The news is full of concern lately about the poor ear drums of the IPOD generation. I saw a teenager interviewed that listened to their IPOD 3-4 hours a day at full volume. I have a difficult time figuring out why anyone would ever want to listen to their IPOD at full volume. Half volume is louder than the ATB from the front row. But something about the IPOD generation does bother me.
The most unhealthy aspect of listening to an IPOD in public is the antisocial behavior that goes along with it. I pass people on campus everyday and say "hi" but seldom is that returned. More often than not the person I am passing is hooked up to an MP3 player. The white headphone wires seem to drain common courtesy away from these individuals. They are often looking down or straight-like-a-train-headlight into the distance but never at a passer by. Though I have no study on hearing loss or The Who’s Pete Townsend crying about the potential hearing loss for the IPOD generation, I see more and more people that completely ignore their surrounding situation. It might be awkward to have to say hi to someone but if you are looking away or have your tunes turned way up, you rudeness is justified.
cg
