Call for ban on sparklers

grandpa_spec_F6 · 13-09-2010, 10:17 PM

Call me heartless but I have a bone to pick with Channel 9 over this story: http://news.ninemsn.com.au/video.asp...2-f3f9df04f066

For those on dial-up, a brief synopsis: 16 year old kids make a sparkler fountain (called a "roman candle" in the video) by shoving sparklers down a metal tube. Surprise surprise, it explodes and causes serious damage to one kid, taking off 4 fingers and cutting up a jaw very badly in the process, he nearly lost an eye as well. Channel 9 interview parents who not only admit they have let him make them before (illegal - falls under the category of improvised explosive / firework) but they then turn around and call for a BAN on all sparklers.

Now while I do think it is tragic that this poor kid will have scaring for life, heck, he nearly lost his life, it was due to his own stupidity and the lack of care and common sense demonstrated by his parents.

Firstly, you don't make these sorts of devices, period.

Secondly, if you do, you realise that you are placing yourself in danger and are willing to accept any consequences of your actions.

Thirdly, do some bloody research! My first thoughts were why on EARTH were they using a metal tube! Many moons ago I was going to go for my Pyrotechnics license and let me tell you, plastic is bad enough but any metal housing, at least from a pyrotechnics point of view, should be a 1/4" thick at minimum to prevent any schrapnal resulting from an accidental detonation of the device in question.

There was another thread on here a while back regarding accountability, and here we have a fine example of how people are still not wanting to be responsible for their own actions. They immediatly play the blame game and refuse to acknowledge any wrong doing.

For the kids sake, I'm glad a charity fund has been setup to help him, I remember being 16 and some of the things we did... well, we weren't saints, but this just goes to show that we, as a society, are still headed in the wrong direction.

Blaming something that was being used in a way other than intended and then blaming the consequences on the product is not logical. Do we really need safety lables that cater for every situation? If so, it would be logical to assume that if you blew your manhood off while attempting intercourse with a rifle, you should be compensated for your own stupidity and lack of common sense, as the manufacturer didn't specify that body parts were not intended for use inside the barrel.

I feel like I'm doing this ->

but I would like other peoples opinions, why are we constantly running away rather than confronting things and dealing with the consequences? Why were things different even 20 years ago to what they are now?

Iggypoppin' · 13-09-2010, 10:22 PM

Two words:nanny, state.
That is all.

||| · 13-09-2010, 10:25 PM

kids have always been stupid. we just hear about it more now because we have 24/7 TV and internet.

grandpa_spec_F6 · 13-09-2010, 10:31 PM

As much as I wish I could leave it at that Iggy, I feel that there must be a deeper meaning to all of the pointless law and legislation being passed these days.

Without going into detail, it is technically illegal to do anything in a car other than drive up here in QLD. If both hands are not on the wheel at all times you are breaking the law.

I am trying to understand why people are so spineless and simply want to remain unaccountable for their actions. What have we done to condone this behaviour and strengthen this stupid ideology that "we can do no wrong"

adelaidecrows02 · 13-09-2010, 10:31 PM

Very well written.

Unfortunately our country has moved on from the basic's like common sense, and self accountability. However foreign influence has turned us into a litigious society, and is only going to get worse as generations move on........

By 2052, my now almost 4 year old will probably get sued for dropping a "quiet but deadly" on the subway.

Riksta · 13-09-2010, 10:40 PM

This is the kind of thing that prompted my rant thread the other day.

How many kids & families love cracking out the sparklers on special occasions like new year's eve and the like, and how many are used without incident every year?

Now you get ONE incident where somebody is badly injured (and I do think its terrible the injuries he has sustained, especially at such a young age) and all of a sudden sparklers are about as dangerous as a nuclear weapon without a safety mechanism.

I'm trying not to come across heartless and cold about the situation, but I am fed up to the teeth with this kind of garbage happening. For crying out loud he was doing something stupid, he would have known that things can go pear shaped quickly and he did it anyway. HE is responsible for his own actions, not the rest of the population who may now have to miss out on using sparklers if they get their own way.

