While I understand that some people really love music or books on tape, I still am obliged to wonder if cutting yourself off from (audible) reality is such a good idea. For one thing, wearing headphones in public seems tantamount to having a neon sign on your back that reads: PLEASE MUG ME NOW!
Sometimes I am led to believe that headphones are a du riguer fashion accessory for the solopsistic set. Whenever I see bicyclists or drivers wearing them, I can only think; “auto-chlorinating gene pool,” but that is another matter.
I’m sure there’s a bazillion other posters who will disagree with me, but I still find headphones in public isolationist, if not antisocial.
I don’t think so, but as you point out there are some safety issues. I usually only see this when I travel to larger cities (Atlanta, Charlotte) and it’s usually on public transportation, which makes good sense to me. Besides reading, what else are you going to do, look at each other?
Oh and it’s solipsistic. Only because I had to look it up
I wouldn’t go so far as to say that wearing headphones in public is antisocial behavior. There are times and places where I just do not wish to be approached by strangers. Headphones are a sign that says, “Please don’t bother me; I’m not going to pay attention to you.” As I’ve yet to be mugged, I’d say the headphones work.
I’m actually kind of cranky cause my last Discman broke and I haven’t had the cash to buy a new one yet. Anyway, I wouldn’t say it’s Antisocial. I used mine as anti-moron, anti-panhandler, anti-staring-blankly at the wall. And never got mugged. Isolationist, it is. I want to be left alone for a while. Some people have a problem with that. My headphones let me ignore em.
I see a lot of different people doing it, probably for different reasons. I’ve even seen would-be rappers composing their rhymes in the train station, headphones on, making up lyrics to themselves.
And man, the panhandlers on the train REALLY make me miss my Discman.
It’s a bit anti-social, and I’ll take mine off if I am heading to a crowded area, entering a store, or just getting on the bus (I’ll put them back on once I’ve paid my fare).
I spend up to four hours walking or riding the bus a day. Without headphones I’d get so bored that I’d probably be glad to get mugged. Headphones are one of the few things that makes not having a car bareable.
Another pretty unorthodox advantage is that they keep me from getting to paranoid. If I’m walking the streets at night, I’ll freak out at every little sound. But if I have my headphones on I can get into the music and get home without having a mini panic attack. I know it is to my diadvantage not to be alert. But crime in my city is pretty low (well not right now…we have some serial attempted rapist hanging around and I can’t go out at night to do anything alone and THAT SUCKS!) and the risk of crime isn’t worth the price of living in fear.
Can’t you just wear the discman for the anti-panhandler effect? How are they to know it’s broken?
I don’t find headphones anti-social. I find myself to be anti-social (I don’t care to shoot the breeze with strangers on the street/bus/plane/elevator) and the headphones facilitate that.
HELL NO. Headphones give you something unique when you listen to whatever you listen to, something that non-personal devices (like stereo speakers, car speakers, etc.) fail to provide: total immersion.
So what if I wouldn’t be able to hear a shoe slap down on the sidewalk behind me while I listen to my iRiver at near-full volume as I walk in the city? If someone wants to cold clock me in the temple, I suppose I’m a wailing beacon for punishment and I’ll become a bit more cautious. But I haven’t had any trouble yet. Lucky for me I don’t look like an easy target.
Also, when I can’t hear my surroundings, I focus more attention to sight and feel. I know when to look around for cars so I don’t get smooshed.
Maybe sometime I’ll get a headphone amp so I can push my Sennheiser HD600’s while on those day long walks I take through the urban/suburban settings.
Indoors, it’s hard to simulate the feeling you get when listening to Godspeed’s “motherfucker=redeemer” or “sleep” outside in a windy, rainy froth, with the earbuds snugly set.
Headphones not plugged in to anything allow you complete audible awareness, yet still serve as an excuse to ignore casual conversationalists. If someone starts talking to you, just start bobbing your head and tapping your foot to the “music”.
Also, if you do get mugged, at least you won’t be out a CD player…
Holy cow. LOVE those headphones. A little pricey, but mine are worth every single penny. I’d be afraid to wear them outside, though. I settle for my Sennheiser earbuds when I go out.
I’m enough into music that when I am commuting somewhere, I feel it’s a waste of time and I could be spending it catching up on my listening or enjoying some really great tunes. I don’t care if anyone thinks it’s isolationist, as I’m enjoying myself too much. As others have mentioned, it is also a great deterrant to panhandlers and other unsavories that might want to strike up a conversation when I’m on the train out to the 'burbs to visit my parents.
I never wear them when walking at night though, because of the mugging danger, however slight it may be. I like to be hyperaware in those situations.
I personally enjoy having a sound-track to life, it makes it that much more enjoyable. Plus, living in the city, I always wear them on public transportation (as others have also said they do), as it is rather dull staring at the woman with moles on her face or listening to the hobo-preacher telling us to all expound on Jesus.
