Boom Boom Diwali : Show your crackers thread :D

Interesting how the fervour is different in different parts. The reason i said that it was celebrated with more enthusiasm in the 90s is that there was not so much distraction. The community in my area bonded like no other on this day. Great memories. Now many (including myself) would prefer to curl up and watch movies/ play games in the comfort of home rather than participate in this kiddish activity. I am a few steps away from becoming a social pariah :p
 
Just had a small lunch table debate with two of my colleagues - about banning crackers. Both are young parents and surprisingly they both were trying to justify the whole thing.

(they) Argument : Its just for enjoyment.
(me) Counter : So does drinking and driving - at least the guy who's driving is enjoying. Both are time bombs.

A : It's a festival of light.
C : Exactly. So why bring the sound, smokes, pollution, global warming.........

A : Didn't you burn crackers when you were kid?
C : I wasn't aware about after effects. Now I am educated enough. Aren't you?

A : You cannot change everybody.
C : I am not aiming for everybody. I just wanted to convey to you two and seems I failed miserably. :(

A : We understand it creates air pollution. And so does vehicles and factories. Why not shut down all?
C : Because as a single person, least I can do is stop using crackers. (And convince others, well, at least I am trying :D). Besides "many" of those factories/vehicles are necessities for survival while crackers are just for 'enjoyment'. We can enjoy differently - hanging with friends/family, having good food, watching a good movie.

A : I know about the pollution and all. But if my kid sees others and asks for some how can I refuse my kid on a diwaali eve?
C : <blank>

A : Say govt bans the crackers. What will happen to those workers working on such factories? They don't have any other skills, how would they survive?
C : <I don't know how to react to that.>
(I said that's the worst logic ever, and now he's offended with me)
 
mathrisk said:
Just had a small lunch table debate with two of my colleagues - about banning crackers. Both are young parents and surprisingly they both were trying to justify the whole thing.

(they) Argument : Its just for enjoyment.
(me) Counter : So does drinking and driving - at least the guy who's driving is enjoying. Both are time bombs.

A : It's a festival of light.
C : Exactly. So why bring the sound, smokes, pollution, global warming.........

A : Didn't you burn crackers when you were kid?
C : I wasn't aware about after effects. Now I am educated enough. Aren't you?

A : You cannot change everybody.
C : I am not aiming for everybody. I just wanted to convey to you two and seems I failed miserably. :(

A : We understand it creates air pollution. And so does vehicles and factories. Why not shut down all?
C : Because as a single person, least I can do is stop using crackers. (And convince others, well, at least I am trying :D). Besides "many" of those factories/vehicles are necessities for survival while crackers are just for 'enjoyment'. We can enjoy differently - hanging with friends/family, having good food, watching a good movie.

A : I know about the pollution and all. But if my kid sees others and asks for some how can I refuse my kid on a diwaali eve?
C : <blank>

A : Say govt bans the crackers. What will happen to those workers working on such factories? They don't have any other skills, how would they survive?
C : <I don't know how to react to that.>
(I said that's the worst logic ever, and now he's offended with me)
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Do you drive a hybrid/electric?
 
^^ Not like that. No. :D :D

duty_calls.png


http://xkcd.com/386/
 
mathrisk said:
A : Say govt bans the crackers. What will happen to those workers working on such factories? They don't have any other skills, how would they survive?
C : <I don't know how to react to that.>
Click to expand...

Most of these so called workers are children aged as little as 7 years. Often times, these are school going kids from poor families who are forced to drop school and work in the factories to meet the cracker demand. Some of them are bonded laborers either sold off by their parents or kidnapped from their families, taken to a different places and put to work.

Oh Well, you ask Indians to justify mass murder and they will give you stupid justifications without blinking an eye lid. That is the kind of attitude that people have in this country.

Diwali crackers are literally death warrants in India. Leaving aside, the injuries and deaths due to accidents in factories and adults and children working in these factories damaging their health, customers and their children who are loosing life and limb to accidents while firing the crackers, there is a whole category of passive victims who have nothing to do with Diwali. Even media doesn't give enough attention to this category. Every year, there are thousands of people many of them aged people with heart and breathing complications who die on and around Diwali due to the increased pollution levels.

