This shit has got to stop

The BBQ Pit
1

Ok, I know I can get upset by trivial things, and that in the big scheme of things this is not an issue that will cause the downfall of civilization…but still its a peeve of mine that I know I’ve mentioned before. it does make me more angry than it should, I’ll admit that.

This habit some folks have of blasting their car stereos so loud that it can be heard blocks away. Seriously, this shit has got to stop. I know I mentioned in another thread how recently my wife and I were passed by a car that was blaring music so loud it was literally shaking. The car itself wasn’t even a recent model. It wasn’t in bad shape, but I’d bet that the stereo system was worth more than the vehicle.

In the last week I’ve seen this way too much. Heard it way too much. Never on post, because its almost certain the MPs would be all over you, but man…

I pulled into a gas station a week ago just as two guys got into their car. They started it and the music was so loud everyone there jumped when it started. They drove off and I could only catch a quick glimpse. (though I could hear the bass even as they were in the distance) and my wife told me they were two privates. I swear I’m not a hard-ass, but I’m gonna start ganking privates if I see that kind of stuff again.

But it was today that really made me mad. I had to go to a bank off post. I pulled up in front of the outside ATM and the guy that was using it left and got in his car which was parked next to me. As I put my ATM card in the machine he started his car and his stereo was so loud, the bass up so high that it that you could feel it. It was unintelligible as far a music goes…it was just noise. I’m sure that even if you were in the car it was unintelligible. People INSIDE the bank could hear it. If you were outside standing next to me you wouldn’t have heard me shouting over it. I turned and involuntarily stared angrily at the guy as he backed out. You know the look that says ***“You’re an inconsiderate, selfish ignorant piece of shit, mother fucker!”. ***This guy wasn’t a kid, he had to be at least 30. I can’t adequately explain how loud it was. They didn’t torment Noriega with music that loud. I could feel a headache forming within seconds of it.

What the fuck is wrong with people? What is this need to broadcast whatever your playing on your car stereo so loud that people can hear it a mile away? It can’t possibly be fun to hear that loud inside of the car unless you have the most kick ass stereo system in the universe. Even then I can’t believe that its enjoyable. It would like having tiny elves puch your eardrums from the inside. (Geez, I guess I’m a chump with my poor little factory made speakers and my ipod). I don’t care if its ***MY favorite ***song playing, its an asinine thing to do. and its mostly always rap music. (I really have a deep loathing for rap. Not all of it, but 99% of it) This was in a supermarket type shopping area and I could still hear it when the guy was at the other end entering the highway. there were people with children there for Pete’s sake.

You know, an old teacher of mine once told me that if you project yourself to people as being an ignorant jackass they’ll treat you like an ignorant jackass. To everyone that does that kind of annoying, idiotic crap you’re ignorant jackasses. I don’t care if they all had PhDs. Why do people think that whatever you’re listening to is so cool that everyone within a mile and a half has to hear it as you drive around? ***(why are there NEVER any cops around when this happens? Isn’t that against the law in most places?). ***Even when I was a teenager I thought that was an assholish thing to do, and that was in the days when people carried around big boom boxes. I had one but I didn’t go around town in public blasting people off of the street with it. I don’t get it.

I lived next to a guy that had a friend that did that once. His buddy would park in front of the building and have his car stereo set to “Obliterate” with the bass on “Shake anything that ain’t nailed down” and they’d sit out there and talk. When I complained they’d turn it down, at least until I went back inside. It was all a joke to them until a cop actually pulled up and made them stop. (Hilariously enough they kept doing it after that, but the guy once locked his keys in the car. He asked me for a hanger to pop his lock which I did not provide. I got a kick outta watching his battery die that day.) After awhile the guy stopped showing up, mostly because other tenants complained to the management.

I apologize for the rant, but that kind of behaviour by people who should know better really gets under my skin. It took a lot for me to not wish some kind of car accident on that guy today. Its gone beyond an annoyance to something thats just plain ridiculous.

2

Some cities, including where I live, have noise ordinances on car stereos- I think it’s an “If it can be heard clearly more than 10 feet away” or some such. The fine was originally absolutely ridiculous- several hundred dollars, more than most moving violations, which I’ll admit I thought was excessive and is probably a reason it’s not enforced very much. Personally I’d like to see it lowered to a more reasonable $50 or so level and enforced constantly, as I also hate obnoxious sound systems.

