Woo! *fireworks!* *sparkles!*

Judging by the fireworks, it must be Garbage Day over there.

This is perfect! I can't wait for the oligarch fireworks!

"And the goes one of the richest men on the planet up into space! He's payed ov.... BOOOOOOOM!"

<cheering>

That's the most ridiculous, jingoistic thing I've read in quite a while. Americans are 99% angry cowards who panic at the drop of a hat and flee from car backfires and fireworks.

Society is collectivist. Pure individualism is Thunderdome.

Exceedingly few individualists have ever stood up and fought for it, even fewer are willing to die for it. If you assume Americans will stand up and fight for their rights and freedom, I'll assume you haven't ever paid attention to many Americans.

The word "refugee" DOES exist in the US, because it's descriptive OF the US. A large part of our population are refugees, arguably including many of the founders.

That rifle behind every blade of grass didn't help much in 1812, nor did it scare the Moonies (the only group to ever commit a biological attack on America). Don't be fooled that we intimidate anyone with our armed populace. We are more dangerous to ourselves than to others.

insane, back when I was in highschool there was no cops/guards/etc

We even had a smoking section, and guns could be brought on campus.

For smoking section you just needed a letter from parents that they knew you smoked. and on recess the smokers all hung out there.

To bring gun to school, it was during any hunting season. You had to have note from parents that they know. The gun had to be visible, either gun rack in back window of truck or in passenger seat. Rifles and Shotguns only no pistols.

You had to have your Hunter's Safety Course card, Your Hunting License both on you to give copies at office.

You had to leave your vehicle keys with the front office and submit to random vehicle search of the hunter's vehicles only.

So while everyone could go to their cars at recess, or if you had extra empty elective, some of us juniors would drive up to Hardees before lunch and grab fast food then be back before 4th period started, but the hunters had to leave their keys with front office and they could not retrieve them until end of school.

So much more freedom.

Smoking was banned on campus for students only my 10th grade year, but Teachers had the smoking lounge in building. There was a teacher's lounge on each hall, the back hall F where weight lifting, welding, home ec, and vocational classes were was where the teacher's smoking lounge was. Most students friendly with teachers could sneak in there and smoke anyhow.

crazy times.

I had a 84 Camaro and kept a flare gun under seat my dad owned a boat and had couple extra flare guns. So I had that for some crazy reason thinking if someone attacked me, at point blank range I'd put on a huge firework show


Then there was the stereotypes that were proven right not wrong.

The jocks hung out together, the headbangers/smokers hung out together, the nerds, the band folks like me as my senior year I was drum major
and the blacks stayed together all in separate cliques at lunch and recess and before/after school.

stereotypes even went further.

the only highschool girls with babies (during time I was there I stress) were black girls, they had to build a daycare from the old mechanic shop behind the highschool for them. And even though this was the early 90s in the south, you'd hear over the Intercom every 6 months "All Black female students to gym at this time please" where they'd get lectured on abstinence, or condom use, and std's and such.

the only time rest of the student body went through that was in 10th grade they'd take the boys one day, and girls the next day.

We had a blast though as the guys, the protection/std talk was given by one of the football coaches, and during the talk with the guys and showing various "shock images" of std's on penis on the TV, when he got to the "sex ed" portion, he flipped in a Nina Hartley porn intro where a nude Nina Hartley showed the correct way to place a condom on. haha was hilarious looking back before "political correctness" went out of control.

I loved highschool and college.

Graduated high school in 94, got associates in 96, took year off then got bachelors in computer science in 99.

But 89-94 (our highschool here in the deep south is 8th through 12th) most are 9-12, but not here. It's still 8-12th here. So it's nothing seeing 12th graders dating 8th graders. Freaky yea, but not unusual.


If you got into a fight, if a coach was around he'd let the fight finish, unless it got a bit too over the top then they'd break it up. You didn't get suspended, you lost recess privileges usually 3 days plus the starter of the fight got 10 licks of the paddle in principle office, the other only got 1 to 3, or if person was just dominated and got ass kicked you just got detention.


Kids didn't act up at all most times. And the reason was Corporal Punishment. Not private paddling either.


Once I was having a bad day, me and "highschool" sweetheart were having a bit of a spat. We sat next to each other so we were bickering a bit during class. Teacher had yelled at me to shut up and do the work. I sighed "Leave me the fuck alone"

bad move.