I really want to continue this post but out of the interest of being forum friendly I shall stop right now.

grandpa_spec_F6 · 13-09-2010, 11:21 PM

I echo the sentiment Riksta, and in the interest of keeping this thread alive (for the foreseable future) could we all stay on topic as best we can. It is a story that provoked me, and I tried my best to stay on topic and deliver my view and subsequent request as calmly as possible, all I ask is others do the same

No naughty langauge either! :P

pottery beige · 13-09-2010, 11:23 PM

sparklers are mere sticks with funny pepper on them nowdays..... must have saved a years pocket money to blow a finger off.......

grandpa_spec_F6 · 13-09-2010, 11:34 PM

It's true, sparklers aren't what they used to be, however a number of them lit together can produce an exponential burn rate which produces large quantities of both exothermic energy and super hot gases. This combination can be deadly if confined, but only as deadly as the container it is being encased within.

Many other house hold items can produce violent chemical reactions if handled improperly, however assuming you have some common sense, you don't put certain materials together for that very reason. Why must we seek to ban the product, why can't we just ban stupid people?

(A: <insert political joke here)

ST · 13-09-2010, 11:50 PM

Look out guys, soon we'll be making the big trip to the nations capital for some SPARKLERS.

I love how the parents go on a holy crusade to take down the giants for their own ignorance and irresponsibility, this 'news piece' even stated the parents supervised them every time they did it! Luckily the media knows exactly who's fault it is; the evil people who dare to produce and sell these weapons of mass destruction.

TheInterceptor · 14-09-2010, 12:25 AM

wow, ive made plenty of sparkler concoctions (and im still alive, amazing huh), makes a nice flare, great for new years! apply a bit of logic and nobody will get hurt, and nothing gets set on fire...if you put it in a glass bottle, it will explode, been there done that...same with aerosol cans in fires, it will go boom, you get a giggle out of it, you all go home happy.

Cant beleive this sort of thing is happening, makes me sad and angry at the same time.
Im pretty sure excess consumption of alcohol is potentially more dangerous than a few kids with a "flare"....

pottery beige · 14-09-2010, 12:27 AM

oxy.. acetylene.. foam esky.. dunny paper.. matches.. police helicopter........

bungarra · 14-09-2010, 12:52 AM

I remember making brake fluid bombs (better ban brake fluid!!) and many variants of this device, all in good fun and a bit of a laugh. The old man caught me once and just about took my head off for being an idiot.

Told me if I belw myself or someone else up, don't expect him to be nice about it.

A mechanic friend had his sone set himself alight messing around with petrol, he got to the hospital walked up to his son in the emergency department being worked on by a birns specialist and said to him "You wont do that again will you?" The doctor thought he was being to uncaring and he said to the doctor he didn't listen when I caught him doing it once before, now he has to learn the hard way.

Gaz · 14-09-2010, 12:56 AM

Geez - I remember making some sparkler thingos when I was younger... Several packs of crushed sparklers and maybe a crushed model rocket engine for good measure in a very thick tube. Put a sparkler in the top and stand 50m away and watch the sparkler fountain go!

Venomous1 · 14-09-2010, 01:15 AM

You can ban everything if you don't teach your kids anything or watch what they are doing.

The sparklers were innocent play with fire and you'll burn.

seduced_xr · 14-09-2010, 01:29 AM

i agree with this 100%, people need to apply their common sense or take responsibility for their own actions. and the parents need to wake up to themselves.. no your kid is not an angel. yes he is a ****head.

Venomous1 · 14-09-2010, 01:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by seduced_xr

i agree with this 100%, people need to apply their common sense or take responsibility for their own actions. and the parents need to wake up to themselves.. no your kid is not an angel. yes he is a ****head.

Harsh like my reply but true.

Mickxr8 · 14-09-2010, 01:51 AM

unfortunitly i cant see this getting better anytime soon. this generation of dumb parents (and i mean no offence to members on here ! ) are breeding even dumber kids... and when it all goes bad (which it will/has) who`s the first one to `bleat` ?. the ""parents"" who then play the blame game ( trying to absolve themselve`s from any responsabiltey for there kids actions ).
i used to love the ol backyard `fireworks`

but alas no more

sorry about the long rant but it`s something that really annoys me

AussieAV · 14-09-2010, 02:24 AM

Agree with you grandpa_spec_au. Glad the outcome wasn't worse, and hope the best for the kid.

Can't believe they'd done it before, and all with the parents OK and supervision. The parents were no youngsters either, mother is a nurse. Can't believe they're trying to blame the sparklers.

