How often do you want to say 'have you heard of headphones?' each day on the Tube?

[maomao]

Quiet areas in public life? That’s for old men saddos and boomers. Even worse you must be a conservative if you want those places quiet again. Horsehit. Fine them, fine them all

Liberal. Shoot them!

 

[BigMoaner]

As long as tic tok keeps its view count up who cares

 

[Lord Camomile]

Literally don’t get me started.

This is actually not as insignificant problem as people think.

Quiet shared space is sacred in my view. As meaningful and important as say protecting green space. A shared quiet space, such as a train, bus, library, train station was one that was based on a kind of shared civility. You be quiet for me, I’ll be quiet for you. Leave me alone and I will leave you alone. There’s something beautiful about this - it’s outside the market, it’s a human shared value.

And it is being slowly encroached on and destroyed.

Face time blatherers, people nattering on phones for whole journeys, people mainlining content without headphones, blue tooth speakers.

A London bus these days for example you might as well be sat bang in the middle of a call centre. So what was once a fairly quiet block of time for thought, dozing, listening to music, finished. Gone for good.

It's interesting, because I think there are a lot of people whose idea of civil shared space would be quite the opposite. Rather than sitting in solemn quiet, there's vibrance, and life, and people talking and connecting with each other.

I am not one of those people. But I do believe they exist.

 

[BigMoaner]

It's interesting, because I think there are a lot of people whose idea of civil shared space would be quite the opposite. Rather than sitting in solemn quiet, there's vibrance, and life, and people talking and connecting with each other.

I am not one of those people. But I do believe they exist.

I think that group will win in the end. There will be less and less quiet out in public, don’t think that trend will reverse.

 

[Artaxerxes]

It's interesting, because I think there are a lot of people whose idea of civil shared space would be quite the opposite. Rather than sitting in solemn quiet, there's vibrance, and life, and people talking and connecting with each other.

I am not one of those people. But I do believe they exist.

I believe there are spaces for vibrant shared connections and places for everyone to just chill.

Regardless Face Timing your mate or watching Netflix on the train or walking down the street isn't building vibrant shared connections it's being a dick

 

[maomao]

It's interesting, because I think there are a lot of people whose idea of civil shared space would be quite the opposite. Rather than sitting in solemn quiet, there's vibrance, and life, and people talking and connecting with each other.

I am not one of those people. But I do believe they exist.

I'm all for impromptu chats with people in the same physical space. It's the selfish fuckers who are walking along in their own social bubble while polluting everyone else's shared space that need shooting.

 

[BigMoaner]

I believe there are spaces for vibrant shared connections and places for everyone to just chill.

Regardless Face Timing your mate or watching Netflix on the train or walking down the street isn't building vibrant shared connections it's being a dick

Also who says you need noise and talk and tic tok videos to feel connected with people? I feel intensely connected to the Millwall crowd at the den (on a good day) but we are not all “connecting” with each other.

 

[BristolEcho]

I have started wearing headphones recently. Because I have been taking the overground between Hoxton and Clapham Junction for the last 3 weeks.

Drives me fucking potty. Noisy selfish mother fuckers.

Got one particularly obnoxious character opposite me right now that is shouting at his mate on the phone. He has headphones on but he can still fuck off

And the sniffers…

Oh dear. I'm definitely a sniffer. Two broken noses (the same nose obviously) and hayfever means I pretty much sound like I have a cold all summer.

I do find it amazing how people video call in public. I saw someone doing it once and holding the phone whilst walking. I dipped into the background (I was a bit intoxicated so thought I was being funny) and he got so upset. Oops. Just realised Artaxerxes already said this.

I hardly ever talk on the phone in public unless it's just trying to establish something quickly. Like "do we need peppers for the curry we are making later" or whatever.

 

[BristolEcho]

Also who says you need noise and talk and tic tok videos to feel connected with people? I feel intensely connected to the Millwall crowd at the den (on a good day) but we are not all “connecting” with each other.

I'd argue at football part of the noise is the connection.

I get this at parties though. I don't really need to talk to people at nights anymore, but I can bulld a connection with someone when I dance in their general vicinity for 8 hours and then leave and never see them again.

 

[mojo pixy]

If I was a braver man I’d sit next to them with some Slayer pumping out for a mobile sound clash but I’m a big coward.

I have done this, if I happened to have my minirig with me (it's way louder than anything else that's likely to be in the vicinity!) but I wouldn't play metal or hardcore. Usually I'd play some nice jazz like Ella and Louis, or something from a musical, so I only annoy my target(s) and everyone else kind of smiles.

Living in rural Devon though, it seems only elderly people get buses round here. So not the issue it used to be for me in London. Occasionally it happens on a train to Exeter or Torbay, but it's not that common here .. yet.

 

[BigMoaner]

I have done this, if I happened to have my minirig with me (it's way louder than anything else that's likely to be in the vicinity!) but I wouldn't play metal or hardcore. Usually I'd play some nice jazz like Ella and Louis, or something from a musical, so I only annoy my target(s) and everyone else kind of smiles.

Living in rural Devon though, it seems only elderly people get buses round here. So not the issue it used to be for me in London. Occasionally it happens on a train to Exeter or Torbay, but it's not that common here .. yet.

I sat next to a woman once watching a full soap opera without headphones. Otherwise a quiet carriage. I couldn’t resist. “Do you want to listen to my music? Shall I play it for you?” She just scowled and me and turned it down, but it was still there for the whole journey. If I was to pull people up on it I would have to do it for my entire journey is what’s it like mostly now so don’t bother.

 

[BigMoaner]

Infact literally as we speak on the bus next to me a guy, mid 40s, blaring insta stories.

