A Different Sort of Reaction to the Booms
As we crossed under the bridge in Point State Park, gray hairs began to spontaneously sprout from my head and wrinkles dug in their heels on my face. I was easily the oldest person anywhere in sight, just as long as you excluded the security guards and police officers scattered throughout the crowd. As far as the eye could see there were herds and herds of teenagers. Very few appeared to be old enough to drive, but what do I know? I'm the person who thinks Justin Bieber is still young enough to cruise around in a blinged-out stroller.
Each little herd of teens stood laughing and yelling and completely ignoring the fireworks that were booming loudly just a few feeet away. I thought the purpose of going to Point State Park on the 4th of July was to see fireworks, but obviously I was wrong. As the urge to yell, "SHUT UP AND GET OFF MY LAWN!" overtook me, I busied myself with trying to take photos of the fireworks as I balanced Alexis on my hip.
As Alexis oohed and aahed about pyrotechnics for the first time in her life (HUZZAH!), I couldn't help but notice some of the very loud conversations around us.
You guys. YOU GUYS. I'm pretty sure the current generation of teenagers only knows about six words. All of them are words of the four-letter variety that I don't use on this site. Observations like this are how I know I'm old.
And then it happened for the first time. An oddly sharp-sounding firework broke through the cacophony and a few dozen teens panicked. "That was a gun!" someone yelled as they broke into a run.
It wasn't a gun.
And then it happened again. One boom for some reason sounded differently to a group of kids who weren't the least bit interested in the fireworks. They absolutely and completely panicked as they ran for their lives. There wasn't a hint of giggling or light-heartedness. They were genuinely afraid that something terrible had just happened in the midst of a celebration of freedom.
The thought of hearing gunshots in the midst of a crowded park during a fireworks show never once crossed my mind when I was a teenager. It's a different world we live in now.
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Reader Comments (5)
isn't that the truth, something like that wouldn't even cross my mind. There were a LOT of younger people coming up from that way as we made our way back over to the parking garage. sadly, I didn't even take my camera this year. We were running late and even with Greg there I knew it would be impossible with the kiddos. I wasn't sure how close you could get on the Point with the construction of the fountain.
It certainly is a different world. I was a teenage during the troubles in SA but we were safe for the most part living in a small town and as a small child we didn't even look our house. Fast forward ahem some years and its a very different story. Two weeks ago we heard a transformer blow up but everyone thought an atm had blown up again. There were a few bangs for about twenty seconds afterwards and that sounded like gunfire. I hate that we are always on edge. Crazy times we now live in.
So sad that kids these days view the world as an unsafe place.
Wow! Your phtographs and words really hit home.
sad