Fireworks: let's hope Covid keeps going!

What if, once and for all, we did away with those fireworks on the 1st?^er August... This is not a new question, but it's all the more relevant now that municipal purse strings are likely to be tight, needless to say. So let's ask ourselves: why are we still sending tens of thousands of francs up in the air every year?

«Because it's pretty», some might say. Pretty... really? Colored lights explode in the sky, accompanied by loud noises. Pretty? Stand in front of the neon lights of an old-fashioned cabaret for a few moments and admire the effect, your 1^er August may also end with butterflies in the stomach.

«Ahhh mademoiselle, just because fireworks aren't useful doesn't mean they don't have their place.» You're right. I'm even a staunch defender of useless things. I gladly invite you to stand prostrate for a few moments in front of my bookcase and observe the extent of my uselessness. We can even drink a glass of unnecessarily good wine together, while holding unnecessarily long theories. But for the futile to make sense, it still has to be done well. And dear fireworkers, one sometimes wonders in which direction you have projected your professional conscience.

Now it's your turn, ladies and gentlemen of the pyrotechnics industry. Yes, you're complaining about a drastic drop in orders for this national holiday. Major fireworks displays have been canceled across the board. Your sales have fallen by around 80% in Switzerland this year. Let's please have a second thought: in the depths of confinement, a number of professional or leisure activities had been cited as irreplaceable, beneficial to our society, desirable even. Make the list. It was a long one, if I remember correctly. I'd like to hear from anyone who has named «fireworks» as their personal choice. I mean it. «Fireworks.» And no retrospective bad faith: I'd love to enjoy some pointless activities over the next few days without answering your emails.

«Kids love it.» They also love hitting their little sister, sucking their thumb, meowing when they're hungry, tired, need to pee, want to watch a pseudo-educational video on daddy's iPad or buy the same pants as Angèle. But that doesn't mean the state funds their whims. Fortunately, some of them have grown up and realize that Vesuvius is a volcano in Italy and rockets are a North Korean toy, not a social benefit. And don't even get me started on those sorcerer's apprentices who spend their future thirteenth salary to impress their friends between cashew-wasabi nuts and avocado salad.

Read also: What if the end of the world was good news?

So yes, we all hope to keep our childlike spirit (the carefree spirit that goes with it, the soft skin too and the candy at birthdays). By the way, now that you mention it... it's true, I too once enjoyed a firework display. I remember. I remember it. It was July 14th.

Write to the author: diana-alice.ramsauer@leregardlibre.com