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AIBU?

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I was in blackout and parents haven’t even texted me

1000 replies

Stopeatingcrispsanddips · 29/04/2025 23:05

I live in one of the countries where there was a power cut, it was frightening at the time and still feels a bit unsettling. My parents haven’t even WhatsApped us to see how we are (they still live in the U.K.)

Is this normal?

OP posts:
Thread gallery
10
TreeStove · 30/04/2025 00:25

JoeySchoolOfActing · 30/04/2025 00:17

Maybe just generally really fucking stupid then.

It's been explained multiple times on the thread and across the news that it wasn't just a power cut, but a complete information and power blackout across two countries.

No need to be rude. A power cut is a power "blackout". What do you think the difference is? The internet and TV don't work when there's a power cut.

crumblingschools · 30/04/2025 00:26

@TreeStove I wouldn’t like to be stuck in a lift and no means of summoning help ie the buzzer.

JifNtGif · 30/04/2025 00:27

Someone's a drama llama!
They probably thought you could deal with no YouTube for half a day.

notadrift · 30/04/2025 00:27

There was nothing working. Nothing.
Nothing at all. In the whole country.
Nothing. No access to money, shops, school, driving, traffic lights, street lights, information.

But some posters do not realise that it was not scary.

TreeStove · 30/04/2025 00:27

crumblingschools · 30/04/2025 00:18

@TreeStove how many power cuts have you had that have hit more than 3 countries all at the same time for no identifiable reason. Not just your local substation.

It’s not just the case of nipping to the next town to get food, money, phone signal. Nothing was working

Well they didn't know it was countrywide, so not sure how that would have added to the drama. And it only lasted a few hours.

TheLeadbetterLife · 30/04/2025 00:28

WinterMorn · 30/04/2025 00:14

Do I really have to explain to you why it’s overdramatic?

Because there are wars elsewhere? How does that make any sense?

What happened was completely unprecedented and unexpected, and no-one knew what was going on. A cyber attack seemed the most likely explanation. We can't help how we felt about it at the time, and actually everyone did stay calm and there wasn't much drama at all.

In my house we hauled some water out of the well and drank some beers while listening to the radio. In a practical sense it was no big deal. We still felt a horrible sense of dread and menace until it was confirmed not to be a cyber attack though, and thinking about Ukraine made that worse.

Codlingmoths · 30/04/2025 00:28

If you were in France it’s only a tiny bit odd of them as it was probably back on before they realised. It really wasn’t all over the news.

Pandimoanymum · 30/04/2025 00:29

Well I don’t ‘watch’ news, I read it online, which means I have to click on a headline to see the article, and it hasn’t once been the top headline on the bbc app, it’s been about 5th or 6th. It certainly wasn’t giving ‘this is big important news’ vibes, probably because the car ramming incident took precedence, or the popes funeral - as you can tell, I don’t even know exactly when it occurred. So i can see why plenty of people are saying they didn’t know or didn’t see much about it, if like me they only read news online.
Maybe they just thought if everything was shut down, you wouldn’t get a message anyway?
Maybe they were doing what you’re doing and thinking you’ll contact them to let them know you’re fine 🤷‍♀️
I find it weird you’d have to ask a forum if this is normal - surely if you’re close to your parents, no it’s probably not normal and you can actually just ASK them why? And if they’re not close to you, then yes it’s probably normal. I don’t know why you’d bother asking a load of strangers if we think your parents are being ‘normal’ when you could just talk to them. Sitting brooding about it but not communicating about it is not ‘normal’ either.

Dumbledoresniece · 30/04/2025 00:29

Ask your parents why they didn’t get in touch

Stopeatingcrispsanddips · 30/04/2025 00:29

WinterMorn · 30/04/2025 00:14

Do I really have to explain to you why it’s overdramatic?

Did it happen to you, i’m not saying that in an arsey way, but unless you were going through it, you can’t properly understand

OP posts:
Eenameenadeeka · 30/04/2025 00:30

Well my parents would have messaged me I'm sure.