And for people who are trying to compare traffic pollution to this, the increase in pollution around Diwali is considerably significant. Probably equivalent to increase caused over several years by traffic pollution. In New Delhi, the air pollution has spiked to 5 times the normal levels yesterday night.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...n-Delhi-after-Diwali/articleshow/44925304.cms

Its not like other countries don't have crackers or that they don't use them during celebrations. Its the utterly chaotic and uncontrolled way that this is all handled in India. Its not necessary for everyone to buy crate loads of crackers and fire them on the roads and roof tops. In other countries, its a well organized and controlled affair. You arrange the show in a open area and everybody can go and watch. Its safe and its controlled and by firing less crackers, you also won't be polluting as much.

But alas, our country-men won't be satisfied by just that and won't feel their celebrations are complete without the scent of roasted corpses, children getting handicapped by loosing eyes and limbs and aged and sick people croaking their last breath of Sulpher and Carbon based gasses. While people crib about the cross-border terrorism and cease fire violations by our neighbors and see it as a big issue, people don't realize or don't want to realize that the number of victims caused by these incidents is in fact a miniscule fraction compared to the victims on Diwali day alone.

That said, I would still say that there is no need to completely ban crackers, just make it a controlled affair like in other countries. Don't let people fire them in their back yards, terrace or roads. (This should be punishable at the same level as setting off a bomb). Designate areas in outskirts to fire crackers and put a limit on the volume of crackers.
 
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I am living a nightmare at my place in bombay, the damn green rassi bombs all night from 7 in the evening to 7 in the morning.
I really need a way for this to stop, but how da F*** to stop ppl from enjoying their Diwali??? its their damn right to disturb a whole locality, all damn night
 
Just a small question to all kidz here, :D :D

What good deed you performed this diwali for poors this year ? ?

I don't want to brag , but donated fans to local govt. school, and distributed crackers+ sweets to kidz :) :)
 
I have no grouse against bursting crackers - but don't do it in the middle of the night. Also, not on busy roads/footpaths - I narrowly risked getting near an atom bomb (or whatever they call it)

Finally, from a pollution point of view - avoid bursting too much. Reduce your cracker budgets by 10% yearly and spend that money towards more productive stuff.
 
its okay to have strong opinions about certain things (fireworks in this case) and follow the principles and feel good about making the world a better place (dopamine); but I dont agree with people who want to shame others for not following those principles.
 
^Well you are gonna get called out for posting something like this on a site with the tagline "grey matters here", nothing sadistic about it as you implied.
Plus he already knew what he was getting into after the reaction he got last year on a similar thread.
 
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booo said:
its okay to have strong opinions about certain things (fireworks in this case) and follow the principles and feel good about making the world a better place (dopamine); but I dont agree with people who want to shame others for not following those principles.
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Well, I think it is also perfectly alright to call out and shame 0thers when its about things that affect not just themselves, but others as well. Its just like drunken driving or smoking. Most people don't give a damn about things that damage only the person doing them. Let people drink alcohol till their liver rots.. Nobody needs to give a damn about it. But as soon as they get on the road behind a wheel in their drunken state it becomes everybody's problem.

I used to know people who dreaded Diwali season. Year after year, they used to come close to their deaths for no fault of theirs.
 
Lord Nemesis said:
Well, I think it is also perfectly alright to call out and shame 0thers when its about things that affect not just themselves, but others as well. Its just like drunken driving or smoking. Most people don't give a damn about things that damage only the person doing them. Let people drink alcohol till their liver rots.. Nobody needs to give a damn about it. But as soon as they get on the road behind a wheel in their drunken state it becomes everybody's problem.

I used to know people who dreaded Diwali season. Year after year, they used to come close to their deaths for no fault of theirs.
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those who want to burst crackers will continue to do so...no one gonna change his actions due to rants of a unknown person. You can continue your crusade till kingdom come. I have been bursting crackers for the last 30 years and will continue to do so.
 
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