Here’s a hot take: I think we should ban fireworks. Not 4th of July gatherings in general. And not just this year because of COVID-19. But rather all fireworks. All of the time. I know, I know. That’s blasphemy. But just hear me out. There is a method to my madness.
As The Conversation puts it:
“The number of fireworks being lit off at night is out of control this year.
While people often light off fireworks close to the Fourth of July, this year fireworks have been lit in large numbers starting weeks earlier. New York City had a 4,000% increase in fireworks complaints in the first two weeks of June compared with last year. This prompted Mayor Bill de Blasio to vow a crackdown on illegal fireworks.
Complaints about fireworks are not confined to just New York City, but in cities across the country like San Francisco, Denver, Harrisburg, Albuquerque, Providence and many other places. This has led to a rise in conspiracy theories, including one that the nightly noise is an elaborate government plot to create confusion in neighborhoods.”
Of course fireworks are already banned or at least illegal to buy in most places. You may have to drive across state lines to get them if you can get them at all. But what I’m talking about goes beyond that. I’m talking about not even making them at all anymore. Perhaps large scale professionally managed shows can stick around just for the Fourth of July but do we really need individual people setting them off in residential neighborhoods? Do we really need to set them off every time someone hits a home run or scores a touchdown? Every time we have something worth celebrating?
Sure, fireworks may look pretty and I love a good fireworks show myself, probably more than most. I especially love fireworks that looks like real people and objects when they explode. But there’s a cost to setting off fireworks and out poor pets are the ones paying it. All the dogs spending the Fourth of July hiding in bathtubs don’t understand the concept of Independence Day. All they know is that loud bangs keep happening, frightening them half to death.
And our pets aren’t the only ones suffering. Fireworks keep everyone up at night, wrecking havoc on car alarms and sleep cycles. There’s a reason why there are so many conspiracy theories about the government setting off fireworks on purpose. Sleep deprivation is no joke and may very well be a legitimate police tactic to terrorize neighborhoods. If we’re going to talk about defunding the police shouldn’t we also talk about banning one of the weapons at their disposal?
I know that I probably sound like an old curmudgeon complaining once again about something inconsequential. But I really believe that there is merit to the idea of banning fireworks. Just think about the impact on the environment that setting off fireworks has as chemicals get released into the air. Think about the increased risk of fires in all the areas that are getting drier and drier due to Climate Change, which is pretty much everywhere. And yes, think about all those poor pets and old people who just want peace and quiet. Is that really too much to ask? Do fireworks really mean that much to us that we value them more than the simple things in life? Maybe, just maybe, we could live without them.
Is banning fireworks the Greatest Idea Ever?
Ban them. People who are slaves to tradition will miss them. Adaptable people can find alternatives that don’t emit pollutants at the levels fireworks do. Does entertainment take precedent over public health? The pollutants may be temporary but more and more people get a hold of them and fire them off for any and every excuse to celebrate leaving PM to accumulate. A culture that has adopted the practice of gender reveal parties and 5th grade graduation doesn’t deserve them. Fireworks are special or exceptional anymore. Where I live, they’re around every corner nearly every week.