She called me to front of class and I got 5 licks of paddle in front of everyone. They'd stick finger in your belt loop and yank it up tight to put that extra sting on it. Embarrassing as hell! Even female older teachers who didn't paddle hard, it was just too embarrassing to get paddled, so kids behaved.


And of course if you refused paddling which you could but you'd take a zero for the day's work. few of those in a semester and no matter how hard you worked you were flunking that semester.


But the system worked.

It wasn't until they went crazy insane on political correctness, stopping corporal punishment, and putting cops/rent a cops/guards in schools and after the No Child Left Behind was signed into law, they severely dumbed down kids forcing the smartest to learn at the slowest kids pace. Doc's prescribing SSRI's like candy to kids in MASSIVE quantities, that schools in today's culture are crazy.

I'm somewhat disturbed by the fact that the chances of being killed by errant fireworks are that high.

http://globalblender.com/website/bilder/watercooler/worlds-biggest-firework-shell/world-biggest-firework-shell-size-comparison-closeup.jpg

I'm not going to pass judgement on them. It's not my place. I have no idea of what they might have been doing beforehand... perhaps they were having a group orgy on MDMA and then WHAM! Fireworks, everywhere. Oh good God I'm going to cum!

I'd say if it had been me standing there (sober) - I would have immediately shut my mouth and forgot about my phone and videoing the event. Instead going into survival mode since I would have believed that my life was severely in danger by this event unfolding and would have tried to get out of there as fast as possible- to a basement or somewhere else solid. But, that is only my theory and everyone is different, situations are different, the people you are with, the country you are in, dynamics. It's not like this was their fault. I also get a hint of the sobering magnitude beginning to sink into their voices by the end of the video...

Ah, but we do have the option to go back in time per Lucky and have a serious conversation over this and better script the reaction while this unseen event happens the second time around.

I can understand not thinking of the victims but the lack of, at least, concern is astounding. They act like this is a firework gone wrong. I'd probably wonder why the US is bombing China. And then about the smell coming from my pants. That's supremely terrifying shit and they are about to applaud and cheer.

I agree with @Ickster.

My reaction was disgust not to the language but to the general delight the two of them are emanating.

You can hear the glee in their voices like they're children watching a fucking fireworks show.

It's a fucking huge explosion, folks, and it's very likely killing people right now. How about a little gravitas, or at least a little bit of "OMFG" instead of "Woohoo! ROFLMAO!"

You're grown-ups FFS.

Drones are already getting annoying and will soon be a scourge. You think people with selfie-sticks are annoying? How about a 2 foot buzzing machine in your eyeline while you're trying to *insert any peaceful or enjoyable event*. I've already seen them at concerts and fireworks and they definitely take away from the show. Good shot Mr. Fisherman, good shot.

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I must say, I wish it was alien to me as well. It is a disturbing thing to have to fear any interaction with those charged with my safety, but it's the only reasonable reaction when you have had the types of disrespectful interactions I've consistently had with police, no matter how compliant and respectful I was, invariably they are disrespectful, angry, and dishonest.

I grew up believing that cops were there to help citizens and that telling the truth to them is always the best thing to do. Personal and familial experience has dissuaded me of that belief thoroughly.

I'm also a middle-class, middle-aged, straight, white dude, but because I've lived in poor (largely black) areas I have been repeatedly targeted by police for 'sticking out'.

I've seen numerous close family members believe cop's lies, say too much trying to be helpful and/or truthful, and charged with crimes for what they revealed, or in some cases what the cop SAID they revealed. I've personally had cops lie on the stand about what I've said and/or done in their presence, and had them caught by the judge (lucky me) in the lies. Friends and family were not so lucky, and some of them did serious time for things they either did not do or things they were told would be ignored if they just told the nice friendly cops where the fireworks/pot/beer/anything they need to know about/etc. was, then when they tell the truth, officer friendly morphs into angry drill sergeant who charges them with any possible infraction he can think of and off to jail they go charged with the crimes they were promised would be ignored or crimes the officers created by lying.

When you see this behavior repeated time and time again, directed towards quite different people, one must conclude that it's an issue with those in the profession, not any personal issue by the victims. It's quite sad.

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