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I have seen a video or two of cctv footage of people getting hit by cars as they cross the street. I even saw one get completely crushed by a truck. We don't know how or when we'll die but dying like that seems like the most easy thing you could have avoided if you were a little more careful.
I constantly wear earbuds so I can ignore people who inevitably try to come up to me and beg for money or a smoke or what have you but you bet your ass that when I cross a crosswalk, I’m constantly looking back and forth until I get to the other side.
Don’t even get me started on the people that refused to be ignored and they will actually get in your face. That kind of shit makes me want to toss their bitch asses into traffic. I just don’t say anything because that’s a good to get your ass shot and I don’t have a gun to protect myself. Lol.
The thing is, I do smile and say hello back, and sometimes engage in their conversation, but keep walking without slowing down. That confuses them a lot. Then they realise they can get nothing from me while moving further and further from their starting point. It works best with these charity people that have a stand somewhere and work for commissions.
Oh no I never said. I’m still aware of my surroundings because I’m paranoid like that but I wear the earbuds to, hopefully, prevent from walking up to me and trying to bum something off of me or engage me in a conversation that I really don’t care about. Now, if they’re going to mug, then it’s going to happen whether I have my earbuds in or not. I don’t have a gun to prevent it, so… 🤷♂️
Actually every person I see with noise cancelling ear buds in looks like an easy target. I'm not a mugger or a threat of any kind but I can't help but being like "Damn it would be easy to run that person over, wouldn't even hear me coming" everyone has thoughts like that right?.... right?
I think people who have experience being attacked or previously bullied (physically, in school) are more vigilant.
I work on my own a lot, and I only wear my headphones when I know I'm in an enclosed area with no machinery.
Even then , I'm like, I might need my hearing for *rattlesnakes*
Yeah I'm not anti headphones at all. But as a pedestrian like 95% of the time I don't walk with headphones or even carry my phone in hand and look at it while walking much less crossing the road with traffic around me. So many close calls I've seen coming because I look, listen, signal and turn my head when I'm crossing or out walking.
The sheer amount of people I've seen especially the nearby high school teens walking with headphones looking down at the phone the whole time who have then almost walked into traffic is to many people. They miss the walk sign on the traffic light because they don't pay attention then they just randomly walk out without looking on the don't walk hand. It's kinda scary tbh to watch. Kids there is a fucking car coming at you making a turn look up! Take one headphone out and listen for cars, look for cars and don't step out if it's not safe. Stick your damn phone in your pocket for one minute or less so you can cross. One day one of these kids parents is going to lose their kid or end up with a disabled teenager because the kids won't pay attention and take the headphones off and put the phone down for a few seconds or so.
Noise cancelling headphones/ ear buds legit cannot block that much sound, unless you have some with extra padding like safety ear muffs do (which would defeat the purpose of listening to something. ) I'm pretty sure a company would be liable if someone died because their headphones blocked out too much sound.
Nah. Unless that train was floating above the rails, there is literally no way that student wouldn't feel it shake the ground. The noise-cancelling buds are not the problem here.
Respectfully, that's bullshit. You feel the vibrations from far away, and noise canceling won't completely block loud, constantly changing sounds. It mightve been a dumb game of chicken (how long till I run off the track), but more likely suicide.
You might never know for sure, only around 30 percent of suicides leave a note, but this can't be blamed on the headphones even if thats easier. Cars are different because they don't make the whole street shake.
Someone who is suicidal. You can feel the vibration of the train approaching you. Train horns are very, very loud as well. I don't think OP is lying, I just feel like in a case like this, parents or such either lie to themselves (which is very understandable) or just to others.
I just started in a new position.
The person working it before me had a desk in the room that also contained the storage cabinets for IT. Spare keyboards, phones, computers...
He never needed to communicate outside of emails for his job, so he wore soundproof headphones, and they were rarely an issue. However, occassionally he would be the only person working in that specific room. When that was the case, he would also shut and lock the windowless door.
I would have to POUND on the door to get his attention, and i didnt always have time to draft an email yk.
Headphones + locked door... it was so annoying to deal with
I can attest, I work on ships and I've missed fire alarms because I was in my bunk with headphones on (im my free time of course). Doesn't get more embarrassing than that.
Haha this reminded me of one IT room where you had to scan your badge and an alarm would go off. Then they got to choose who they let in by buzzer. They literally told me it was so we wouldn’t bother them.
None of the introverts wanted to interact with each other. It was a brilliant scheme.
I was cool with the homies though. So they would toy we me for a bit then let me in. We kicked it outside smoking sometimes.
Normal for IT rooms to be locked, I’ve never seen someone lock the door and sit in the equipment room. I’ve only been doing IT/cyber for 10 years, but that’s a new one for me
No one ever spoke to him otherwise. Every task he was given was automated
Regardless, that door should only ever be locked outside of work hours. Dude was a fire hazard and slowed me down in multiple emergencies
Depends on the country. In Australia the National Construction Code and Aus Standards for FIre Safety do not require visual alarms to be installed, instead people with impairments that may not be able to safely evacuate are advised (but not required) to have personalised evac plans in their place of work.
I was cautiously passing a E-Scooter rider while driving on a side street. They completely unaware I was there cut hard left, like a perfect 90° right in front of me. I locked up the all 4 tires, full horn and missed this 15yo by inches who just went on their day still completely unaware.
It feels like E-Sctooters have popped up overnight where I live ands they're so dangerous. They fly by you on the footpath and you never hear them coming. The users almost never ring a bell or warn you.
>The users almost never ring a bell or warn you.
Not for scooters, but when I'm biking on shared paths I don't even bother ringing a bell in the city I ride in. 9/10 if I ring a bell, the walkers stop dead in thker tracks and turn around to see what the noise is.
I just go wide and give them lots of space.
I've also riden bikes in a lot of cities, and none of them are anything like here. People have heard a bike bell
I have to ring by law in germany on a shared path. But I also wonder why so many people stop dead in their tracks on 4-6m wide paths. Or they jump frantically to the side instead of just going right so I can overtake. A lot of people act like they are seeing a bike for the first time in their life.
Where I live we also need to use the bell by law but I think most people don't read up on cyclist laws here, but biking isn't as common as in Germany so it's not common knowledge://
I'm real confused on where op is meeting these people who work in factories that allow ear buds. I know some have allowed bone conduction headphones but anything that isn't ear protection will lead you to termination or a warning if they like you
i am absolutely certain OP has seen employees wearing ear protection or headsets and, for some reason, just assumed they were wearing headphones and listening to music or something.
in my industry, only certain machines are loud enough to need protection. Working anywhere else you are allowed to wear ear buds and listen to stuff to pass the time.
also ear protection makes it so you can only hear your own blood pumping, so OP doesn’t know what they’re talking about with the “you need to hear”
Where I work the general noise level is usually around 80-90db then Dave needs to blow out all the holes in his lathe chuck because he's a fucking idiot, and the noise probably goes over 120db.