And obnoxious headlights- I’ll tack those on. If there’s not a legal limit to the lumens a headlight should emit, there should be.

3

And it’s only going to get worse as they start going deaf.

Or maybe it’s only that loud because they’ve been drinking, in which case the volume should revert to “normal” eventually but until then one should hope they don’t kill anyone.

4

Yeah, I always wanted to get one of those setups - take out the back seat of the Volvo and put in a big rack of sub-woofers. Wire in some pre-amps, amps, and post-amps, and amp-amps. I’m not just talkin’ mega-watts, I’m takin’ BTUs!

And then I would roll down the road, pull up next to one of those deaf fuckers in a Fast & Furious wannabe, and crank it up to eleven with Prairie Home Companion, All Things Considered, and This American Life!!

Sweeeeet!!

5

How do you feel about motorcycles, dirtbikes and 4-wheelers?

The kids (and adults) in my neighborhood use all of those plus have the big loud stereos.

Personally, I prefer the stereos. They’re much more melodic than motorcycles.

6

Depends on the bike, and the rider. I’ve seen people with loud bikes that aren’t as annoying because they don’t rev the bikes loudly in public just to rev it.

but then in High School a neighbor (that I liked, he was cool) down the street had a loud harley he’d rev loudly every morning. He didn’t realize how loud it was until I said to him how it woke me up in time for school but not in a good way. Then he became a little more polite about it.

7

I love hearing loud music, preferably thrash or death metal, all day, everywhere I go. My truck has a pimpin’ system. At home the stereo is on all day usually, unless I’m on the phone. When I work out at the track, I wear my iPod.

I especially get a kick out of being at a red light, and having someone pull up next to me with their own system cranking out a different type of music. We usually smile and give each other the thumbs up. :smiley:

8

Wait…are you serious? Your truck came with a system for trafficking illegal sex workers? Is it like an instruction manual or just a rolo-dex of some people to get you into the biz?

I wish I could make this post punch you in the face. Where’s that smiley? If I see you in public, I’m slashing your tires. My general rule is if you can’t hear me breaking your tail lights with a hammer, then it’s what you deserve.

What in the world makes you think everyone else likes hearing thrash and death metal everywhere you go? Or you just don’t care?

9

At some level everyone likes to hear music they like played loudly. The thing is not everyone is going to like the music you like and unless you live in a sparse area its a good thing to be considerate of other people. When I lived in the barracks I used to play my stereo loudly sometimes. the guy in the next room told me it was distrubing him so I went out and got myself some earphones. (with a long cord so I could move around my room.) Since then, whenever I’ve lived in proximity to other people I’ve told them if I’m ever making too much noise feel free to knock on my door and tell me. I’ll turn it down.

People at a red light hearing your music is a lot different than what I’m talking about. I could hear these stereos when these vehicles were almost beyond visual range. Cranking up your pimped out system at a red light in a friendly challenge to the car with the other pimped out system next to you is no big deal. (if its limited to that, I’ll add…when its blaring constantly like “look at me, listen to my awesome music” its just being selfish)

Its a big deal if you have it blaring in a public place or a residential area with no concern of how it may and most likely annoy other people that by all rights should not be able to hear it from a quarter mile away. Its a bit of courtesy, something that allows us to live in the same world without wanting to kill each other. My wife isn’t a “blast it out” type of person but she has her moments when she wants to hear her music loud. She likes bands that I absolutely cannot stand. (and vice versa). We always make it a point not to do that when one or the other of us is home, or we use earphones. We also make sure the neighbors can’t hear it.

Theres nothing wrong with a pimped out nuclear powered car stereo system. I wouldn’t buy one, but some people are really into their music. You seem to be, Snowboarder Bo, and I’m glad you enjoy it. Music, even music I personally hate, is one of the things that makes life a bit more sweeter or bearable at times. But so is consideration for others which the people I spoke of in my OP apparently do not have.

10

Jolly Roger, you realize that the only reason these jerks have stereos like this is to irritate you and others? That is the sole purpose of these booming “music” machines. To irritate people.

I’m very serious - there really can be no logical reason to have “music” that is played this loud, other than to see the looks on people’s faces when you shove it into their ears.

Oh, and

I suggest you gank their privates quite firmly - that should make them stop.

11

Around here, the idiots who drive around with exceptionally loud music playing have one thing substantially in common. They do it with their windows rolled down.

