Prince’s sensual love song “Adore” is one of my favorite tunes of all time. However, when I was rudely awakened before the butt-crack of dawn today, I found that the Purple One was not giving a private concert in my bedroom wearing cheek-less leather pants as it seemed. In fact, the song was being blasted from the grossly oversized stereo speakers of a passing car. Prince was followed by an equally inconsiderate procession of driver’s blasting Alicia Keyes, the newly acquitted R. Kelly, a smattering of House music and random rap songs with bone-jarring beats. I was understandably furious.
It’s not that the drivers have bad taste in music. I - who am probably the only 30-something, black woman who might listen to vintage Nat King Cole, angry Alanis Morissette and soulful Jill Scott followed by some old-school Salt-N-Pepa on any given trip to Target - am not one to judge. However unless I’m in a nightclub shaking my ass on a dance floor, I don’t want to hear anybody’s music at 3 a.m. – even classic baby-making Prince! I might be wrong but I don’t think a good night’s sleep is too much to ask when I am paying a mortgage that literally has me coughing up blood on the first of each month.
I’m truly not a hateful person, but I absolutely despise ignorant people who drive through residential neighborhoods with their car stereos on blast. It’s just plain ridiculous and rude. So tonight or I should say this morning, I made a solemn vow not to just send murderous thoughts to the offenders or rain curses down on the heads of their children and children’s children using some of the most vile language of which I am capable. I had to do something!
I quickly found kindred spirits at www.lowertheboom.org. The site is dedicated to combating “boom cars” and providing support for victims of “acoustic terrorism.” It’s one of the most thorough sites I found at the forefront of the war on this particular form of terror. It has a wealth of information on the Nature of Noise including a downloadable copy of the U.S. Department of Justice Report on Car Stereos. Other resources on the site include a free, downloadable Community Awareness PowerPoint presentation that you can present to local law enforcement and your elected officials and tons of helpful links. There’s even a link to petition to Congress that you can sign sponsored by Citizens Against Audio Trespass. Just signing it made me feel better.
Another terrific site is www.noisefree.org. They focus on all types of noise pollution and have a fabulous Action Center with information on writing elected officials, sample complaint cards, downloadable flyers to distribute to neighbors, an Action Manual, success stories and more. There are various news reports, slideshows and videos addressing the problem. You can even find info on Quiet Products and buy Noise-Free.org t-shirts, bags and mugs. Check out their blog at NoiseTalk.com.
This initial research allowed me to return to my bed comforted by the knowledge that there are people out there who are fighting – and even winning - the war on these rude and inconsiderate people. I’m definitely joining the fight and will keep you posted on my plan of action and progress.
In the meantime, I’m purchasing a good pair ear plugs and encouraging my daughter to study Audiology in college. Surely, there will be an abundance of idiots with self-inflicted hearing problems to make it a lucrative career choice.
It’s not that the drivers have bad taste in music. I - who am probably the only 30-something, black woman who might listen to vintage Nat King Cole, angry Alanis Morissette and soulful Jill Scott followed by some old-school Salt-N-Pepa on any given trip to Target - am not one to judge. However unless I’m in a nightclub shaking my ass on a dance floor, I don’t want to hear anybody’s music at 3 a.m. – even classic baby-making Prince! I might be wrong but I don’t think a good night’s sleep is too much to ask when I am paying a mortgage that literally has me coughing up blood on the first of each month.
I’m truly not a hateful person, but I absolutely despise ignorant people who drive through residential neighborhoods with their car stereos on blast. It’s just plain ridiculous and rude. So tonight or I should say this morning, I made a solemn vow not to just send murderous thoughts to the offenders or rain curses down on the heads of their children and children’s children using some of the most vile language of which I am capable. I had to do something!
So I stumbled bleary-eyed to my computer to do quick-and-dirty internet research on the topic. I immediately found tons of information on the extreme hearing loss that the obnoxious sound levels cause the drivers and their passengers. I must admit feeling a small bit of petty, sadistic satisfaction. I was more interested, however, in finding out what my fellow citizens were doing about the problem.
I quickly found kindred spirits at www.lowertheboom.org. The site is dedicated to combating “boom cars” and providing support for victims of “acoustic terrorism.” It’s one of the most thorough sites I found at the forefront of the war on this particular form of terror. It has a wealth of information on the Nature of Noise including a downloadable copy of the U.S. Department of Justice Report on Car Stereos. Other resources on the site include a free, downloadable Community Awareness PowerPoint presentation that you can present to local law enforcement and your elected officials and tons of helpful links. There’s even a link to petition to Congress that you can sign sponsored by Citizens Against Audio Trespass. Just signing it made me feel better.
Another terrific site is www.noisefree.org. They focus on all types of noise pollution and have a fabulous Action Center with information on writing elected officials, sample complaint cards, downloadable flyers to distribute to neighbors, an Action Manual, success stories and more. There are various news reports, slideshows and videos addressing the problem. You can even find info on Quiet Products and buy Noise-Free.org t-shirts, bags and mugs. Check out their blog at NoiseTalk.com.
This initial research allowed me to return to my bed comforted by the knowledge that there are people out there who are fighting – and even winning - the war on these rude and inconsiderate people. I’m definitely joining the fight and will keep you posted on my plan of action and progress.
In the meantime, I’m purchasing a good pair ear plugs and encouraging my daughter to study Audiology in college. Surely, there will be an abundance of idiots with self-inflicted hearing problems to make it a lucrative career choice.
What do you think? Let me know your experiences with this particular act of random rudeness. What did you do?
3 comments:
OK, so I'm with you on this one for sure sistah girl. I spend a half hour before I leave the house feeding my baby, changing her and putting her to sleep so that I can have a peaceful car ride. Then, a fool with a loud car stereo pulls next to me or behind me and makes my car windows shake. Not only that, the loud screams begin...they wake up my baby with their foolishness. Now, I have a crying baby in my backseat and a fool with loud music on my side. Sometimes I just have to pull over before I have an accident. I'm joining the fight with you!
OK, so I'm with you on this one for sure sistah girl. I spend a half hour before I leave the house feeding my baby, changing her and putting her to sleep so that I can have a peaceful car ride. Then, a fool with a loud car stereo pulls next to me or behind me and makes my car windows shake. Not only that, the loud screams begin...they wake up my baby with their foolishness. Now, I have a crying baby in my backseat and a fool with loud music on my side. Sometimes I just have to pull over before I have an accident. I'm joining the fight with you!
In our county, several residents and visitors have such a stereo system. It doesn't matter if it's 1am or 5am or 6pm you can often hear (feel!) basses loud enough to rattle everything in your home. The price paid by the consumer for the stereo does not properly reflect the cost that their stereo playing has on third parties like you & myself. Lack of sleep, annoyance, headache, etc.
Personally, I'd like to rip out the subwoofers and make these jokers eat them.... and watch. Maybe I'm starting to show my age!! If it were just 1 person, then you may be able be to handle it privately. But, when it's hundreds of people, only the government has the real power to correct the problem.
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