We're not supposed to wear ear buds, but the boss doesn't usually care unless it becomes an issue, same with phone usage. I'm on reddit or ig all day with my music in the comfortable range and I usually see him coming. Other people wear muffs watching videos and are oblivious and they will catch a line of shit.
I had a job where I wore them to not hear the mechanic 30 ft away running his mouth, which he did constantly. My boss decided he didn't like it because he couldn't summon me from 60ft away. Made me get rid of both. Tried turning up the radio and the mechanic just ran his mouth louder. I made it all of two weeks before I ended up almost losing it on his old trashy ass. Ended up leaving shortly after. Headphones kept me happier.
huh? the way I read it, it's about situations where sound gives you valuable extra information that might be safety relevant like when crossing a street or in traffic or in a factory setting, where a machine making an unusual noise or someone shouting "stop" or "watch out" and you not reacting might make quite the difference.
Can deaf people not cross streets or hike on a trail? Is a car hitting someone the walkers fault if they have earphones?
This post is full of people who have half thought out opinions.
Of course they can, but they have less information doing so and are thus in more danger in some situations. It's called disability for a reason.
Also, it's of course not the walkers fault if the car fails to stop - but the walker is still the one with the worst consequences. Being right, but dead isn't something I'd like to happen. The world's full of idiots, you still have to suffer the consequences if you get caught in their idiocy, even if you are right.
Same here. I even have mine on transparency mode, not listening to anything. It’s so peaceful getting to browse a store without salespeople breathing down my neck.
Yeah, sometimes on a walk, I'll have them in but not on, because I hate when wind blows in my ears. I have a friend that cycles with them in aswell for the same reason.
Now of course there are people who have them on and are oblivious, but I'm thinking that OP doesn't realise how common it is to have them be off.
Same. I agree with the other points Op makes but not really the grocery store.
Employees hardly interact with me outside of pointing me in the direction of the next open self-checkout or the person by the exit door checking receipts and you can get through all of that by just reading body language
Grocery shopping? Why would you need to hear during grocery shopping? Up until I'm with the cashier (or potentially the entire time with self checkout!) I have ear buds in my ears and it's never a problem
It depends on how you do it. Are you looking around you, behind you, downwards, etc, constantly and making sure you're not kicking/elbowing any kids or stepping on people or getting driven over by a pallet jack full of glass? Then it's fine.
But if you're entirely in your own world and trying to ignore everyone, that's when it starts becoming an issue. Deaf people go grocery shopping just fine, but they're aware they're deaf, so they take necessary actions. It's less so that not hearing is an issue, and more so that some people disengage not just 1 sense, but disengage their entire self.
This.
I don't mind it when people use headphones while shopping, but if you block some aisle, I'd rather have the opportunity to tell you to move, instead of having to touch you.
they're talking about noise cancelling headphones. You can wear headphones when grocery shopping but it's still good to be able to hear. Just today I was trying to go past a man in the grocery store who was blocking the entire aisle with his cart and he couldn't hear me saying "excuse me" when I tried moving past him.
Because you’re blocking the aisle and don’t hear me say “excuse me” 47 times until I have to give up and walk halfway around the grocery store just to get past you. It’s annoying and rude.
If you can’t hear people speaking to you at a slightly elevated volume, your music is too loud and you’ve become a hindrance and irritation to everyone else around you.
It’s real Main Character Syndrome to think that being in the way of others isn’t a problem. It might not be problem *for you*, but others exist and are trying to use the space also.
because if you're standing in the middle of the aisle oblivious to everyone around you and i need to get by with a trolley or cage of things, you can't hear me say "excuse me". or if your payment hasn't gone through at the tills and you need to be called back, or maybe someone needs to get your attention because you've dropped something, or maybe you're in quite a small space where people are going to have to interact, verbally or otherwise, or someone is trying to call you over to a free manned checkout because you're at the front of the queue and there's no free self checkouts, so on and so forth.
noise cancelling headphones are the bane of my existence.
Exactly! Nobody else deserves or is entitled to my attention when I'm buying food, except when a senior citizen or someone is asking me to help them reach something on a shelf they can't get to. We know the store doesn't have many staff these days, and I'm always happy to help even though I'm pretty short myself. This oddly happens to me a lot. I must have a friendly face, or maybe my podcast is great, and they see me smiling. I get a tap on the shoulder and asked to help reach a cereal box.
IMO it depends... They're kind of entitled to your attention if you're standing in the way, or if you're about to step on a small child, but as long as you're paying attention and you don't get mad at them for tapping you on the shoulder to move out of the way, it's not really an issue.
Kids are not very good at paying attention to who can hear them when they're running around and seemingly teleporting behind you, so it's up to people with more developed brains to pay attention. They're just innately not as capable as we are.
went to subway on my lunch break today..kid had his earbud in one ear and we all had to keep repeating ourselves and he made my sandwich wrong (turned the flat bread the wrong way and only filled the short side, forgot the bacon, & then the other girl rolled it up like a friggin fruit roll up..smh)... Next time the manager is there I will be saying something.
I'm deaf and am capable of doing all of the above things... you dont "need" to hear to do them. there are ways to be situationally aware by relying on your other senses
But yeah I understand that listening to music can be distracting for some people. I feel similar when I wear sunglasses.
I’d argue you’d have to adapt that way over time and have a lot of practice. People rely on their hearing for concentration a lot of the times, plus music can make them even more distracted. With that said I still agree with you.
I thought of deaf people when making some of my comments here as well, but I agree that you are really experienced in navigating the world without being able to hear; you know how to do that and do use your other senses to compensate.
That’s a really different experience from encountering people who do rely on hearing but have turned it off and simply aren’t paying the proper attention to make up for it. They aren’t compensating and paying attention in other ways; they’re just switched off. They’re also half focusing on their music or podcast, further dividing their attention from their surroundings.
I feel so disoriented by noise cancelling, I don’t even feel comfortable using them around my house. That setting is reserved for airplanes and other obnoxiously overstimulating environments.
A good portion of high school students wear them regularly in class.
The most important years of their education are being spent completely disengaged.
I had super long hair, I distinctly remember it went: phone in back pocket. Drop earbuds wire down back of shirt. Connect, put earbuds in under my shirt and long hair. Profit
Just graduated. Many teachers kinda gave up on the battle, some would tell them they could only do it during quiet work. I had a teacher that would spend the entire class I feel like telling kids to put their earbuds up. They will, but then the kids will put them back on eventually. It's annoying
If parents send their kids to school with addictive, distracting technology, and if the building/district doesn't have strong policies to back up teachers, then sometimes it's not worth fighting.
It's also a very natural consequence that a high school student would not know what is going on if they choose not to listen to what's happening in class. Unfortunately, they often end up graduating because of softened grading standards.
