Are Cannons For Baby Showers? I'd Argue The Answer Is Definitively "No"
The man who died in an explosion at a baby shower in Genesee County on Feb. 6 has been identified.
People were gathered for a baby shower at a residence in the 9200 block of Cook Road in Gaines Township when the homeowner fired a small cannon-type device.
The man has been identified as 26-year-old Evan Thomas Silva from Hartland. The 26-year-old had serious injuries and was rushed to Hurley Medical Center where he later died.
Troopers said the cannon blew up causing metal shrapnel to hit three parked cars, the garage where the baby shower was being held and Silva, who was standing nearby.
Full story here.
The details are above. Bunch of people attend a baby shower. One of them decides to fire off a cannon. The cannon explodes. Someone gets hit by a piece of the exploded cannon and dies.
I’ve got a couple thoughts about this.
First of all, every time you fire a cannon, you should be prepared for someone to die. That means in scenarios where you really don’t want people to perish, for example: weddings, birthdays, graduations, public births, and you guessed it, baby showers- one should avoid firing cannons. I feel largely the same way with any firearm in general, except obviously they have the advantage of technology, and improved safety measures- whereas cannons have not changed a lot and obviously it’s harder to find safety instructions for them. It’s scary stuff, and it’s by no coincidence that I’m not a gun/cannon guy. Call me a coward but I’m afraid of death and I don’t have the mental fortitude to carry any manner of guilt for any duration of time.
This brings me to my second point. What are we doing with cannons at a baby shower? Cannons are for gender reveals- the chaotic side of celebrating-babies coin. While gender reveals scream sleeveless t’s, cargo shorts, rock and roll, and fetal alcohol syndrome, baby showers are pastels, cardigans, Jack Johnson, and baby mozart. It makes no sense! Are people feeling ashamed of gender reveals and osmosising their effects onto their gentler, more innocent cousin? Aren’t explosions bad for regular people? Especially babies? Especially unborn babies? Is my idea of a baby shower specific to the northeast coastal elites, and really firing off a cannon is a tried and true Michigan baby shower tradition? These are all questions that I’d love the answer to, and yet cannot find. I think we can all agree it’s the gender reveal lady’s fault.
