ethics of public popping

[Kitten]

I've never seen anyone b2p or even inflate a balloon in a club though, so Kitten might be disappointed

I could certainly be the first. I really like the idea of having a bunch of people watch while I do a b2p, but don't want to upset anyone. I could do it slowly so people that don't like it have plenty of time to get away.

[BlowPlayPop]

This has been a very interesting discussion/debate. The main thing I've taken away from it: Balloons seem to be making a comeback to UK McDonald's. That's awesome!

[srob2]

I could certainly be the first. I really like the idea of having a bunch of people watch while I do a b2p, but don't want to upset anyone. I could do it slowly so people that don't like it have plenty of time to get away.

Go to any club with a balloon drop. Grab a balloon, untie and start blowing. Repeat as many times as you want or until you run out of balloons. You won't upset anyone and will get a lot of attention. Most of the balloons get stomped right away, so anyone who possibly doesn't like popping will be long gone.

[Dust of the Saturn]

Does anybody else find it amusing that we are talking about balloons here but are discussing it as if we are debating whether or not it's moral to release a canister of mustard gas in public lol? It's certainly not worth attacking each other over.

Yup. I can't believe this thread got so heated.

I was at the mall a couple months ago and there was a new clothing store handing out balloons. I stayed there for a couple hours and heard a total of 3 pops. Guess how many people gave a shit?

Even worse, the people I was with were completely unfazed. Since I am into balloons and kept them in my conscious throughout my entire stay at the mall, I was bound to be aware of them. The other people though probably didn't leave enough mental space for these balloons. I'm willing to bet if I ask them about the balloons they wouldn't remember. At all. This holds true for most people at the mall.

Balloons are unfortunately not something people usually hold of much value. We care about the ethics because we care about balloons. This doesn't hold true for most people, and that, unfortunately, is why balloons are fading away.

In short, I think this entire debate is meaningless, because non-looners couldn't give a shit. We're still weirdoes to them lmao. They don't deserve all that energy.

[Merl]

Yup. I can't believe this thread got so heated.

Wanna know why? Because it's not really about balloons.

I was at the mall a couple months ago and there was a new clothing store handing out balloons. I stayed there for a couple hours and heard a total of 3 pops.

1. Inside a mall is much more open air than, say, inside a restaurant. Noise will be audible but more diffuse.

2. Only three in two hours? That's a pretty good rate.

Guess how many people gave a shit?

Probably few, but how would you know? No one at all in that two hour span gave a shit? You're assuming that no one did.

Even worse, the people I was with were completely unfazed.

You generalize from a tiny sample to everyone within earshot for two hours (hundreds, possibly)...why?

I'm willing to bet if I ask them about the balloons they wouldn't remember. At all.

That's great. If they don't, it's not because they aren't looners. It's because you were inside of a mall. If you all had been inside a bank, deli, or waiting room, that would have made it more memorable.

This holds true for most people at the mall.

Again, it could well be true but you're stating it as an established fact.

We care about the ethics because we care about balloons.

This is wrong.

Did you actually read this thread before condemning it? You speak for people you don't understand.

For some of us, this isn't at all about balloons. They're incidental and that's been made clear. The issue is the same as if we were talking about loud radios, obnoxious phone use, firecrackers, body odor, passing gas, etc. It's not about the balloons.

...non-looners couldn't give a shit.

About balloons? Agreed, they probably don't.

About noise and deliberate rudeness? That is a very different matter.

We're still weirdoes to them lmao.

True but irrelevant, because this is not about the balloons.

[Dust of the Saturn]

Where do you draw the line? if I brought a giant meat cleaver and popped an entire garland, did I cross that line?
if you were in a busy street with your friends and one of them wanted to pop a balloon that was handed out to them, and all your friends agreed and giggled, did they cross the line? Were they being mischievous or evil?

Sometimes, there are social aspects of our lives that we can't control. How loud do you laugh? at work? with friends? at church? at home? while gaming?

You can't answer that, you just follow your judgement. You read the room and you make a quick decision. Sometimes, you fuck up, and your friend might punch your shoulder. It happens.

but trust me, noone gives a shit, unless you're really really really taking that line all the way to the fucking moon, like playing a comedy tv show at church, or bringing a chainsaw to pop a garland at a library, or laughing obnoxiously loud at a professional business meeting after someone made a pun, this entire debate isn't worth having. The line doesn't exist unless you go to the extremes, so both sides of the argument are basically in a fog. With much more overlap than you might think.

if your argument is that we shouldn't cross the line, a line that we can't draw, then it would be more fruitful to argue for common sense and better social judgement instead. Basically, "be more considerate, please". People are much more likely to consider your argument. However, the way this thread has devolved, it is clear that the message here got blurred and what we ended up with instead is a typical internet fight, about people that don't even deserve it. Phobics who are non-looners want your balloons gone, forever. Be considerate to them, but they don't deserve a civil war among us.

I will not be participating further in this thread. Not worth it. Every participant made their point clear, and there is truth in all of them. Balloons are sometimes to be seen, sometimes to be played with, sometimes to be popped. And it all depends on the situation and on our social judgement. It's not rocket science. Different people will have different social judgement. But as long as nobody chooses the extreme, most actions will be meaningless and forgotten.

[Merl]

Okeedoke!

[Tuftex_heart37]

I could certainly be the first. I really like the idea of having a bunch of people watch while I do a b2p, but don't want to upset anyone. I could do it slowly so people that don't like it have plenty of time to get away.

That would indeed be wonderful to watch (just going off some of your stories) - as for frequency of this occurring worldwide it depends on the country and state overall - in big city clubs sure, in strip clubs more likely (USA) since kinks are a bit more free flowing. In Asia its a thing to have fun with large ass balloons in more high end clubs both for inhaling drugs and just general play, for a few years now, no idea about Europe, besides private parties where I've done it myself i.e. supply the goods and initiate the fun times. But yeah having it become more mainstream and accepted in the corrected places is a net positive overall.