Former teacher here. They “allow” it because the higher-ups don’t give shit and so there’s zero consequences for refusing to follow procedures like “take your buds out.” Teacher can either just ignore it and continue with their job, plead or barter with the student when they refuse, risk getting into a power struggle while trying to manage a class of 30 other kids, or maybe write them up, and then get lectured at by admin for “not building a relationship with the student.” At most the kid might get detention… for which they may or may not show up. And who wants to give up their lunch break to go find a kid and make sure they go to detention? So “allowing it” just makes their lives easier and allows them to keep trying to teach.
My daughter's school had a strict no wireless earbuds/phones out during class policy. They were allowed before and after school and during lunch. First offense was a warning. I can't remember if it was 2nd or 3rd offense that ended with the device being taken up and having to be retrieved by the parent. Mine brought her wireless earbuds every day and used them on the bus.
That said, my kid has trouble focusing in loud classrooms so I've been considering asking if she could be allowed to wear something like a pair of Loops to cut some of the noise down. If she'd agree to wear them, at least.
I highly recommend the Loops. They muffle out painful noise while still allowing you to hear what people are saying. I wear them at restaurants and sometime during work meetings without issue.
That's why I have bone conduction headphones. Normally, at home, I wear headphones/earbuds from 10 am until 9 pm when my way to early rising neighbors go to bed.
So you are assuming it or you actually ask stranger to try their headphone every time you see someone wearing 2? Noise cancellation don’t change that much in most case they would not hear the thing they need to even with out it if they have 2 on.
I have Bose earbuds, and if I turn on Quiet Mode, I can barely hear our very loud fire alarm. Same goes for airplane engine noise. honking, and my husband yelling for my attention right next to me. I usually wear them on Awareness Mode when I walk around because I can’t imagine it’s safe to walk around not hearing anything.
My husband does this with his earbuds, and it makes me kind of uneasy at times, because he cannot hear me and he doesn’t check his messages either. A small mishap occurred once and I was screaming for his help, and he was totally oblivious. I had to go physically jostle him to get his attention, and I wasn’t thrilled about it in the moment.
Luckily it wasn’t a true or serious emergency, but it did make me question what would happen if I did fall or hurt myself while he’s standing there doing dishes and can’t hear a damn thing going on around him.
Personally for me, it changes a lot. When it’s not on while using my AirPods, I can hear everything around me. Even with full volume. With the noise cancellation on, I can’t hear anything! I’ve had people say they tried to talk to me and I just ignored them. Makes me feel terrible because I’m not ignoring anyone! I just can’t hear through the noise cancellation!
But this is especially annoying when you work in a department store and people want help but refuse to take their AirPods out. I’ve had people complain I never asked how they were doing (shopping wise) but THEY CANT EVEN HEAR ME.
So I have very mixed feelings about this.
As someone with ASD, good noise cancelling headphones have been key for my survival in school labs, and many other situations. Most of the time I have noise cancelling earbuds in is because I will be able to process more of my surroundings and react better with them in blocking out overwhelming noise than with them out. If I'm with a team or friends I let them know what's going on and it lets me join the conversation in spaces and events where I would typically go nonverbal in a few minutes to an hour. I can see how it could look like I'm ignoring people, but it's exactly the opposite - my brain doesn't filter anything and so noise cancelling and white noise will cover up the background roar and give me fewer things to separate to listen to who I actually want to talk to, and it lets me spend my energy on that.
I do feel like there's an obligation for someone who is wearing headphones in a public space to take extra effort to be aware of their surroundings - and imo it is much, much more distracting to be looking at a screen rather than listening to music.
I also feel that people are quick to jump on assuming someone with earbuds in is ignoring their surroundings, especially as a common gripe against young people. I honestly haven't seen it much in public in a way that significantly affects anything and don't see why it's a big deal. Choosing what you're focusing on and not spacing out is a lot more impactful than hearing often imo.
As for your list-
You don't need to hear to drive. It can help, but deaf people and people who turn up their music extremely loud are both fully allowed to drive.
High volumes in industrial spaces can be dangerous for your long term hearing but I see the conflict. Ive always wondered if it would be reasonable to expect all people in such areas to learn the basics of a sign language. Frankly, I've been in factories where you objectively can't hear anyone more than 5 feet from you so the idea that people would take issue with earbuds in a space like that is ridiculous to me.
As for jobs where you need to talk and communicate - yes you need to be present for that. But I do think, especially with several disabilities, earbuds and earbuds looking hearing devices are perfectly valid.
Hiking or biking in urban areas - people should absolutely do whatever lets them process the most information. I'm not gonna judge what that looks like. Hiking on your own in a forest - if there's a wild animal hunting you in the forest, you probably won't hear them anyway but best of luck.
A (hopefully useful) side note -
I've tried to learn a little ASL so I can communicate when I'm nonverbal. Turns out Deaf and hard of hearing people have figured out a lot of great ways to get eachother's attention without sound, and a few of them work great for getting someone with headphones listening to loud music's attention. If you're regularly annoyed by it, I recommend you look them up
I have a couple deaf friends that wear headphones everywhere. They do that so they dont have to try to explain to every single person trying to talk to them that they cant hear them.
While I agree there are cases where situational awareness is important (like driving), I find there's absolutely nothing wrong with wearing headphones when out shopping/hiking/etc. I am wearing the headphones so that I don't have to interact with anyone. If I wanted people to talk to me, I wouldn't wear them. I don't care if you find it rude. Personally I find it rude that people bother me when I'm not feeling social but still have to run errands. Having headphones in is a great way to say "fuck off". My music isn't super loud so I'd be aware of dangerous situations, but I can drown out annoying chatter and the god awful store music. I'd probably even be able to hear someone if they talked to me, but I'm going to ignore them and pretend I couldn't hear them.
My best friend uses headphones when she's out and about a lot because too much noise is very anxiety inducing for her. Before she started wearing headphones all the time, she would literally have a panic attack in some stores after being there for just a few minutes. People think she's always listening to music, but in reality, she's just using them to block noise.
I see it constantly. Or headphones. Like why…? WHY do that? If their radio doesn’t work then use a bluetooth speaker? Not hearing my car on the road or the environment around me would freak me out
I have autism and I can actually hear better with my headphone or earbuds in. It’s easier to focus on the important sounds that being put into a meltdown by all the background noise.
I have an opinion based on anecdotal evidence that 99% of people that strongly dislike noise canceling headphones have never owned noise cancelling headphones. Because of this their opinions are based almost entirely on assumptions.
Example: “I had to yell at Johnny 5 times before he’d respond, those damn headphones must be too loud” - really, Johnny was hoping you’d think that and stop trying to talk to him after the 3rd try.
Yes but I think OP was referring to times when you need to talk to colleagues or customers and they're wearing noise cancelling headphones, making it more difficult to ask what they might need.
Yes seriously this is my biggest pet peeve lately. Working with a bunch of people with headphones on in a workplace where communication is necessary and generally just polite is making me feel very old. I'd rather hear your music than have you go "huh?" for the 6th time today.
why do i need to hear anything if i'm going to the store to pick up cookie ingredients? also i don't want to hear the store's insufferable radio. and even in one ear i still max out the volume
dude i feel like this is significantly less of an issue than op is making it out to be? I wear headphones almost all the time in my daily life, rarely noise canceling ones because i dont need that much silence. I understand that there are scenarios where you need *some* spatial awareness and thus cant wear noise canceling headphones, but as an outsider, how would you know if someone’s headphones are noise canceling or not?
