this evening. Why does it cause panic to some pets but others are indifferent?

Yanbu. It's one of the duller SM traditions. Think it's the combination of unimaginative virtue signalling and content free whinging that winds me up about these tossers. Well that and the fact that they go on all bladdy winter. Plus it's pointless. Not one single person is going to stop buying fireworks because some other tedious cunt craps on about their boring dog.

In the last 12 years I've had my dog, this year is the only one I can remember that it has only been one night and not multiple.
I think that's the issue that it's not just one night and therefore causes many more problems because of that.

And there's no real need for the bangs, they're what cause the majority of the issues around people and animals and there are silent ones - they still produce the lights but no boom, boom, boom endlessly - what does the boom add really, or lack of it remove from watching a display of lights in the sky?

I also don't understand the tradition thing, we've come to view many things that are traditional as not good things to do, fireworks do cause suffering and injury to animals, wild and domestic, and people say 'but it's traditional' and 'some people enjoy them', you could argue the same point for bloodsports they're also traditional, some people enjoy them and they cause suffering and injury to animals - yet they're widely condemned.

TBH I absolutely hate firework displays. It’s always bitterly cold, muddy, the fireworks are too loud (I have very sensitive hearing) and looking up makes me feel dizzy (yes I’m a wimp ). If I stay at home the dogs on the street go absolutely mental. And our council spends £35,000 on the firework display every year (local paper do an FOI each year and everyone goes nuts on social media). I just think in a time where many people will either starve to death or freeze to death this winter, better community initiatives could take place for that money. Especially when there are so many alternatives with local fire displays that benefit the villages they take place in.

I take it you dont wear a poppy or claim to respect war veterans on the 11th?

I hate them too but haven't got a diagnosis of autism.

They should have a restriction on the loud ones.

Yes actually . People and pets in real distress should outweigh someone else's enjoyment when that enjoyment is getting out of hand . I never bothered about fireworks until I took on a rescue dog in abject terror of them . The problem is around my way they go on for two weeks or so between Divali and bonfire night . No more are they pops and fizzes some of them sound like bombs going off and rapid gunfire .
Fireworks should be for organised displays only who give dates out not sold to randoms for their gardens . We had 3 hours of it tonight then managed to sleep and woken again at 2.15am by more .
Times move on and these displays should be quiet fireworks or laser light displays .

It's this for me. It's been going on every night since Diwali here and every night I've been just waiting for the baby to wake up as the fireworks get closer and closer. It'd be okay if it were just one night but it's been weeks of it and I'm tired of being on edge the whole time :(

Yes.
There's lots of ways to mitigate the impact of bonfire night.
Silent fireworks.
No private sales of fireworks, just organized and licensed displays.

We can cope with an hour or so a couple of times a year but there's been random bangs nightly since Diwali.

Last night the last ones we heard were after midnight and woke us all up.

You have to be pretty thick not to understand why lots of people hate them.

But along with your 'little box' there's the houses around you and the next street, then the big display, then some kids twatting around.

There's your 3 hours of constant bangs.

The fireworks went on until 1.30am last night. It's the first night I've really been sickened by them. Next year we are taking our old dog away somewhere remote.

It’s not traditional though, not how it happens now.

It didn’t used to be loads of people having their own huge fireworks display, you went to a public display or you had a bonfire, couple of tiny rockets a Catherine wheel and some sparklers.

I sometimes wonder where people live who talk about weeks of fireworks going off randomly, peoplr setting off boxes in garden etc. I live in the south east, i heard one lot for about 20 mins around diwali, 2 lots of 15 mins on 5th november and thats it. None after 9pm, all easily drowned out by normal conversation indoors.

I dont know anyone who had anything other than sparklers at home, everyone goes to a local display.

We used to live in north london and i didnt notice it especially there either. Where i grew up (south west) few celebrate diwali and there'd just be one big display around 5th.