Also, although it may be seen to be “isolationist,” I’m usually not one to start random conversations with random people on random streets. Although I can see the “safety issue” angle, I’ve never had any problems as of yet, and curse the days when my batteries run out of juice.
When taking public transportation, I usually have my headphones on for the simple reason that it sounds a lot better than the conversations I’m forced to listen to on the bus.
Otherwise, I don’t have them on. How safe can it be to have them on when you’re walking around? You can’t hear possible cars approaching, cyclists, etc.
Live long and prosper…
OH wait! IMHO, headphones are a sign that the person doesn’t want to interact with others. It doesn’t bother me. I’m not anti-social, personally, I’m friggin’ SHY! I look at the headphone wearing smart guy and think, I wish I had mine right now, too.
Why should this person feel obligated to make boring and annoying small talk with another? I keep to myself unless the situation calls for interaction, which is NOT a sin, BTW. If I get a compliment, then I’ll respond but I’m hoping that’s it. If someone offers a general comment, it depends on the comment. I really don’t need a “chatty Cathy/Carl” talking my ear off about life, love, and the pursuit of happiness.
BUT I’m not trying to come off as mean, vain, conceited, or callous. I just am too darn shy to want to connect. That’s my problem and I don’t see a huge need to change it right at this point. Let the man wear his headphones. He probably knows the risks of blocking out his audible surroundings.
If I ever manage to go to a DopeFest, I will most likely be the one firmly affixed to her Discman. I am a complete music addict. If I’m walking/taking public transport somewhere, I need the music.
The main reason why I especially keep music on in crowded situations (subway, school cafeteria, etc) is it filters out stuff. I tend to get sort of overloaded with stimulus, and having music to focus on actually is a great help for me. My friends are used to talking to me as I’m wearing headphones; it’s simply one of my quirks.
Also, I just like the music, and it gives me an excuse to pretend I didn’t hear my parents/teachers/stupid school-mates/etc.
I think headphones are only anti-social when you are supposed to be interacting with people (though I can understand NinjaChick as well as I have done that on occasion and managed just fine to hold up a conversation and not miss anything)
Before my discman got stolen (No I wasn’t mugged. Talk to my ex roomie who brought in a bunch of meth heads at one point) I used to carry it with me all the time and listen to it as long as I had working batteries. It’s great for the train or like people said ignoring panhandlers. I’d rather ignore them then have them rant at me for telling them sorry I have no money (which is the truth, and I get that way too often from them)
At night if I was ever downtown or anything of course I didn’t wear them but otherwise I would. People don’t really bother me anyway because I make sure to walk like I know what I’m doing and they decide I can handle myself (being tall helps too).
So no… unless youare expected to be paying attention to something I really don’t feel headphones are anti-social.
Antisocial? Only if it’s more “sociable” to address another person and explicitly tell him/her: “I have no interest in interacting with you. Go away.” Otherwise, I’m considerately refraining from inflicting Laurie Anderson on those around me.
And if my 'phones make me so oblivious I become mugging bait, I must have them on too damn loud.
Ah. If only more would use headphones, rather than inflicting their musical (or representations thereof) on unwilling listeners. A tip of the hat to considerate folk who keep their choices to themselves.
I don’t really see how wearing headphones on the train could be antisocial. The most interaction I do is telling people what time it is when they spy my watch. I’d rather listen to tunes than the guy snoring.
Maybe half the people on my evening bus are wearing headphones. Maybe it’s anti-social, but I don’t see the headphone-less crowd chatting merrily away to each other.
Listening to music on public transport is increasingly common nowadays given that nearly all new mobile phones (cell phones) here feature built-in FM radios with headsets. I find this terribly handy since you don’t have to add another device to whatever I’m already carrying, unless I want my MD player instead of the radio.
(Oddly enough I never saw any phones-with-radios in the US.)
Fortunate for me I do not have to use public transportation. But I do commute to work in my car. Once I am out of my car though the pan handling starts. I get tired of them being to lazy to say “Do you have any spare change” they shorten it now to “Spange?” Thats annoying.
Anyway, I put them on when I get out of the car and wear them on the walk from the parking structure to work. I see this as a way to hype myself up for work. I listen to energetic music that gets my day going.
Another fortunate thing because of the job I do we are able to wear headphones in our offices. This is a stipulation that the volume is low enough to hear your phone ring.
I am not sure what it would matter if a person on the street is antisocial. When I am on my way to work the last thing I think of is a topic of conversation with the person next to me.
I am already antisocial in a way I guess. Random conversation with unknown strangers do not appeal to me. The idea of it just brings the thought ‘akward’ to mind.
I intend to relay the message “No I don’t have change” and “Dont interrupt” when I am wearing headphones.