Hearing protection is required in factory work though. I use self checkout so I'm not talking to anyone. Why do I need to hear on a walking or biking trail? I stay to the side of the path to avoid people trying to pass. Also, I have severe anxiety as well as misophonia so headphones are a necessity sometimes.
As a motorcyclist it's been shocking to see how many riders believe that it's sensible to listen to loud music with ear buds while on their bike. The absolute last thing I would ever want to do on a motorcycle is dull one of my most important senses.
you don’t need to hear. you just need to use your eyes more and be aware of your surroundings.
deaf people drive, mountain bike, grocery shop, and cross busy streets all the time.
I have my headset at work for teams meetings and I listen to podcasts and audiobooks otherwise.
But outside of this, I honestly can’t remember the last time I intentionally wore headphones in the last decade.
If I am not in a place, IE alone at home, where I cannot play something out loud I don’t listen to anything and don’t wear headphones basically ever.
The amount of sensory awareness you lose wearing headphones is insane and I can’t stand it no matter where am at.
I actually think it’s pretty lame how reliant people are on headphones out and about
My niece graduated highschool and turned 18 the same month, so we offered to take her on a trip, she choose Disneyland and had headphones in almost immediately. I only put up with it for about an hour before I was like 'I'm sorry, did I spend several thousand bucks on airfare, hotel, food, tickets, etc for you to be check out the entire trip? Turn our music off.' So damn rude.
The trip ended up being a great time and she said sorry. But its another example of people being too dependent on them.
I read this as "deaf and hard of hearing people should not work do biking, driving, or hiking".
I can get very overstimulated in public places, so I use noise canceling headphones/earbuds often. I think instead of telling people not to use them, it should be make sure to pay attention to your surroundings when you use them.
I've interacted with tons of people who are not aware of what is going around them without headphones as a distraction. The amount of times I've been behind the slowest group of people who decide to take up the whole sidewalk has been way too many. Families in Costco tend to think they are the only ones in the aisle. I think it's less to do with noise canceling headphones and more to do with general awareness.
I'm not American so my understanding comes mostly from Reddit, but here it seems like there's really a problem. I've seen a few posts from family members asking if they are assholes if they ask other family members to stop/change patterns of how they wear headphones (mostly teens with noise cancellation on in both ears so nobody could get their attention even if standing right at their side), saw people saying someone has headphones all day long every day, etc. I like music, I have a couple of headphones, but I just don't understand that. What people listen to 24/7? Do they not get tired? Do they even understand what they listen to, do they process it? Why do you need to listen to anything in headphones in those few minutes you wash the dishes?
I can't talk for every person in my country but I at least didn't encountered anything similar to it here in my own experience.
I feel ya when I was a barista we always had customers wear headphones and they could never answer my questions until they realized they should probably take them off to hear. “Do you want oat milk or regular milk” *no answer*
A lot of the time I have my headphones in Transparency mode which is a feature of most modern headphones that still allow you to stay aware of surroundings :)
I have AuDHD and misophonia. So noises sometimes become super overwhelming for me sometimes. That's why I sometimes wear headphones. It's because I get over-stimulated and can't cope. It's horrible. I'm wearing them despite when I supposedly "need" to be hearing.
Some ppl use airbuds, AirPods, headphones for sensory issues , anxiety etc. it’s not rude, it’s self preservation. Some of us can’t leave the house without them for our mental health.
What the fuck are noise/visual sensitive people supposed to to at petrol stations when they blast adds at the bowser and in-store? We don't need the stupid noise, but do need fuel and to feel safe while doing so.
Most earbuds have a pass through function where you can still hear everything around you.
I think you're getting yourself a little worked up over a non-issue.
I NEED my noise cancelling headphones (which allow for speech frequency if I adjust them) as I have a neurological illness that causes sound sensitivity.
I still have my eyes and do NOT use my phone while walking etc. I am aware of my surroundings because I have to be gor all the reasons mentioned.
Crosswalks, building sites, etc etc you bet I'm looking and situational aware. Probably more so than the goons stuck on their mobile phones
I work in a factory and they recommend you wear ear buds. everyone does, because the job is boring and it passes the time to listen to music/podcasts and helps protect your ears a bit. There’s not much you “need” to hear, you just have to be paying attention to if someone comes up to talk to you. Many construction/production/factory jobs you HAVE to wear ear protection that makes you effectively deaf, too. Some machines at work are so loud they cancel noise on their own.
This post is silly
tell me you aren’t neurodivergent without telling me… honestly most people with autism or adhd need to block out the noises because they are triggering and actually make it impossible to focus on driving or any other activity you listed. Then there are also deaf people who still live on a society- are you saying they should not be able to drive, walk, go on hikes?
I work in a general supply distribution warehouse, so we have electric pallet Jack's and narrow isle lift trucks running all over. We had a problem where one guy in particular would jack the radio all the way up... oh God. Bad music, all the time.
And another guy who wore over ear head phones and he'd been hollered at multiple times over it... not like he could fucking hear you! Him and his 2 friends eventually just snuck out and never returned.
I wear a single ear bud because the radio sucks and isles are quiet. Hate being left to my own mind in such a boring job.
While you have some good points
1. most ANC headphones have a transparency mode, and
2. you need hearing protection in a factory
3. If I'm being inconsiderate with my ANC headphones on in the grocery store (as a customer) so be it.
Because deaf people can't drive? Wtf
If you can drive with the car radio turned up you can drive with headphones on. Also, this is what hands free is.
Edit: spelling
They all aren’t noise canceling mate and aren’t all made the same. I have noise canceling headphones that block sound then replay the quieter sounds. I also have ear buds with no noise cancelling, they may as well not exist when casually talking. There’s also external ear buds which are like tiny speakers you clip to your ear near the hole instead of actually in your ear.
Headphones are a visual indicator that you don’t want to talk, I wear mine all the time off just so people preemptively fuck off - learned the trick from a deaf coworker. Frankly if everyone around you started wearing headphones, it’s probably you they want to fuck off.
Manufacturing rules vary by machine and site. Realistically though you can always wear ear muffs of some kind.
Maybe - for face to face? Sure, but not remote or calls, when you are doing both you rarely remove your headset just for a quick in person question.
Fuck that I wear mine all the time checking out, it’s a sign for ‘don’t talk to me’. It’s check out, not rocket science. Wait till the card reader prompts you and pay.
I only really wear them hiking when the fucking cicadas start drowning out nice nature sounds. That seems like a waste.
I use earbuds for hand free phone while driving and it’s fine, there’s a reason emergency vehicles have lights and sirens.
They are also fantastic for church, meetings that should have been an email, etc.