It could be ten below zero, or pissing with rain - everyone with a brain larger than a peanut has their windows rolled up - but not those who are playing loud music with pumping bass*

So it appears the loud music has a function beyond entertainment - it’s an attempt to attract attention - to get noticed.

Well, yeah. I noticed you. Fucking idiots.
*And this isn’t some kind of selective bias - I’m talking about music at a volume that would still be audible with the windows up.

12

I had a housemate with one of these beauties. Note the past tense.

He’d run it outside in the early morning when my husband was working swing shift. It was not amusing. I tried reasoning, but as a wise man once said, “you can’t reason with the unreasonable”.

One morning he started his Eminem up on top of revving his pos at around 8am. I lost it. I can’t believe I stopped at one punch. I can still see the sunglasses and cigarette flying away from his shaven, pimply head in my mind’s eye. Boy that was satisfying.

13

I just don’t care. I like it.

And wow, I can’t believe you think that harming my vehicle or my person is an appropriate response to having to hear my noise for a few seconds or even a couple of minutes. I’m glad we have laws to protect all of us from people like you.

ETA: and from people like Queen Bruin, too.

14

You got it. Unfortunately, a couple of my friends fit into this category. They think it’s hilarious if they manage to be obnoxious enough to piss someone off. Dirty looks just give them some kind of ill thrill. It’s odd, because in every other way they are reasonable, likeable people who would stop to help a guy change a tire. I don’t understand it.

FWIW I slap them in the head, tell them that they are frikkin idiots, and lecture them about ear damage. Then they mock me and we change the subject. Needless to say, I won’t get in their car for any reason. And I don’t let them do that in my driveway.

15

Usually the loud stereos annoy the hell out of me, but there was one time when it made me crack up: A car went driving past me in the parking lot with the radio up loud enough for me to tell they were blasting John Denver’s “Wild Montana Skies.”

16

And we have laws to protect us from people like you, who “just don’t care” about others. Enjoy the tickets that you will get for being a dick. Try telling the cop “I just don’t care”.

At least have the balls to admit that Mangetout is right - the primary reason you do it is so people will look at you.

17

I somehow think you don’t sit in front of people’s houses for 20 minutes at a stretch blaring Cannibal Corpse.

If you do though, you’re an asshole and deserve whatever’s coming to you.

18

I once cycled past a car pulled up at traffic lights that was booming out “The Impossible Dream” by Scott Walker. Has anyone heard a more incongruous song blaring from a mobile disco?

19

Its no secret here that I’m in the army. I meant you know, the rank of privates, :smiley:
mot well…uh, parts of people.

and while I’m not the greatest NCO in the world or the finest human being or anything I expect soldiers to act like they have common sense. I’ve rarely had to exercise my authority over subordinates outside of my regular duties. I’m not known for being a hardass as I put it. But I live now quite close to the gate of Ft. Bragg.
(seriously I could walk there to the gate in ten minutes.) and I see a few soldiers at the convenient store mini marts thingies near the gate all of the time. The next ones that pull the *extra loud being an asshole stereo *thing there are gonna be embarrassed in public standing at parade rest while i berate them in front of everyone and yes, I am going to inform their platoon leaders afterwards of it
*. I don’t have a problem with them having fun or anything off post or off duty, but I expect them to conduct themselves with some measure of common sense and decency, ***especially in uniform. *** I can’t order a civilian around, but I can stop a private from being a public jackass.

…and I agree with you about the reason…but I think its deeper than that. Some people for some reason, honestly think its so cool that they are oblivious to the fact that they are annoying everyone around them . Maybe they think they are aending some kind of stick it to the man message. Well, they aren’t. and they’ll be the first ones saying that no one respects them. Because they don’t get it. And what they don’t get boils down to common courtesy.

*(and just to cut off any “how can you report them? They can lie about their names” suggestions, if they are in uniform, I’ll be able to read it off of their nametags. I can demand to see their ID cards. If they say “I don’t have it on me” they’re wrong, (and lying…you can’t get on post w/o it, and since the gate is 1/8 of a mile away they can explain that to the guard they’ll be seeing ten minutes after they say it)

20

I always thought they should just confiscate the stereo system, at least for repeat offenders. They’re expensive enough to hurt whoever the perpetrator is, and has the added bonus that they’re stripped of their ability to make noise, at least for a while.