TreeStove · 30/04/2025 00:31

SpookyMcTaggart · 30/04/2025 00:24

So according to you a tsunami would be "just a wave", and a major explosion "just a bang"..??

No, absolutely not. Those are devastating, life-threatening events. This was a temporary power cut.

JoeySchoolOfActing · 30/04/2025 00:31

TreeStove · 30/04/2025 00:25

No need to be rude. A power cut is a power "blackout". What do you think the difference is? The internet and TV don't work when there's a power cut.

Ok, I was rude.

But clearly correct.

Espressosummer · 30/04/2025 00:31

notadrift · 30/04/2025 00:27

There was nothing working. Nothing.
Nothing at all. In the whole country.
Nothing. No access to money, shops, school, driving, traffic lights, street lights, information.

But some posters do not realise that it was not scary.

But a lot of flights were still running and hospitals were still open. So it obviously wasn't war.
As to the rest of the things you have mentioned, well yes, it was a power cut, those things happen. I'm sure it could have been a bit scary and if I was the OP's parents I would have sent a message but people weren't dying from this. I've heard of one fatality due to a fire, suspected to be a candle setting something alight in the woman's flat.

Stopeatingcrispsanddips · 30/04/2025 00:32

Dearover · 30/04/2025 00:17

Perhaps it would have registered if it disrupted Race Across the World. These are probably the same people who don't tell their families that they've had a baby for a month whilst they focus on their "nuclear family".

Eh?

OP posts:
JifNtGif · 30/04/2025 00:32

Stopeatingcrispsanddips · 30/04/2025 00:29

Did it happen to you, i’m not saying that in an arsey way, but unless you were going through it, you can’t properly understand

Tiny non electric 🎻

DreamTheMoors · 30/04/2025 00:33

Stopeatingcrispsanddips · 29/04/2025 23:10

They always watch the news, it was all
over the news

I’m in the US. I read about it and then heard about it on the national news.
It was everywhere here.

AtomHeartMotherOfGod · 30/04/2025 00:33

CousinBob · 30/04/2025 00:23

If you were a child in the 70’s as you say, your parents must be quite elderly. Sorry you haven’t felt supported.

As a fellow child of the 70s, I'm just checking in here to say yes, my parents and my DH's are of advancing age, but none of them are 'elderly'.

A few stereotype alarm bells went off for me - sorry if I'm wrong.

Pandimoanymum · 30/04/2025 00:33

Stopeatingcrispsanddips · 30/04/2025 00:29

Did it happen to you, i’m not saying that in an arsey way, but unless you were going through it, you can’t properly understand

But surely, if nobody can understand unless they went through it, that’s highly likely to be the reason your parents didn’t get in touch?! How are they supposed to know any more than anyone else how bad it was for you because they didn’t go through it either.

fruitpastille · 30/04/2025 00:33

The ignorance and lack of empathy on this thread is breathtaking.

I'm glad you're OK OP - YANBU.

Radionowhere · 30/04/2025 00:34

Why would you not be okay? It was just a power cut.

Stopeatingcrispsanddips · 30/04/2025 00:35

CousinBob · 30/04/2025 00:23

If you were a child in the 70’s as you say, your parents must be quite elderly. Sorry you haven’t felt supported.

Early 70’s

OP posts:
Missanimosity · 30/04/2025 00:36

Dearover · 29/04/2025 23:51

There has been a huge amount of coverage due to impact on Spain, Portugal and parts of France & the multiple theories about why it happened. Those claiming that it hadn't registered must be living in a strange parallel universe or perhaps they get their news from influencers and TikTok.

I would expect my parents to get in touch under the circumstances.

Why do you have to be so rude? Many people just don't turn on the tv, maybe because they work long days or they just don't follow news. I knew about it because I listen Radio BBC on the way to work, otherwise I wouldn"t have known. Leave the house in the morning get back late evening, I don't have time for telly or to scroll through news. Also no one at work talked about it. And no, I don't follow any influencers or tik tok.

notadrift · 30/04/2025 00:37

There were no flights.

crumblingschools · 30/04/2025 00:37

I hope it doesn’t happen here but it would be interesting to see how people would have reacted, especially some posters on here

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