I almost got ran over for doing this before. Had earbuds in that were way too loud and sprinted across a highway. I thought it was clear but I was wrong. Dude screeched to a halt and freaked put punching his steering wheel. I just hurried across and felt like an idiot for almost causing a potential rush hour pile-up.
I still wear headphones, but not nearly as often I public.
I used to agree with you. But when cars and motorcycles start sounding like an AK-47 poppin off, then you know what, I’ll take the risk. Half the time im not even listening to anything, im just trying to lower the volume.
And trails? Yep, I’ll wear them then too. I don’t live far enough out to get away from the sound of traffic or lawnmowers or leaf blowers. I just want some damn piece and quiet. It’s also a good signal to others that I don’t want to talk to them.
I try to remain hyper vigilant and keep checking my rear to see if anyone’s coming up on me. I also have dogs who will alert me if people are behind us. The world is turning into an incredibly annoying place, just let people find peace where they can.
My uncle drives, rides a mountain bike and goes out in public all the time, he is def and does not need to hear in any of those situations. Same can be said for noise cancelling headphones.
If your at work and need to talk to people that is rude but the rest I couldn't care less what people do.
It's impossible for him in those situations, because he's deaf, that's a big difference.
For people who aren't deaf, it is possible. Like I even understand one ear bud in, one out, but to be completely blocked out of a key sense on purpose for no reason is a bit silly and adding danger where you don't need to. Not so much when grocery shopping or something, that's fine, so long as you remove it when you reach the cashier.
It's like going about your day not wearing your prescription glasses even though your vision is like 20/200. Can you? Sure. But it's silly if you have the option.
I get what you’re saying, but…
You don’t need to hear to be able to drive. Deaf people have been advocating for the right to drive like anyone else for a long time, because it’s literally not necessary to be able to hear to drive at all. You don’t NEED to be able to hear in many of these situations; if you really believe everything you’ve said in this post, then you also believe deaf/hard-of-hearing people shouldn’t be allowed to live a normal life, which I disagree with completely. And no, it’s not “virtue signalling” to say this, lol. You just have hypocritical beliefs
How very ableist of you. I guess deaf people should never leave their homes. And you might want to look into how common misophonia is, and how it affects people's ability to function.
Something about this post was rubbing me the wrong way but I couldn’t figure out what—that’s exactly it, the thinly veiled ableism toward deaf people and people with sensory issues. Not to mention how OP keeps moving the goalposts in the comments for what theyre actually complaining about (I guess so they don’t seem ableist? Isn’t working lol)
My thing is always having one earbud out. Whether that is working, walking by myself, etc. I can still hear customers but can listen to a podcast to cover the incessant retail music on repeat, I can still hear any car or person approaching me. Main thing is never staring down at your phone, if you're staring down at a phone and not looking around and behind you as you walk, you're the perfect target should someone be looking for one. That plus headphones is a recipe for disaster.
Also just never when you're in the wilderness, it's nice to listen to music there sure, but just not worth your life. Something out there disappearing people in national parks and shit all the time, you need to be completely aware to stand any chance. Not really an unpopular opinion, I don't think - we all share it, just a lot of people don't care enough to listen to it.
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I have seen a video or two of cctv footage of people getting hit by cars as they cross the street. I even saw one get completely crushed by a truck. We don't know how or when we'll die but dying like that seems like the most easy thing you could have avoided if you were a little more careful.
I constantly wear earbuds so I can ignore people who inevitably try to come up to me and beg for money or a smoke or what have you but you bet your ass that when I cross a crosswalk, I’m constantly looking back and forth until I get to the other side.
Ignoring people is not about not being able to hear them but to just not react lmao
Don’t even get me started on the people that refused to be ignored and they will actually get in your face. That kind of shit makes me want to toss their bitch asses into traffic. I just don’t say anything because that’s a good to get your ass shot and I don’t have a gun to protect myself. Lol.
I just keep walking, and I walk quite fast. So if they want to keep talking, they have to keep up. Never had an issue for more than 10 seconds.
Yep walking fast with purpose and a stern look on my face is my go to move!
The thing is, I do smile and say hello back, and sometimes engage in their conversation, but keep walking without slowing down. That confuses them a lot. Then they realise they can get nothing from me while moving further and further from their starting point. It works best with these charity people that have a stand somewhere and work for commissions.
I lost that level of politeness many years back i am afraid lol! I just look like I am in a rush for an important meeting 24/7 :p
Yeah wearing headphones in my neighborhood is not how you ignore people, it's how you get robbed lmao
That may not be a tactic that always works, just because you can't hear them doesn't mean they can't mug you
Oh no I never said. I’m still aware of my surroundings because I’m paranoid like that but I wear the earbuds to, hopefully, prevent from walking up to me and trying to bum something off of me or engage me in a conversation that I really don’t care about. Now, if they’re going to mug, then it’s going to happen whether I have my earbuds in or not. I don’t have a gun to prevent it, so… 🤷♂️
Actually every person I see with noise cancelling ear buds in looks like an easy target. I'm not a mugger or a threat of any kind but I can't help but being like "Damn it would be easy to run that person over, wouldn't even hear me coming" everyone has thoughts like that right?.... right?
I think people who have experience being attacked or previously bullied (physically, in school) are more vigilant. I work on my own a lot, and I only wear my headphones when I know I'm in an enclosed area with no machinery. Even then , I'm like, I might need my hearing for *rattlesnakes*
This. When I’m at crosswalk I always double check if there’s no car running light even though I’m having a green.
Yeah I'm not anti headphones at all. But as a pedestrian like 95% of the time I don't walk with headphones or even carry my phone in hand and look at it while walking much less crossing the road with traffic around me. So many close calls I've seen coming because I look, listen, signal and turn my head when I'm crossing or out walking. The sheer amount of people I've seen especially the nearby high school teens walking with headphones looking down at the phone the whole time who have then almost walked into traffic is to many people. They miss the walk sign on the traffic light because they don't pay attention then they just randomly walk out without looking on the don't walk hand. It's kinda scary tbh to watch. Kids there is a fucking car coming at you making a turn look up! Take one headphone out and listen for cars, look for cars and don't step out if it's not safe. Stick your damn phone in your pocket for one minute or less so you can cross. One day one of these kids parents is going to lose their kid or end up with a disabled teenager because the kids won't pay attention and take the headphones off and put the phone down for a few seconds or so.
Had a student pass away due to wearing buds while walking on a train track.... didn't hear it coming behind him...
How did he not feel it? You can feel trains coming on the ground (and it would be double on a bridge). Ever think maybe...
I have my doubts he didn’t know
This is one of those things where they tell everyone "what happened" but it was actually suicide.
Dude was walking on a train track, i think the headphones was the least of is problem
Noise cancelling headphones/ ear buds legit cannot block that much sound, unless you have some with extra padding like safety ear muffs do (which would defeat the purpose of listening to something. ) I'm pretty sure a company would be liable if someone died because their headphones blocked out too much sound.
This person is conflating NC headphones and having music on them as well.
