To be annoyed in laws ruined NY fireworks AGAIN!

[Baulin]

So every New Year’s Eve we go to my in laws and have a small get together. However every time the London fireworks start, since the first commentary in 2021, I have to endure a massive rant and rave about left wing agenda which completely ruins the atmosphere of the night. I was dreading the fireworks display last night because I knew all I’d hear from the family is complaining and talking over the show. As soon as I heard the same sex marriage part I thought “oh god here we go” and then the homophobic whining started. I was fuming because it just ruins it for me. It’s as though they’re unable to dislike something without feeling the need to comment on it.

Does anyone else find this annoying from family and do you say anything or just let it go over your head?

Instead of arguing over Brexit, could one of you confirm the source of the commentary?

Completely agree with this. Paternal grandfather was a staunch Labour supporter, very left wing in his views and one of the most homophobic people I’ve ever encountered. A nasty piece of work to be honest.

I couldn’t get worked up about a five minute rant once a year. Just block it out and think nice thoughts. They have their opinion, you have yours. Just let it go…..

You can't choose to hang out with homophobic dicks and then moan they're homophobic dicks. I mean I get that you're saying you're ok with it as long as they don't say it during the fireworks, but really what do you expect.

Why do they have to add a message trying to brainwash us into rightthink? I didn't realise they did that.

Couldn't we just have the fireworks?

I bet a lot of people rolled their eyes at it.

So at least @Grammarnut confirms they are a bigot.

What bit did you consider brainwashing or "right think" Porridge? We watched it and really enjoyed it!

I didn’t see it, but I read that there was a pride section of the display, with fireworks lit up in flag colours. My wife and I did roll our eyes at that, even we’re sick of it

Stop going. I would. Its not worth it

I can't help thinking I must be missing something here, but what is it about NYE fireworks that causes ILs to start their weird ranting?

I was thinking this. Thanks @NeighbourhoodWatchPotholeDivision for explaining to us. I can't say I've ever listened to any commentary at a party though. Pictures on the TV if you don't have displays going off all round the house like we did last night, but all sitting round watching / listening to a TV commentary at a party seems a bit odd.

However, back to OP
I think YABU for two things. One being - there is no reason to keep going to something you don't enjoy. This is supposed to be 'pleasure' or 'fun'. Do something else on NYE, and, if they ask why, then tell them.
The other being, the fact you don't challenge them throughout the year. Wherever you are, if you don't challenge homophobia (or anything else that involves being awful to one section of society) then, as has already been said, you are part of the problem.

What bit did you consider brainwashing or "right think" Porridge? We watched it and really enjoyed it!

The bits telling us what to think, such as by Charles and so on.

They could've skipped that bit and just have the fireworks, maybe singing Auld Lang Syne, and wishing everyone a HNY.

They say this stuff in the hope it'll stop people rioting or something.

52 vs 48% is a landslide victory? In what universe is that then? If I was offered an operation with those odds of curing or killing me I wouldn’t touch it with your barge pole! As for somehow twisting uncast votes to strengthen either position - that’s some impressive delusion going on 😂😂

OP I tend to manage people like you describe by strongly commiserating with them over the speed of societal change. People like that are generally steadfast in their refusal to understand anyone different to them and would rather brand everything ‘woke’ as unintelligible (it used to be ‘political correctness gone mad!’).

I do point out that there’s no obligation to expose themselves to anything they usually claim is being forced upon them. It’s perfectly possible to build a life without any of these distressing groups entering more than the peripheries of your life. ETA: because then you’re forcing your lifestyle on others which would be equally as intrusive no?

Well done?

I mean, it mostly sounds like you really enjoy picking a side to nail your colours to and making sure you tell as many people as you can about it. Good for you but personally I wouldn’t enter into any kind of discussion with someone who’s basically telling me that they’re rigid in their beliefs and uninterested in nuance.

I don’t think being a zealot is particularly admirable tbh.

The bits telling us what to think, such as by Charles and so on.

The King is politically neutral - he has to be. He's also head of the Church of England and a devout Christian so a few platitudes about being nice to other people is to be expected from him.

He represents and promotes British values but you are free to disagree with him I suppose!

@Cornettoninja uncast votes mean those people didn't feel strongly enough about it either way to bother going to a ballot box. In not voting, they tacitly agree to accept the result whichever way it goes.
A lot of people argue that 26% (iirc) of the eligible to vote population, didn't actively choose Brexit. That's true, but neither did they actively chose to remain in the EU.
I can't help but think that if remain had won by 52 to 48%, they'd be telling pro Brexit supporters to stfu and accept the result!

@LadyBird1973 well we all agree to accept the results of a(ny) vote whichever way it goes, that’s democracy. That doesn’t mean anyone who didn’t cast a vote doesn’t get an opinion on the consequence of that vote. The failure of Cameron and co to set no outlines on the outcome of the referendum was a huge scandal imveryho. A 52% win is not ‘the country’ by anyone’s definition, particularly when turnouts are low.

I can't help but think that if remain had won by 52 to 48%, they'd be telling pro Brexit supporters to stfu and accept the result!

thats a view through your own personal lens though isn’t it? An argument that you’re not actually having because the scenario doesn’t exist.

The bits telling us what to think, such as by Charles and so on.

The part Charles said was celebrating diversity.

Is it so wrong or that much of an annoyance that diversity, the Windrush generation and the legalisation of same sex marriage was celebrated?

I thought they were lovely as a mother of mixed race children with black heritage. It’s so depressing that some people took a bit of issue with them given the content of the voiceover.

Says someone who bases their (homophobic) opinion of the bible.

@Cornettoninja of course if you cba to vote, you lose the right to complain about the outcome. I agree that Cameron spectacularly fucked up on the way in which the question was phrased - it was pure arrogance on his part to believe the country would vote the way he told them to!

With the amount of complaining from remain voters though and campaigning to undo the result, it's not really a leap to state that had the numbers been reversed, leave supporters would be told that it's democracy, live with it etc. Disingenuous to pretend otherwise.

Thought not.

We all agree to accept a vote. And we have the right to our opinion. But if you did not bother to vote then you cannot go on to complain the result is not what you wanted. Also, you cannot co-opt those who didn't vote into either camp. We don't know how the 26% would have voted because they did not vote. We do know that 72% of the eligible population did vote, and by a majority of 4% voted to leave the EU. The turnout was the highest in decades which suggests a lot of people were interested and were willing to express their opinion. (Some complain that expats who had been out of the country for 15 years or more could not vote, but if you have not lived here in 15 years it does suggest you have little interest in our politics, so that seems as reasonable as not allowing 16 year olds to vote.)

Yes, I would never waste my time arguing with a stranger online who proudly admits to being a bigot. I value myself more than that!

You can say no to visiting them on NYE and visit some other time. Even if you agree with their political views there is a time for other subjects.

I never agreed to accept it.

I thought it was completely fucking nuts to put such a complex question to the electorate, and with good reason. (Not that our elected representatives were much more informed. Boris Johnson and Kate Hoey flatly denied that voting to leave the EU could have any consequences for the Northern Ireland border at all, and David Davis, after the referendum and when he was already the Secretary of State for Brexit, thought you could do separate trade deals with different EU countries.)

As for people living abroad for more than 15 years, if you've been exercising your treaty rights to live in another EU country then you are more affected than most people by a potential decision taken by an uninformed electorate about whether to remove those rights from you. It's scandalous that they weren't allowed to vote.