Monday Musings...
Had a bit of the cold snap this weekend, but luckily we didn't have any seedlings in the garden...hurray for our side.
That didn't deter the bringers of noise in "our" area...nothing ever seems to these days.
And that's a pretty sad commentary to our society in America.
Hell, people in other lands are always on about "those loud Americans", and maybe there IS a ring of truth to this now.
We are one loud ass country on a whole, and the weird part about it, is that it's NOT the majority of us who's making all this racket.
Americans basically LOVE peace and quiet, and will do damn near anything to obtain it to some degree.
That's why we enjoy treks to National parks.
That's why we move AWAY from the city (when financially viable).
That's why we insulate our homes (it ain't just for keeping warm in winter any longer).
Now, I have to admit that there IS a time for noise...like at a GUN RANGE.
BUT...those who indulge in such activities DO take the proper measures to make sure the hearing they CAME with, is the hearing they LEAVE with. That's why everyone has EAR protection.
We also have city noise like garbage trucks and street repair crews.
That's a necessary kind of "evil". I mean who wants to have a sinkhole where their CAR used to be when the sewer collapses, hmm? And who wants bin upon bin of rotting trash and garbage sitting out for weeks around the neighborhood, especially in SUMMER, right?
(oh, yes, I remember those trash strikes on the EAST COAST all too well, friends)
So there is SOME noise that is required in order to allow humanity to more forward and for our cities to get things done.
Out in rural areas, we have combines or threshing equipment that's a necessity if we're going to produce crops to see for food.
In our major cities, the downtown area is throbbing with traffic noise, almost all the time.
And, as is often the case, we are literally ASSAULTED with noise which is "intended" to make some experience "better" (rolls eyes)..yeah, right sure...whatever.
We have MUZAK in elevators, music in grocery stores, shopping malls, and even gas stations (which also include the obligatory "commercial" to encourage shopping inside that convenience store alongside the pumps). Barking dogs, performance mufflers and straight-pipe motorcycles add to the mayhem, but to a lesser degree, as do leaf blowers, lawn mowers and that annoying Ice Cream truck with POP GOES THE WEASEL looping endlessly from the speakers...lol.
We also have those audibly-challenged morons that thump their way into our hearts (and lungs, kidneys, spleen, along with the assorted other human organs) with the incessant (and often profanity-laced) "music"...
We even are having noise issues now with those WIND-TURBINE FARMS...so much for green" peace", right?
Now, our beloved federal watchdog that monitors pollution in our fair nation (that would be the EPA - Environmental Protection Agency) might be on the ball when it comes to the polluting of our AIR...or WATER...or LAND...or even seeking to preserve nature in favor of the indigenous species that inhabit such areas. But they're not even "on the field" when it comes to NOISE...and that's a damn shame. That IS a form of "air" pollution.
As of this posting, there is NO department, division, or geek-filled cubicle that properly addresses the issues of NOISE and it's impact on the environment (and us)...astounding.
Noise is overwhelmingly the most invasive and perpetual problem we have in most all of our cities today.
And, after all this time, nothing (much) is being done to quiet the din.
We might have buses with better pollution controls, or automobiles that run on electricity (which are pretty damn quiet to begin with), but many of us are still constantly and consistently assaulted by urban terrorists with nothing better to do that have their brain's limbic system (pleasure centers) stimulated with ear-shattering levels of cacophony at all hours of the day or night.
City leaders DO institute (what THEY believe are adequate) noise ordinances, which are in many cases, about as "effective" as teats on a damn bull when it comes to actual ENFORCEMENT of these laws.
Too many of these various ordinances aren't worth the paper and ink used to draft them. But then again, they don't LIVE in places that suffer high decibel levels of unwanted noise (lucky them).
I've stated here TOO many times, how far down the "priority" list such calls are, and the real crime from this, is that such loud and constant noise can cause people to react in strange ways.
This self-inflicted "euphoria" produced by such regular exposure to the kind of noise produced in these vehicles has been linked to violent behavioral patterns, as well as long-term physical and psychological harm to those directly exposed, as well as those suffering any "second-hand" effects from the acoustic "fallout".
Just like that "second-hand smoke", there is second-hand NOISE.
(thank God there's no second-hand METHANE from all those COW FARTS)
It is curious to note that since the inception of such readily-available audio devices that are installed, minority populations have seen a significant increase of violent behavior against both their OWN race as well as others.
Add to that the CONTENT of the music(?) that's played so damn loud (unlike Barry Manilow, Chuck Berry, George Strait and Beethoven, to name but a few that are never played at 140+ decibels). Much of this music(?) is confrontational in nature, and intoned as some "thug-anthem" to the 'hood that (supposedly) inspires a better morality and integrity among it's listeners.
Yeah...rrrriiiiight.
So, you'd have to admit that there MUST be a correlation.
The most important thing to remember, is the infringement upon the rights of innocent individuals by others with no sense of boundaries.
Most noise ordinances fail miserably in this aspect. The laws protect few, if any decent (read normal) people.
Many ordinances will have a physical "limit" imposed, such as 50 feet (or so), from the violating vehicle. Now, if you can hear some loud ass from THREE BLOCKS away, would you not conclude that he can ALSO be heard from 50 feet away?
So, the efficacy of such "laws" apparently mean little, unless a neighborhood decides that enough is enough and takes their concerns to City Hall.
All well and good...IF you have a "community" to begin with. Many areas do not. If all you have is a conglomeration of nomadic renters with absolutely NO vested interest in the area they're cribbing at THIS month, you will not be able to garner support to quash the noise...or anything else (like drug dealing or prostitution) for that matter.
Maybe that's why in slum areas, or "blighted" areas of a city, nothing EVER gets done...
Trouble with that line of logic...noise travels (eventually).
And MAY-BE that's why children who go to school in such areas also fail to perform to standards, while their contemporaries in "nicer" and less noise-infused neighborhoods do quantifiably better at every subject.
That much HAS been proven in Chicago schools. Students exposed to elevated train (and ambient city) noise fared considerably worse than students who were NOT exposed to the same levels of noise.
So much for blaming "poverty" (or even the mean old white man), hmm?
I mean how many POOR people can afford such loud car stereos in the first place?
I have yet to see an instance where WIC paid for a new amp and crossover that went in the trunk of that old 1974 Chevy Caprice that belches out blue-white smoke, as it shakes YOUR windows from the latest (c)rap album.
But, as usual,. it's ALL about being entertained...
(yeah, I know...it becomes a "priorities" issue with a lot of them...sad to say. Better to SOUND good than to feed the kids.)
Forget that hearing loss, high blood pressure, stress disorders, and the potential for learning disabilities will be a few more nails in the coffin of future "health care" woes. That's right...sooner or later, ALL this stuff will come back to bite health-care in the ASS...with a vengeance.
So, if people want to live "healthier", perhaps turning DOWN the volume would be a damn good start.
We've already got so much crap in place for food, drink, snacks, smoking, alcohol, air quality, water quality, and land quality.
What about all the NOISE?
Doesn't something that affects ALL stages of life, (human or otherwise) and ALL the other parts of our environment deserve some "camera time", too?
Maybe if we manage to manage all the NOISE in our lives...we'll all be better able to concentrate on the OTHER issues we're falling short on...'ya think?
It might not be the FIRST thing to ponder early on a Monday...but you have to admit it IS way ahead of whatever is in second place, eh? And at least it will get you to think...that's NEVER a bad way to begin any week, is it?.
Be well, make a difference today, and...
Stay safe out there, America.