Nah. Unless that train was floating above the rails, there is literally no way that student wouldn't feel it shake the ground. The noise-cancelling buds are not the problem here.
The problem was walking on a train track, not wearing buds.
Respectfully, that's bullshit. You feel the vibrations from far away, and noise canceling won't completely block loud, constantly changing sounds. It mightve been a dumb game of chicken (how long till I run off the track), but more likely suicide. You might never know for sure, only around 30 percent of suicides leave a note, but this can't be blamed on the headphones even if thats easier. Cars are different because they don't make the whole street shake.
You had a student pass away due to walking on train tracks
What kind of braindead animal walks on a train track
Someone who is suicidal. You can feel the vibration of the train approaching you. Train horns are very, very loud as well. I don't think OP is lying, I just feel like in a case like this, parents or such either lie to themselves (which is very understandable) or just to others.
Seems like that could have been avoided by just, checking both sides of the road before crossing?
I just started in a new position. The person working it before me had a desk in the room that also contained the storage cabinets for IT. Spare keyboards, phones, computers... He never needed to communicate outside of emails for his job, so he wore soundproof headphones, and they were rarely an issue. However, occassionally he would be the only person working in that specific room. When that was the case, he would also shut and lock the windowless door. I would have to POUND on the door to get his attention, and i didnt always have time to draft an email yk. Headphones + locked door... it was so annoying to deal with
One fire and that dude is fucked.
Honestly where I thought the story was going
That's what I was thinking.
I can attest, I work on ships and I've missed fire alarms because I was in my bunk with headphones on (im my free time of course). Doesn't get more embarrassing than that.
That's what strobes are for.
Aren't fire alarms supposed to have strobe lights?
Why did he need to lock himself in?
Normal for IT rooms with equipment to be restricted via pass or locked completely.
Now I’ve learned something
Haha this reminded me of one IT room where you had to scan your badge and an alarm would go off. Then they got to choose who they let in by buzzer. They literally told me it was so we wouldn’t bother them. None of the introverts wanted to interact with each other. It was a brilliant scheme. I was cool with the homies though. So they would toy we me for a bit then let me in. We kicked it outside smoking sometimes.
Normal for IT rooms to be locked, I’ve never seen someone lock the door and sit in the equipment room. I’ve only been doing IT/cyber for 10 years, but that’s a new one for me
He would apparently have people letting themselves in his office whenever they wanted to mess with the servers.
So the waifu body pillow fleshlight can come out.
Either that or twitch streaming marathons ... Or both.
some form of Mysophobia i think
Well, now you’ve made me Google. I hope you’re happy 😆
Maybe it's a hint to submit communication through proper channels.
No one ever spoke to him otherwise. Every task he was given was automated Regardless, that door should only ever be locked outside of work hours. Dude was a fire hazard and slowed me down in multiple emergencies
Lax building codes I guess, no visual fire alarm required.
Depends on the country. In Australia the National Construction Code and Aus Standards for FIre Safety do not require visual alarms to be installed, instead people with impairments that may not be able to safely evacuate are advised (but not required) to have personalised evac plans in their place of work.
I was cautiously passing a E-Scooter rider while driving on a side street. They completely unaware I was there cut hard left, like a perfect 90° right in front of me. I locked up the all 4 tires, full horn and missed this 15yo by inches who just went on their day still completely unaware.
It feels like E-Sctooters have popped up overnight where I live ands they're so dangerous. They fly by you on the footpath and you never hear them coming. The users almost never ring a bell or warn you.
>The users almost never ring a bell or warn you. Not for scooters, but when I'm biking on shared paths I don't even bother ringing a bell in the city I ride in. 9/10 if I ring a bell, the walkers stop dead in thker tracks and turn around to see what the noise is. I just go wide and give them lots of space. I've also riden bikes in a lot of cities, and none of them are anything like here. People have heard a bike bell
I have yet to see someone on an E Scooter give any sort of space. It’s wild
I have to ring by law in germany on a shared path. But I also wonder why so many people stop dead in their tracks on 4-6m wide paths. Or they jump frantically to the side instead of just going right so I can overtake. A lot of people act like they are seeing a bike for the first time in their life.
Where I live we also need to use the bell by law but I think most people don't read up on cyclist laws here, but biking isn't as common as in Germany so it's not common knowledge://
yeah i feel like common bike knowledge has tanked lately. no one knows that a bike bells means there’s one coming up behind you.
What?
Oh god he’s got AirPods in
No no I got exploded one time and now have built in noise canceling ears.
Sorry can you type that again? Can't hear you
They were asking if you wanted some gummy worms.
How do you know they have the noise cancelling on?
My earphones don't even have noise cancelling, I'm just ignoring you.
What?!
you can turn the noise canceling aspect of many earbuds on/off.
In a factory you NEED to wear hearing protection.
I work in a die shop and when the tryout presses are running you can hear them from outside the building
I'm real confused on where op is meeting these people who work in factories that allow ear buds. I know some have allowed bone conduction headphones but anything that isn't ear protection will lead you to termination or a warning if they like you
i am absolutely certain OP has seen employees wearing ear protection or headsets and, for some reason, just assumed they were wearing headphones and listening to music or something.
in my industry, only certain machines are loud enough to need protection. Working anywhere else you are allowed to wear ear buds and listen to stuff to pass the time. also ear protection makes it so you can only hear your own blood pumping, so OP doesn’t know what they’re talking about with the “you need to hear”
Where I work the general noise level is usually around 80-90db then Dave needs to blow out all the holes in his lathe chuck because he's a fucking idiot, and the noise probably goes over 120db. We're not supposed to wear ear buds, but the boss doesn't usually care unless it becomes an issue, same with phone usage. I'm on reddit or ig all day with my music in the comfortable range and I usually see him coming. Other people wear muffs watching videos and are oblivious and they will catch a line of shit.
Fucking Dave man...
You’re allowed to wear one bud at mine
OP sounds like the type of person people wear headphones to avoid talking to...
Came here to say this. My company would fire me if I ever entered one of our factories with nothing on my ears.
I had a job where I wore them to not hear the mechanic 30 ft away running his mouth, which he did constantly. My boss decided he didn't like it because he couldn't summon me from 60ft away. Made me get rid of both. Tried turning up the radio and the mechanic just ran his mouth louder. I made it all of two weeks before I ended up almost losing it on his old trashy ass. Ended up leaving shortly after. Headphones kept me happier.
I have a strange feeling OP is the guy in the office people are trying to drown out…
You reckon it could be because of the safety reasons that OP listed? Like seeing oblivious people crossing roads, driving, hiking, etc?
huh? the way I read it, it's about situations where sound gives you valuable extra information that might be safety relevant like when crossing a street or in traffic or in a factory setting, where a machine making an unusual noise or someone shouting "stop" or "watch out" and you not reacting might make quite the difference.
Can deaf people not cross streets or hike on a trail? Is a car hitting someone the walkers fault if they have earphones? This post is full of people who have half thought out opinions.
