AIBU to beg for no more balloon releases

[Newspeaker]

Why is it that at the times of the worst tragedy so many people still think it is OK to release dangerous litter into the sky? Surely in every group who plan these events there will be at least one person who understands the implications and can push for an alternative?
That's it really. Don't tell me people need to grieve - there are plenty of other ways to signal your grief, if you feel the need to do that. Does anyone want the memorial to their loved one be tainted by - just one real life example - a dead donkey foal with a balloon and the string in her gut? It seems particularly ironic that our young people can be so vocal about environmental issues, and yet they still flock to buy the balloons and take part in these releases.
It just breaks my heart to see this, knowing that the odds are some animals will suffer or die from our thoughtlessness, and yet again the land will be littered.

Any time someone posts about this they get accused of bad timing and insensitivity. Caring about our environment and feeling deep sadness for tragic losses aren't mutually exclusive. We have to find some time to speak up, because however much we do, it still happens.

YANBU, it's the same morons who plant "fake" grass.
Who pull up "weeds" that are actually part of the eco system that we depend on.

I agree completely, @DdraigGoch.

@TeaYarn - the big companies are not going to sort their shit out overnight so, whilst I agree that they must be made to sort it out, and that will have a big effect on the environment, I disagree that individuals can use this as a ‘get out clause’ to mean they don’t have to take the small actions that they ARE capable of.

Also, if you follow the theory of marginal gains - in sport it means that making lots of small changes to thing that affect your performance (training, equipment, clothing, nutrition etc) can have a big effect on your overall performance. I believe that, in the same way, if lots of people make lots of small changes, the cumulative effect of all of those changes on the environment will be many times greater than the apparent effect of each individual action.

So whilst we must put pressure on big corporations and governments to improve their environmental impact, we can and must do the small things that we do directly control whilst we are waiting for, and pressuring the big companies to pull their fingers out.

Yesterday there was a post on my local community FB group asking where you could buy 'memorial balloons' for a little boy who had recently lost his father. I tactfully suggested a few alternatives and the poster was very receptive.
It's not the sort of thing you do regularly so folk aren't always aware of the implications. I feel raising awareness is the way to go.

On a related theme I often think about how my parents puffed cigarette smoke over us as children whilst we rolled about in the footwell/boot of the car. I mentioned wetwipes to my adult daughter (these weren't really a thing when I was younger) . She quite rightly asked how many tampons I'd used in my lifetime...the majority which went straight into the sewage. No generation is bad...we just weren't aware.

Why are you so determined to police people’s emotions and expressions of grief

Because there are ways to express grief that don't involve bazooka-ing the local wildlife.

@JudgeRudy good points.

We might not have been aware at the time, but we are now, and the younger generation are much more informed about environmental damage. So they really should not use the ‘But you did it’ excuse.

Yeah, f**k wildlife, you have your poundland fun...

There are some really thoughtful and thought-provoking posts on here, thanks very much. I know there are always a few who try to do the "nest of vipers" crap, but they are very much in the minority here.
For people who said that this post is pointless it really isn't. People's views have been changed - on butterfly releases just for example. I always hope that for each person who posts to say that they've learned something, or changed what they do, there will be others in the background who just quietly take notice and make changes.

I always hope that for each person who posts to say that they've learned something, or changed what they do, there will be others in the background who just quietly take notice and make changes

I think it’s almost a certainty that there will be, that’s then passed on amongst people and their children. It’s a longer term strategy but it does work.

Awareness is valuable.

Wholeheartedly agree that they are inconsiderate and unnecessary. It is 'performance grief'. In addition, the helium used to inflate these wastes-of-space is a limited resource, needed for essential things like cooling magnets in MRI machines, used in cancer diagnosis. I think everyone could gave a 'helium allowance'. You can use it for a trivial floating polluting balloon, or for diagnosis of a life-limiting illness. Your choice.

Here's a quote from a new Facebook post - for those who still feel it's clever to try to belittle those trying to bring about change:
"Today has been absolutely horrendous.
I thought I was going to have to say my goodbyes to blue.
I’m emotionally exhausted and completely worn out but so eternally grateful to the ladies on our yard and also the dog walker that rang Sarah.
A balloon had landed in blues field and was somehow attached to him, he went wild with fright and we thought he’d broken his leg.
He’s in three counties after having X-rays done. He’s got a small/minimal fracture to his pedal bone but the prognosis is much better than we first thought.
He’s got to stay in until he weight bares and then come home on box rest. Re scan in a few weeks.
I’m honestly so relieved but can’t stop crying.
I love that little pony beyond words.
Breeding something yourself and being there from day 1 really is something else and I didn’t fully realise just how much I love him until today.
He’s my baby and I hope he makes a full recovery from this."