The lack of patriotism on July Fourth is frequently attributed to political ideas, but there is a more straightforward explanation for why some people loathe the holiday, and it is based on how Americans chose to commemorate the nation's origins.
On Tuesday, many people may feel proud when they hear huge explosions in the sky, while a quiet majority is suffering inside their houses. 1 in 5 Americans, according to a YouGov poll conducted in 2021 among more than 6,000 respondents, dislike fireworks.
They have a personal grudge towards fireworks that goes beyond noise pollution, though that alone may be sufficient. Fireworks make air pollution temporarily worse, frequently cause PTSD in soldiers and victims of gun violence, and enrage pet owners who have scared animals.
Former Fourth of July devotee Madison May Jones, a 49-year-old veteran from Seattle, now finds the holiday intolerable. She said that working as an ironworker for nearly three decades caused her to acquire PTSD because she was constantly afraid of falling when working at great heights and became frightened by loud noises.
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"When PTSD strikes. "It just puts you in that state of paranoia where you feel like you have to either fight or run," said Jones. "I twitch when it goes bang. I want to determine its whereabouts and whether it is pursuing me.
Florida native Arielle Bowers, 30, from Tampa, finds the Fourth of July to be an uneasy occasion that she tries to avoid. She had tinnitus as a child, which is a deafening ringing in the ears, while admiring a firework's aesthetic attractiveness.
When she was given an ADHD diagnosis as a teenager and discovered that she was uncomfortable with pyrotechnics, she felt better. Bowers continued by stating that she suffers from PTSD as a result of a medical issue and that losing a loved one has left her feeling always on edge and wary of danger.
"Holidays like the Fourth of July can definitely bring those things to the surface and just remind you how unsafe you really are even in your own home," Bowers said. "You feel excluded. Because most people don't have auditory sensory issues like you do, you don't tend to attend as many gatherings with your family and friends and are expected to just put up with it.
Bowers stated that she and many others concur that the celebration should be adjusted, saying that there should be more noise-canceling equipment to help individuals.
West Virginian Sebastian Moreno, 32, claims he can't tell the difference between gunshots and fireworks in his area. Around the Fourth of July a year ago, the United States seen how hazy that line could be when a shooting spree at a parade in the Chicago area left seven people dead and terrified audiences in Orlando and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania who mistaken fireworks for gunshots, causing panic and injury.
Enjoy what the day represents.
The majority of people choose to be mesmerized by the colors, spectacle, and light of fireworks without realizing the chemicals and particles that also contribute to pollution, according to Edward Avol, a professor at the University of Southern California and an expert on outdoor air pollution.
Numerous fireworks can increase the amount of sulfur dioxide in the air, which can irritate or trigger bronchospasm in many asthmatics, according to Avol. Adding chemical particles to the air, he continued, is ineffective in halting climate change.
When we set up a lot of pyrotechnics, we don't frequently consider all of these things. But these are all type of related consequences, or even those who are sitting in it only for entertainment or those who have compromised health, Avol said.
American's uneasiness during fireworks isn't solely due to the sonic boom. A 35-year-old woman from a small town in Mississippi named Katrina Mitchell can't even bear to look at them, at least not outside. Mitchell, who is in the process of receiving an epilepsy diagnosis, claimed that she had seizures when she looks at flickering or blinking lights. When she would lose consciousness for a few minutes due to light, she started studying more about her condition through the informational organization Epsy Health.
She fell asleep for more than five minutes while watching fireworks at a Fourth of July celebration two years ago, and she didn't wake up until her husband informed her that the show was gone. She made the decision to only watch fireworks from inside her house or to not look at them at all when a doctor confirmed the next day that the firework had indeed triggered a seizure.
Mitchell told USA TODAY, "I'll just make sure I'm safe as far as I can be because I just I just don't want to be out like that again." It's alright, I prefer it than having to visit the emergency department, you know.
Mitchell spends most of her July Fourth festivities outside a house, but she is at least joined inside by her mother, who can't stand the noise. Mitchell claimed that she finds her own methods to celebrate and will not allow pyrotechnics to ruin her mood.
We're heading to dine. That will be enjoyable for me, Mitchell assured. "Slow down, family time. Enjoy everyone having the opportunity to just enjoy what the day represents, and when the time comes, I'll just start preparing myself.