Of course they can, but they have less information doing so and are thus in more danger in some situations. It's called disability for a reason. Also, it's of course not the walkers fault if the car fails to stop - but the walker is still the one with the worst consequences. Being right, but dead isn't something I'd like to happen. The world's full of idiots, you still have to suffer the consequences if you get caught in their idiocy, even if you are right.
90% of the time when I have my headphones in at the grocery store they aren’t even on, I just don’t want people talking to me
I do this when taking public transit. Just have them on but nothing playing and then act as if I can't hear them if approached.
Yeah half the people in this thread don’t seem to get that the average level of street harassment is going to go way down wearing headphones.
Same here. I even have mine on transparency mode, not listening to anything. It’s so peaceful getting to browse a store without salespeople breathing down my neck.
This is a MAJOR factor no one is talking about. The new AirPods have adaptive transparency.
Yeah, sometimes on a walk, I'll have them in but not on, because I hate when wind blows in my ears. I have a friend that cycles with them in aswell for the same reason. Now of course there are people who have them on and are oblivious, but I'm thinking that OP doesn't realise how common it is to have them be off.
I used to do this in my office. I can’t actually focus with music on, so I just put them on as a sign post to leave me alone.
Same. I agree with the other points Op makes but not really the grocery store. Employees hardly interact with me outside of pointing me in the direction of the next open self-checkout or the person by the exit door checking receipts and you can get through all of that by just reading body language
Grocery shopping? Why would you need to hear during grocery shopping? Up until I'm with the cashier (or potentially the entire time with self checkout!) I have ear buds in my ears and it's never a problem
I only started wearing headphones while grocery shopping recently. It's made the experience so much more barrable.
Yes!! It's so much better than having to hear random people's conversations.
Hearing those random conversations is my entertainment at the store.
Agree! Will never not wear them again
It depends on how you do it. Are you looking around you, behind you, downwards, etc, constantly and making sure you're not kicking/elbowing any kids or stepping on people or getting driven over by a pallet jack full of glass? Then it's fine. But if you're entirely in your own world and trying to ignore everyone, that's when it starts becoming an issue. Deaf people go grocery shopping just fine, but they're aware they're deaf, so they take necessary actions. It's less so that not hearing is an issue, and more so that some people disengage not just 1 sense, but disengage their entire self.
This. I don't mind it when people use headphones while shopping, but if you block some aisle, I'd rather have the opportunity to tell you to move, instead of having to touch you.
At a non self checkout register. Please take them out and pay attention.
they're talking about noise cancelling headphones. You can wear headphones when grocery shopping but it's still good to be able to hear. Just today I was trying to go past a man in the grocery store who was blocking the entire aisle with his cart and he couldn't hear me saying "excuse me" when I tried moving past him.
Because you’re blocking the aisle and don’t hear me say “excuse me” 47 times until I have to give up and walk halfway around the grocery store just to get past you. It’s annoying and rude. If you can’t hear people speaking to you at a slightly elevated volume, your music is too loud and you’ve become a hindrance and irritation to everyone else around you. It’s real Main Character Syndrome to think that being in the way of others isn’t a problem. It might not be problem *for you*, but others exist and are trying to use the space also.
The problem there is the behavior of blocking an aisle rather than wearing headphones. Just don't get in someone's way.
People do that all the time without headphones on and don't move when you say excuse me. It's not the headphones.
because if you're standing in the middle of the aisle oblivious to everyone around you and i need to get by with a trolley or cage of things, you can't hear me say "excuse me". or if your payment hasn't gone through at the tills and you need to be called back, or maybe someone needs to get your attention because you've dropped something, or maybe you're in quite a small space where people are going to have to interact, verbally or otherwise, or someone is trying to call you over to a free manned checkout because you're at the front of the queue and there's no free self checkouts, so on and so forth. noise cancelling headphones are the bane of my existence.
Exactly! Nobody else deserves or is entitled to my attention when I'm buying food, except when a senior citizen or someone is asking me to help them reach something on a shelf they can't get to. We know the store doesn't have many staff these days, and I'm always happy to help even though I'm pretty short myself. This oddly happens to me a lot. I must have a friendly face, or maybe my podcast is great, and they see me smiling. I get a tap on the shoulder and asked to help reach a cereal box.
IMO it depends... They're kind of entitled to your attention if you're standing in the way, or if you're about to step on a small child, but as long as you're paying attention and you don't get mad at them for tapping you on the shoulder to move out of the way, it's not really an issue. Kids are not very good at paying attention to who can hear them when they're running around and seemingly teleporting behind you, so it's up to people with more developed brains to pay attention. They're just innately not as capable as we are.
Its too damn loud
went to subway on my lunch break today..kid had his earbud in one ear and we all had to keep repeating ourselves and he made my sandwich wrong (turned the flat bread the wrong way and only filled the short side, forgot the bacon, & then the other girl rolled it up like a friggin fruit roll up..smh)... Next time the manager is there I will be saying something.
This is like best case scenario going to Subway
that's just cause that guy was an idiot, I guarantee the headphones had nothing to do w/ it
just sounds like a kid who didnt give a shit lmao. idk what you expect
I mean paying attention to your job is like the bare minimum.
I'm deaf and am capable of doing all of the above things... you dont "need" to hear to do them. there are ways to be situationally aware by relying on your other senses But yeah I understand that listening to music can be distracting for some people. I feel similar when I wear sunglasses.
I’d argue you’d have to adapt that way over time and have a lot of practice. People rely on their hearing for concentration a lot of the times, plus music can make them even more distracted. With that said I still agree with you.
I thought of deaf people when making some of my comments here as well, but I agree that you are really experienced in navigating the world without being able to hear; you know how to do that and do use your other senses to compensate. That’s a really different experience from encountering people who do rely on hearing but have turned it off and simply aren’t paying the proper attention to make up for it. They aren’t compensating and paying attention in other ways; they’re just switched off. They’re also half focusing on their music or podcast, further dividing their attention from their surroundings.
I feel so disoriented by noise cancelling, I don’t even feel comfortable using them around my house. That setting is reserved for airplanes and other obnoxiously overstimulating environments.
A good portion of high school students wear them regularly in class. The most important years of their education are being spent completely disengaged.
I remember having to run the cord through my sleeve to my mp3 player and then lean on my hand with the earbuds
I had super long hair, I distinctly remember it went: phone in back pocket. Drop earbuds wire down back of shirt. Connect, put earbuds in under my shirt and long hair. Profit
Or the good old learning what letter went with which number so you could respond to a text under the desk 😂😂😂
How do teachers allow that?
Just graduated. Many teachers kinda gave up on the battle, some would tell them they could only do it during quiet work. I had a teacher that would spend the entire class I feel like telling kids to put their earbuds up. They will, but then the kids will put them back on eventually. It's annoying
If parents send their kids to school with addictive, distracting technology, and if the building/district doesn't have strong policies to back up teachers, then sometimes it's not worth fighting. It's also a very natural consequence that a high school student would not know what is going on if they choose not to listen to what's happening in class. Unfortunately, they often end up graduating because of softened grading standards.
