A rant on noisy, portable devices, public transports and manners

[Minyaliel]

I've had it. Gods. Technology has come a long way since we all went around with the old walkmans (or were proudly displaying our new discmans which cost a fortune). I remember the first cellphone I ever saw - it was bigger than a normal telephone, and looked just like one. My grandfather kept it in a suitcase under the couch, usually, because it wasn't really worth taking along on an everyday basis. Looking at that dinosaur now and comparing it with my own Sony Ericson I can't help but laugh. I'm not saying this is a bad thing. Absolutely not. It's a wonderful thing. Now I can sort out my business while sitting on any park bench. It's just that with all these gadgets (now especially talking about cell phones, mp3 players and other noisy, but handy things) comes another issue, which usually wasn't much of a problem earlier. These things really show how bad manners we have. Yes, most of the general population can't seem to see just how important it is to take care not to harass people with their noise; it seems they cannot understand that while they think that X artist or musical genre is great, and play it loudly for their own enjoyment, their neighbour might sit there with clenched fists to avoid the massacre of the offending person/ device. This is especially true of public transports, where it is absolutely impossible to escape the offending noise pollution. The worst example of this that I have experienced was a few months ago. I was sitting in the back seat of the bus going to the city centre. There were many people on the bus, and there weren't any seats left. Beside me sits this "gangsta" kid who's just got onto the bus, fiddling with his cell phone, an mp3 phone. After a few minutes I start hearing rather loud hip hop music (of the top 40's kind), and wonder where it comes from. I turn to look at my seat neighbour, who's sitting with his phone on his right knee (that is, right next to me). I could hardly believe my eyes or ears. He was actually listening to that music without any kind of earplugs whatsoever. And he continued to do so for about half an hour, when he left the bus. I was shocked and enraged; shocked because of the apparent lack of respect and manners, enraged because I think that being forced to listen to that kind of shit is pure abuse of my sense of hearing. I was not the only person to be annoyed, I could tell by the way people kept turning around. Of course I could've done something about it. It's just that it shouldn't really be necessary. If people were just taught to show a bit of respect and courtesy towards the people around them, this wouldn't have been a problem at all.

MP3 players and noisy music is one thing, and it is rather obvious. The other thing, which might not be as obvious on first glance, is the use of cell phones in public transports. I find nothing more annoying than being forced to listen to other people's personal phone calls. It's just as annoying as listening to your neighbours having sex or being pestered by the noise of someone having a party in an apartment above your own in the middle of the night. I don't want to know that Elsie fucked Harry ("OMG! SQUEEE!"), and I honestly could have lived on without knowing about the latest outrageous rumours about this girl in that clique. Especially when I've got a blasting headache, or feel like falling asleep on top of my backpack. It is just good manners to tell the one you're calling that "Sorry, I'm on the bus, can I call you later?"

And then there's ring tones. What about a bit of discretion? I mean, it's okay to personalize your stuff. But do you really need to have the noisiest teeny- bopper tunes or the latest fad (don't say Crazy Frog, or I'll wring your neck) as your ring tone? Personally, I use a very discreet tune that's not too loud but still audible, a creepy thing from a horror movie that's not too offensive to other people's ears if I can't find my phone and have to hunt it down in my bag. It's still very me, but it won't annoy the people around me.

MANNERS, people, cultivate good manners. Please. For the sake of us who actually care about them. Please do think about the people forced to work full days and then take the bus home with a head that feels like a huge, throbbing ball of stress and a strong urge to fall asleep as soon as possible after entering their own homes. The last thing you want to hear is a long- winded serenade of loud blips and beeps followed by a loud, never- ending conversation that's impossible to block out.

Alright, enough ranting for today.

[Solumina]

I couldn't have said it better myself, therefor I will add nothing

[Methadrine]

Right there with you. I never, ever use my phone while on the bus or some other public transportation. If someone calls, I don't answer. I don't have a ring tone on it while on the bus either, I switch to vibration.

[Katanshin]

Holy Fuck. I'll admit I speed-read that post. But I got the jist, and I totally agree.

One thing I've noticed is that it's predominantly black kids or "ghetto" rats that play music through their phones etc.

I theorise this is because the music is so shit to begin with it cannot be degraded by poor quality speakers on phones.

On the other hand, if us people tried the same thing, it would tear up the sound so bad it wouldn't be worth it.

Anyway. My solution? Petition your local government to allow you to legally kill those fucks the moment anything is played too loud on public transport...

[KontanKarite]

I don't mind phones so much. But busting out your own music without any headphones...

Oh my. I wouldn't subject others to my music like that. It's uninvited and rude. It's a damn wonder you didn't grab his phone and throw it out the bus window.