Hopefully just a media beat-up, mum and dad saying they want them banned is hardly a national campaign, but just in case better start stockpiling those matches. Once they realise they can start fires our wonderful protectors will whip them off the shelves.

BA GT-HO · 14-09-2010, 02:31 AM

I like how it is labelled 'A DANGEROUS NEW CRAZE"

Bollocks.

I was doing exactly that 15 years ago.

wrongwaynorris · 14-09-2010, 06:41 AM

If they are going to ban everything that can be dangerous when not used for its intended purpose the whole road freight , earthmoving , mining and farming industries and immesurable others will cease when they ban Dieseline and Fertiliser . So although billions of uses of sparklers are uneventful we are to be protcted from ourselves because of these morons ? Give us a break . Staggers me that the moron parents admit he was doing this with their blessing , why dont we just sterilise imbeciles like these two or allow natural selection to weed out the also rans , like it has done for millenia . They've put their lives on hold , well they put their brains on hold when they not only allowed but condoned their idiot sons actions . ZERO sympathy .

GTP owner · 14-09-2010, 06:53 AM

I had a one of my kids climb a tree the other day. They fell out and broke their arm. I am going to run an awareness campaign calling for all parenmts to be really careful that their kids could get hurt or even killed by climbing trees. In fact I am going to call on the government to ban all trees in public parks (oops they already do that), and backyards with kids in them unless they have a 1.5m high "pool spec" fence around them.

pottery beige · 14-09-2010, 06:59 AM

he should sue his dumb *** parents......

**Burnout** · 14-09-2010, 07:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pottery beige

oxy.. acetylene.. foam esky.. dunny paper.. matches.. police helicopter........

Delete the copter in QLD, QPS don't have one.

Yellow_Festiva · 14-09-2010, 07:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pottery beige

he should sue his dumb *** parents......

Amen to that.

So lets see. The parents knew what they were making and then wanted the sparklers banned?

Sure thing, but not before DOCS takes the kid away for having negligent parents I say...

We all did dumb stuff as lads, hell, I'm still surprised I'm alive as well. But I knew that If I did something like that whatever the sparkler bomb did to me my dad would have done double.... or finished the job.

No news, no radio, no sob story...

Feathers · 14-09-2010, 07:44 AM

I say we take the warning labels off everything, and let the problem sort itself out.

Sizey · 14-09-2010, 07:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by grandpa_spec_au

As much as I wish I could leave it at that Iggy, I feel that there must be a deeper meaning to all of the pointless law and legislation being passed these days.

Without going into detail, it is technically illegal to do anything in a car other than drive up here in QLD. If both hands are not on the wheel at all times you are breaking the law.

I am trying to understand why people are so spineless and simply want to remain unaccountable for their actions. What have we done to condone this behaviour and strengthen this stupid ideology that "we can do no wrong"

Well of course when you make a "sparkler bomb" as we used to call them, you intend on a large bang and realise that it was not intended for that purpose. However blaming the sparkler or even cigarette lighter for that matter is total &^%$.

In SA we have the same issues with driving and if you have a P plate on, you are automatically doing the wrong thing.

I do beleive that legisslation replaces common sense so the more rules we bring about and the more "preventitive measure" that are put into practice, the less people need to take responsibility for own actions. We should not condone this sort of behaivious but unfortunately we are living in a nanny state society of which does condone it!

grandpa_spec_F6 · 14-09-2010, 08:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Burnout

Delete the copter in QLD, QPS don't have one.

That's a discussion for another day, but they need one... or 4... badly!

Great to see everyone is giving it their 2c, however I was wondering, what was the lead up to all of this nonsence?

Sure, overseas influence (not going to name names here) with litigation over absurd things like robbing someones home and sueing for slipping on a tiled floor is stupid and most likely contributed, but can anyone point to a defining time when this bollocks started happening?

tweeked · 14-09-2010, 08:56 AM

Pretty soon everything will be illegal except pillows, but they will have a minimum size in case of accidental swallowing

grandpa_spec_F6 · 14-09-2010, 09:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tweeked

Pretty soon everything will be illegal except pillows, but they will have a minimum size in case of accidental swallowing

And if that fails... people will resort to drinking cask wine, then blowing up the flaggin for a makeshift pillow. This however, will also become quickly illegal as it promotes alcohol consumption, which will also be banned for something equally pathetic and unrelated.