Open Letter

Daria Patterson

Professor Rau

ENG 101 MD

December 8, 2014

December 5, 2014

Dear People Who Play Their Music Loudly in Public Places:

            Picture this: two friends go out for lunch in a what is supposed to be the nice, peaceful environment of a diner, and all of a sudden, usually crappy music starts to blare from a few tables down. Who is it? A group of obnoxious humans. It is you.

            Some of you play explicit music loudly around families with children, shamelessly making them feel uncomfortable. What is the matter with you? Some of you bring speakers, plug them in, and play your music into those. Some of you sing along, sometimes in groups, which makes everyone surrounding you contemplate mass murder. Some of you do it while people are studying, reading, or doing something important. Some of you play it with your friends, thinking it makes you look cool.

            The one commonality is that you all enrage me and you are all being the opposite of cool. Cool people do not disturb the peace. Humans have to share this Earth, particularly, public places. Not all humans like your music and even if they did, chances are they do not all want to hear it at that moment. Do not force it upon the ears of others by playing it in public places, and certainly, do not bring speakers.

            If you really, really, want to play your music, be considerate and first ask the surrounding people if they mind. Since most of them will probably say yes just to be polite or because they do not realize how annoying it will be, ask again in a few minutes if anyone minds.

 If you do play it, there is no need to blast it. Play it at a nice, minimally disruptful volume so that people can still hear their conversations and so that if they pick up the phone, the person on the end of the line won’t ask what’s playing in the background. As shown, more considerate ways to play your music in public exist, but really, just don’t play it at all. People will be coming in and out of the public place, are you really going to keep asking every person if they mind just for them to grudgingly and resentfully say it’s okay?

Rather than be annoying, play your music at home. Better yet, invest in a pair of headphones and spare the moods of everyone around you. That is what they are for.

Sincerely,

Daria Patterson