 

[May Kasahara]

I get this at parties though. I don't really need to talk to people at nights anymore, but I can bulld a connection with someone when I dance in their general vicinity for 8 hours and then leave and never see them again.

Always one of the best and most necessary joys of raving, for me. Alone together in a connected space on the dancefloor.

 

[BigMoaner]

Always one of the best and most necessary joys of raving, for me. Alone together in a connected space on the dancefloor.

“The festival is not monitised”. One of my fav philosophers has written that apart from the entrance fee a festival is a place outside of the market. No one is really making money off you when you dance or be with others in that specific context. There is no real exchange of capital taking place. The odd drink bought perhaps. He explores this in light of the digital world around us. Fascinating.

 

[Sue]

I sat next to a woman once watching a full soap opera without headphones. Otherwise a quiet carriage. I couldn’t resist. “Do you want to listen to my music? Shall I play it for you?” She just scowled and me and turned it down, but it was still there for the whole journey. If I was to pull people up on it I would have to do it for my entire journey is what’s it like mostly now so don’t bother.

I quite often ask people if they've not got headphones. If they say no, I say that it's very loud and could they turn it down a bit.

Reactions vary but IME it's generally people whose kids are playing really loud electronic games who're the most arsey.

 

[ska invita]

And it is being slowly encroached on and destroyed.

No it's not, London has likely never been quieter now than in the last thousand years

 

[BigMoaner]

No it's not, London has likely never been quieter now than in the last thousand years

True. Turn those tic tok videos up lads!

 

[BigMoaner]

More Bluetooth speakers in parks, please cos london is quieter now than a century ago.

 

[Orang Utan]

a few years ago on a London bus, I heard an argument between two passengers which I think encapsulates the issue. One passenger was remonstrating with the other for making noises in a public place and therefore disturbing others. The other passenger was claiming that they had the right to make that noise precisely because it was a public space and therefore could do anything they wanted.
To the stocks for those who argue the latter.

 

[wemakeyousoundb]

it's come to pass

I have come across it in pubs and cafes as well.

feckin restaurants an'all
e2a: adds "grumpy old feck" to bio

 

[Jennaonthebeach]

No it's not, London has likely never been quieter now than in the last thousand years

I remember being able to sit on the tube without constantly having to deal with all kinds of unwanted noise - about 30 years ago. I used to consider it a quiet haven away from the noisy street where i could mentally relax, and even get some reading done. There was a massive uptick about 15 years ago I reckon because that's when using the tube became unbearable for me as an autistic person.

 

[ska invita]

I remember being able to sit on the tube without constantly having to deal with all kinds of unwanted noise - about 30 years ago. I used to consider it a quiet haven away from the noisy street where i could mentally relax, and even get some reading done. There was a massive uptick about 15 years ago I reckon because that's when using the tube became unbearable for me as an autistic person.

If they was an uptick 15 year ago it's quiet again now

 

[Jennaonthebeach]

If they was an uptick 15 year ago it's quiet again now

I find that non-autistic people seem to be entirely oblivious to the noise that effectively excludes me from public spaces.

So TfL have fixed the noisy brakes issue? Nobody's playing their phones loud any more? All the intrusive advertising has gone? The overcrowding has been solved? The constant messages while on the train or the platform have been stopped?

 

[ska invita]

I find that non-autistic people seem to be entirely oblivious to the noise that effectively excludes me from public spaces.

So TfL have fixed the noisy brakes issue? Nobody's playing their phones loud any more? All the intrusive advertising has gone? The overcrowding has been solved? The constant messages while on the train or the platform have been stopped?

I commute every day and use all public transport, and I've lived in London my entire life. My perspective is that, especially after COVID, it's become a very quiet city. It's verging on mellow. The energy has changed a lot.

 

[Winot]

I remember being able to sit on the tube without constantly having to deal with all kinds of unwanted noise - about 30 years ago. I used to consider it a quiet haven away from the noisy street where i could mentally relax, and even get some reading done. There was a massive uptick about 15 years ago I reckon because that's when using the tube became unbearable for me as an autistic person.

It always strikes me on public transport how many announcements are made compared to the past. It's infuriating and intrusive even for a NT person.

I understand the objective is to provide travel information for the visually impaired but that needs to be balanced against the negative impact.

 

[Winot]

I find that non-autistic people seem to be entirely oblivious to the noise that effectively excludes me from public spaces.

So TfL have fixed the noisy brakes issue? Nobody's playing their phones loud any more? All the intrusive advertising has gone? The overcrowding has been solved? The constant messages while on the train or the platform have been stopped?

There are fewer people on the tube compared to before the pandemic but all of the others issues are still there.

 

[dessiato]

Its not always bad. A few weeks ago I was stopped in traffic and the young person in the opposite lane was playing some good music, I asked what it was and downloaded it from Spotify.

More recently, in a similar scenario, the other car was playing some dance music so we all were sitting in our cars dancing.

Great fun, and the days were brightened just a little bit for all of us.

 

[bemused]

Never go anywhere without earphones. Why halfwits think a speaker phone is the way to go in any public space is beyond me.

 

[Elpenor]

I don’t know if it’s just me who seems unable to get Bluetooth headphones to work properly (even some wired ones I have often won’t work in my phone perhaps because it goes in via the battery charger not the sadly missed headphone jack)

Not saying this is the reason for speaker phones everywhere but it’s certainly been made harder to use cheap standard headphones. The ones that go in your ear seem expensive and don’t seem to work very well in my experience (battery seemed to be a dud)

 

[Artaxerxes]

Never go anywhere without earphones. Why halfwits think a speaker phone is the way to go in any public space is beyond me.

I got very upset a couple of years ago when a set of cyclists were tootling slowly through the big forest blasting out music

I’m not here for the music I want to chill in nature