HUSH!

Today is my day for people to irritate the fire out of me. I have been awake just over 9 hours and already wanted to seriously “educate” eight people. For some people this might not seem to bad. At least it’s not quite a rate of one an hour – YET! But I have only spent one hour in contact with the public, so this does not bode well for the rest of the day, that in two hours will resume with public contact.

Even though only two people are guilty repeatedly ruining my mornings (and those of several others), the offense committed by all eight today are essentially the same; thus my finally venting my irritation here.

If you think that because your personal life is not open to those of us around you, do not think for even one self-absorbed moment that your obliviousness does not affect us. Your actions affect everyone in your vacinity to some extent. And when you are inconsiderate of this fact, we grow to despise you. Not only are last night’s activities none of our business, we do not want to hear about them when you give your daily oral dissertation to the person next to you on the train or bus. There is no need to expound in a voice that can be heard over the ambient noise of public transit and quieter conversations of the other 30 passengers in your vicinity.

A child’s misbehavior is something we all accept as inevitable at some point. Small children are known to be loud and tempermental from time to time. But a crying, stomping, temper tantrum every 48 hours or so is not. And none of us volunteered to endure your child reaering issues. Some people appreciate efforts to explain to a child that they should behave better, but at some point an unruly 3 year old needs something they understand better than adult logic. The only thing worse than the screaming brat, is the ineffective parent who cannot control them. Perhaps if you use the vocal authority and force of the person previously described, you could delay a judiciously timed spanking. Whichever method you choose, just either take control or remove the child from the area. We do not appreciate the disruption of both our mood and our schedule, as we delay while you attempt to persuade someone who seems to be more resolute than you to have their way.

Music is something I love and good vocalist is to be admired. But singing to your self in a public area has its price. If you are listening to your iPod, do you realize how far off key you are? If you are not listening to your favorite recording, have you notice people staring as if you are crazy? And if you are leading an impromptu choir, please take it to your local church, that I choose not to attend. I paid for a train ticket, not a gospel concert.

For those of you who think we all share your tastes in entertainment, you are wrong. If your car stereo is vibrating the vehicle next to you, it is too loud. The content and style that you choose to destroy every last semblance of hearing with is irrelevant. When another person feels it before they hear it, you are a public nuisanace. And if its commercials and talk radio, I have a personal vendetta in mind for you. If were are listening to your earbubs from across the aisle, don’t you dare expect my tax dollars to underwrite your hearing aids that will eventually replace them.

Easier to understand, but just as aggravating, are coworkers who shout back and forth, thinking themselves as more productive and promoting a friendly, inclusive atmosphere. Well, if you are the one having to answer phones or focus on something different from the carousing group, it’s a problem. It’s a problem because callers hearing the background noise may not understand. It’s a problem if callers have to repeat themselves when they cannot be heard over the phone. And it’s a problem because as it disrupts the concentration of other workers, it adds a sense of their being left out of the group, too.

Yes, I am complaining about noise pollution; pollution at a level that individuals can address. And for those of you who don’t know, I am not a quiet person who wishes the world was as quiet a library. I play drums; I sing at the top of my lungs; my speaking voice has been known to resonate of the far walls of auditoriums. But there times and places for these things, and they are not on public transit or in your average business office.