Create a law to forbid listening to music without headphones or earphones on buses

Angie Quijano

 Respect is a two-way street, if you want to get it, you’ve got to give it 

R.G. Risch.

In our current society, technological development has allowed more people to have an easy access to devices that let them listen to music anywhere. The first known portable radio was developed by Sony in 1958 (Sony, 2013), this development allowed people to listen to music even in places where there were not electrical connections. The growth of these kinds of devices has evolved in the creation of devices as MP3s, MP4s and applications available on cellphones. This situation has generated that a large number of people listen to music without headphones in public places as buses. From my point of view, this habit is a sign of disrespect with our peers. It generates discomfort, annoyance and sometimes anger.

It is known by everybody that music can have positive effects in our lives. According to (Ingenium ABP) when a person is listening to music, dopamine and other chemical substances are released into the brain to help the human body to equilibrate its reactions and to feel relaxed, generating a sense of well-being. So, although music can make us feel relaxed, we cannot forget it can generate the opposite effect if the music is not the kind of music we prefer. On the other hand, most of people who listen to music without headphones in public places think that they are free to behave this way, thoughtlessly in the effects and consequences that it could have on others. It can be argued that in accordance with the article 19 of humankind rights “Everybody has the right to freedom of opinion and expression…” (United Nations). However, does not our freedom have limits?.


Unlike the opinion given by people who listen to music without headphones in public places (supported by the article 19 of Humankind Rights), I advocate the quote of Augusto Klappenbach that says “My freedom ends where the freedom of another begins” – “Mi libertad termina donde empieza la libertad de los demás” (Klappenbach, 1998). In my opinion, everybody is free to do whatever they want without hurting or disturbing others. For this reason it is important to clarify the limits of freedom. In this order of ideas, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights establishes restrictions to the article 19 of Humankind rights as follows (Lozano Ramírez):

• It needs to ensure the respect to the rights or freedom of others.
• It needs to ensure the protection of national security, public order, or health or public moral.

It is important to stand out the last of the restrictions because the fact of listening to music without headphones in public places contributes to a current problem called “Noise pollution” that affects our health.

Noise pollution is an excessive and annoying noise that could be generated by the loud sounds in the street, like loud music, horns of the cars, sounds generated by constructions, among other things. This noise pollution generated by the loud music can be created by people who listen to music without headphones, so how can this loud music affect our physical health?. Studies have demonstrated that sound levels of loud rock and roll, either at concerts or from domestic stereos, frequently exceed hearing damage risk criteria (Cohen, Anticaglia, & Jones, 1970). When someone is listening to music without headphones (independently of the kind of music) is contributing to the environmental noise, which can generate a gradual loss of hearing.  For instance, a study of the primitive Mabaan  in African Sudan conducted by (Rosen, 1987) demonstrated that environmental noise causes a kind of loss of hearing sensitivity called sociocusis . In this tribe the environment was almost free of noise and hearing abilities of men who are seventies or eighties is equal those healthy children at age ten.

According to United States Environmental Protection Agency, an agency of the U.S. federal government which protects human health and the environment through writing and enforcing of regulations based on laws passed by Congress; in United States over 100 million people are living in residential areas with noise levels above recommended limits (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1974). Similarly, a study made by Andes University (Pacheco, Franco, & Eduardo, 2009) shows that 75% of places in Bogotá does not obey the standard set by the national authority. Therefore, it is evident that noise pollution is an issue that affects us all, and it is in our hands to make something to solve it. Obviously, listening to music without headphones is one of the ingredients that makes this problem bigger. It is affecting not only our physical health but also our mental health.

I think it is annoying to everybody when you are on a bus, and someone is listening to music without headphones or earphones. It generates us stress and irritability, so our mental health is being affected by this kind of behaviors.  In southeast of United States, the records of two groups of workers (one group of a noisy plant and the other one of a quieter plant) show that workers who are exposed to high levels of noise have a greater rate of accidents, diagnosed medical problems and nonattendance ( Cohen A. , 1973). Following this line of thought, we can deduce that not only bus passengers, but also the bus driver is affected by this situation, which can generate traffic accidents.


To sum up, the habit of listening to music without headphones in public places is a people’s behavior that affects the tranquility and health of the community. For this reason, not only is it necessary to create campaigns that incite people to leave this praxis generating awareness about the consequences of this habit, but it also is necessary that the national government forbids it through the creation of a law that imposes a monetary penalty for those who listen to music without headphones. As part of the campaign, I propose that everybody carries on his bag or purse a pin that says: “Respect us, use headphones” and paste posters on public transportation with the same slogan and with related images, this with authorization of the bus’ owner.

Bibliography

Cohen, A. (1973, May 13-18). Industrial Noise and Medical, Absence, and Accident Record Data on Exposed Workers. Proceedings of the International Congress on Noise as a Public Health Problem, 441-453.
Cohen, A., Anticaglia, J., & Jones, H. H. (1970). 'Sociocusis'- Hearing Loss From Non-Occupational Noise Exposure. Sound and Vibration, 12-20.
Ingenium ABP. (n.d.). Cómo afecta a tu cerebro cada género musical. Retrieved July 13, 2013, from CNN: http://cnnespanol.cnn.com/2013/01/18/como-afecta-a-tu-cerebro-cada-genero-musical/
Klappenbach, A. (1998). Libertad, liberalismo y abstracción. Claves de Razón Practica, 32-36.
Lozano Ramírez, J. (n.d.). Universidad Autónoma de México. Retrieved June 29, 2013, from Límites y controles de la libertad de expresión: http://biblio.juridicas.unam.mx/libros/4/1844/11.pdf
Pacheco, J., Franco, J., & Eduardo, B. (2009, October 6). Noise Pollution in Bogotá City: A Pilot Study. Revista de Ingeniería, Universidad de los Andes, 72-80.
Rosen, S. (1987). Presbycusis Study of a Relatively Noise-Free Population in the Sudan. Annals of Otology, Rhinology, and Laryngology, 727-743.
Sony. (2013, September 21). Sony. Retrieved from http://www.sony-latin.com/corporate/SOLA/acerca/infocorporativa/historia.html
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. (1974). Information on Levels of Environmental Noise Requisite to Protect Public Health and Welfare with an Adequate Margin of Safety.
United Nations. (n.d.). The Universal Declarations of Human Rights. Retrieved June 29, 2013, from http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/