While sitting in a class in Johnson Hall, I can hear the bass being played outside, through the building, in the street coming from students’ cars.
Not that I mind the distraction from class, but I am always shocked I can hear the bass from so far away. I can’t help but think of why people are playing their music so loud, especially the bass. It’s not cool and it’s especially not good for your ears.
I guess I’ll play the mom card, because I don’t think music should be cranked up so loud that people can hear it through the buildings. Maybe I’m just getting older, but I don’t understand why everything has to be so terribly and uncomfortably loud. Don’t get me wrong, I sing probably louder than the majority of people and blast music in my car too, but not to the point that my ears hurt, like I’m assuming these students’ ears do in their cars.
I remember watching the latest Pirates of the Caribbean movie in theatres last summer, and I hated it. It wasn’t because of the movie, Johnny Depp is gorgeous, but I couldn’t concentrate on the movie because I was plugging my ears since the volume was so loud. At first I thought it was only me, but minutes into the movie people were walking out to ask the cinema employees to turn down the volume. It continued to be so painful my boyfriend actually went and asked the employees to turn it down. Needless to say, no one turned the volume down, even when multiple people complained. I was shocked a business wouldn’t accommodate to customers’ needs, especially when the tickets were $12 each.
Having loud volumes seems to be a growing trend. I thought it was a phase during high school, but it just seems to be following me wherever I go.
The reason why I’m so concerned with volume is because of my dad. He needs a hearing aid in both ears. It’s an amazing technology, especially since your hearing is irreplaceable, but in today’s market it’s a pricey one. For a single hearing aid, it cost’s $6,000. That’s $12,000 to be able to hear normally again.
Seriously? That’s almost my entire student loan debt. So if those people who continue blasting their bass and those, like me, who sit through painfully loud movies, will have to look forward to that ridiculous hearing aid annoyance and bill in the future.
I don’t want to lose anymore hearing because once it’s gone, it’s gone. I hope you don’t either. Maybe we should think twice before blasting our music so loud that it can be heard through buildings.