[Godslayer Jillian]

Let's think of the positive side: throwing porcupines is still not socially tolerated at all in public places.

[Katanshin]

Originally Posted by Godslayer Jillian

Let's think of the positive side: throwing porcupines is still not socially tolerated at all in public places.

That would at least give me the opportunity to accidently slam a 'pine into their faces.

[Rae Ven Rae]

Amen -- my pet peeve are people who are on cell phones when they are at checkout -- AT LEAST put the person on hold and acknowledge the human being standing in front of you --sheesh!

[Solumina]

hehehehehe porcupines are sooooo amusing

[Rae Ven Rae]

I dunno Kata -- I have been subjected to loud ROCK even OMG -- COUNTRY....lol....

[Katanshin]

And they say METAL is the devil's music. Personally I think he's Billy Ray-Syrus in semi-disguise.

URgh. And now it's in my head...

[Aaroneet]

Honestly, I'm not often seen outside without my mp3 player, or, in camp, my portable CD player (Remember those...). I try not to blast my music; my aunt has the same rant about others on the subway. Then again, when she was younger, her records were loud enough to be heard a block away. She threatens others, saying that iPods, mp3 players, and the like will make you deaf. I've also heard that they make you antisocial. However, I think that people tend to overreact. It's not to say that I don't get annoyed when I hear others blasting music on their iPod/mp3 players that I don't like. Perhaps, even when I don't have my own music on me, I just naturally learn to cope with it...

[Katanshin]

For me it's mainly the kids playing tracks on their cellphones on speaker. I feel sorry for the public during the boom-box phase in the 80's. Still at least batteries where more expensive back then, so there was small comfort as some twerp with a 50w cassette deck blasted your eardrums with vanilla ice.

[Rae Ven Rae]

What I can't stand -- sitting in traffic with some jerk blasting music and rattling windows -- WTF???

[Cyntrox]

Oh, yes, the cars... Those are really annoying!

[Solumina]

I hate when you are in a building, with the windows closed, and you can hear the music of someone driving by.

[Godslayer Jillian]

Originally Posted by Cyntrox

Oh, yes, the cars... Those are really annoying!

Not when you're the one in the car.
And it's even more awesome when they like the music and ask you what band it is.

[Tha Duckman]

Originally Posted by Katanshin

And they say METAL is the devil's music. Personally I think he's Billy Ray-Syrus in semi-disguise.

URgh. And now it's in my head...

What's wrong with Cyrus? That giy can make some damn catchy tunes, yo!

[Rae Ven Rae]

*smacks sense into Duckman*

what are you saying man!

[Mir]

He's straight thuggin' yo!

[Splintered]

It annoys me too, but some things I can understand. The way my headphones are designed, they don't insulate much of the sound outwards, so it's the same volumn going outside of the headphones, as it is going inside. If I'm on a crowded bus, that makes it hard to mask the sound, because I want to be able to hear my song over the crowd, but making it louder means everyone can hear it.

I mean, even working at a store that deals with audio equipment, our headphones still have that same problem. We have a pair of AKGs and Sennheisers which suffer the same damned problem. They are $300 headphones, and you can still hear the damned things outside of the fscking cases!

So what's the morale of this story? Not everyone is trying to make you listen to their music.

Yet, some people play their music rediculously loud. We had one kid walk into the store carrying a CD player and headphones, and they were blasting full-blaze in his hears. They were those piece of shit earbuds too!

THEY ARE NOT MEANT TO PLAY THE FUCKING LOUD.

[Cappinator]

Originally Posted by Katanshin

For me it's mainly the kids playing tracks on their cellphones on speaker. I feel sorry for the public during the boom-box phase in the 80's. Still at least batteries where more expensive back then, so there was small comfort as some twerp with a 50w cassette deck blasted your eardrums with vanilla ice.

Ok, first of all: don't ever mention Vanilla Ice and Boombox in the same paragraph! Argh, the painful memories!

Secondly: I agree with most people here, put on yer headphones, Jack!

Thirdly: I do have a ringtone. It's "Paint it Black" by the Stones, and if anyone ever objects to that I'll go "Shuuuunnnnn!!!"

My .02

[Rae Ven Rae]

Some people are even actually destroying their hearing turning it up so loud -- deaf by the age of 25 -- not pretty...

[Tha Duckman]

Originally Posted by Rae Ven Rae

*smacks sense into Duckman*

what are you saying man!

People just know him for "Achy Breaky Heart", but he did some petty kick ass songs if you bother to listen. Some good country music, yo!

[Rae Ven Rae]

humph -- got links?