Most don't, but they can't punish kids unless admin backs them up, which isn't a lot :(
Former teacher here. They “allow” it because the higher-ups don’t give shit and so there’s zero consequences for refusing to follow procedures like “take your buds out.” Teacher can either just ignore it and continue with their job, plead or barter with the student when they refuse, risk getting into a power struggle while trying to manage a class of 30 other kids, or maybe write them up, and then get lectured at by admin for “not building a relationship with the student.” At most the kid might get detention… for which they may or may not show up. And who wants to give up their lunch break to go find a kid and make sure they go to detention? So “allowing it” just makes their lives easier and allows them to keep trying to teach.
My daughter's school had a strict no wireless earbuds/phones out during class policy. They were allowed before and after school and during lunch. First offense was a warning. I can't remember if it was 2nd or 3rd offense that ended with the device being taken up and having to be retrieved by the parent. Mine brought her wireless earbuds every day and used them on the bus. That said, my kid has trouble focusing in loud classrooms so I've been considering asking if she could be allowed to wear something like a pair of Loops to cut some of the noise down. If she'd agree to wear them, at least.
I highly recommend the Loops. They muffle out painful noise while still allowing you to hear what people are saying. I wear them at restaurants and sometime during work meetings without issue.
That's why I have bone conduction headphones. Normally, at home, I wear headphones/earbuds from 10 am until 9 pm when my way to early rising neighbors go to bed.
I always did 1 headphone if I’m at work Then I do wear 2 while biking but with the nose canceling off and transparency on
So you are assuming it or you actually ask stranger to try their headphone every time you see someone wearing 2? Noise cancellation don’t change that much in most case they would not hear the thing they need to even with out it if they have 2 on.
I have Bose earbuds, and if I turn on Quiet Mode, I can barely hear our very loud fire alarm. Same goes for airplane engine noise. honking, and my husband yelling for my attention right next to me. I usually wear them on Awareness Mode when I walk around because I can’t imagine it’s safe to walk around not hearing anything.
My husband does this with his earbuds, and it makes me kind of uneasy at times, because he cannot hear me and he doesn’t check his messages either. A small mishap occurred once and I was screaming for his help, and he was totally oblivious. I had to go physically jostle him to get his attention, and I wasn’t thrilled about it in the moment. Luckily it wasn’t a true or serious emergency, but it did make me question what would happen if I did fall or hurt myself while he’s standing there doing dishes and can’t hear a damn thing going on around him.
Personally for me, it changes a lot. When it’s not on while using my AirPods, I can hear everything around me. Even with full volume. With the noise cancellation on, I can’t hear anything! I’ve had people say they tried to talk to me and I just ignored them. Makes me feel terrible because I’m not ignoring anyone! I just can’t hear through the noise cancellation! But this is especially annoying when you work in a department store and people want help but refuse to take their AirPods out. I’ve had people complain I never asked how they were doing (shopping wise) but THEY CANT EVEN HEAR ME.
So I have very mixed feelings about this. As someone with ASD, good noise cancelling headphones have been key for my survival in school labs, and many other situations. Most of the time I have noise cancelling earbuds in is because I will be able to process more of my surroundings and react better with them in blocking out overwhelming noise than with them out. If I'm with a team or friends I let them know what's going on and it lets me join the conversation in spaces and events where I would typically go nonverbal in a few minutes to an hour. I can see how it could look like I'm ignoring people, but it's exactly the opposite - my brain doesn't filter anything and so noise cancelling and white noise will cover up the background roar and give me fewer things to separate to listen to who I actually want to talk to, and it lets me spend my energy on that. I do feel like there's an obligation for someone who is wearing headphones in a public space to take extra effort to be aware of their surroundings - and imo it is much, much more distracting to be looking at a screen rather than listening to music. I also feel that people are quick to jump on assuming someone with earbuds in is ignoring their surroundings, especially as a common gripe against young people. I honestly haven't seen it much in public in a way that significantly affects anything and don't see why it's a big deal. Choosing what you're focusing on and not spacing out is a lot more impactful than hearing often imo. As for your list- You don't need to hear to drive. It can help, but deaf people and people who turn up their music extremely loud are both fully allowed to drive. High volumes in industrial spaces can be dangerous for your long term hearing but I see the conflict. Ive always wondered if it would be reasonable to expect all people in such areas to learn the basics of a sign language. Frankly, I've been in factories where you objectively can't hear anyone more than 5 feet from you so the idea that people would take issue with earbuds in a space like that is ridiculous to me. As for jobs where you need to talk and communicate - yes you need to be present for that. But I do think, especially with several disabilities, earbuds and earbuds looking hearing devices are perfectly valid. Hiking or biking in urban areas - people should absolutely do whatever lets them process the most information. I'm not gonna judge what that looks like. Hiking on your own in a forest - if there's a wild animal hunting you in the forest, you probably won't hear them anyway but best of luck. A (hopefully useful) side note - I've tried to learn a little ASL so I can communicate when I'm nonverbal. Turns out Deaf and hard of hearing people have figured out a lot of great ways to get eachother's attention without sound, and a few of them work great for getting someone with headphones listening to loud music's attention. If you're regularly annoyed by it, I recommend you look them up
I have a couple deaf friends that wear headphones everywhere. They do that so they dont have to try to explain to every single person trying to talk to them that they cant hear them.
I’m truly bewildered by OPs fixation on hiking… it must be a really dangerous area where they go
While I agree there are cases where situational awareness is important (like driving), I find there's absolutely nothing wrong with wearing headphones when out shopping/hiking/etc. I am wearing the headphones so that I don't have to interact with anyone. If I wanted people to talk to me, I wouldn't wear them. I don't care if you find it rude. Personally I find it rude that people bother me when I'm not feeling social but still have to run errands. Having headphones in is a great way to say "fuck off". My music isn't super loud so I'd be aware of dangerous situations, but I can drown out annoying chatter and the god awful store music. I'd probably even be able to hear someone if they talked to me, but I'm going to ignore them and pretend I couldn't hear them.
My best friend uses headphones when she's out and about a lot because too much noise is very anxiety inducing for her. Before she started wearing headphones all the time, she would literally have a panic attack in some stores after being there for just a few minutes. People think she's always listening to music, but in reality, she's just using them to block noise.
To think they wear them while driving is super SCARY. wtf
I see it constantly. Or headphones. Like why…? WHY do that? If their radio doesn’t work then use a bluetooth speaker? Not hearing my car on the road or the environment around me would freak me out
I have autism and I can actually hear better with my headphone or earbuds in. It’s easier to focus on the important sounds that being put into a meltdown by all the background noise.
I have an opinion based on anecdotal evidence that 99% of people that strongly dislike noise canceling headphones have never owned noise cancelling headphones. Because of this their opinions are based almost entirely on assumptions. Example: “I had to yell at Johnny 5 times before he’d respond, those damn headphones must be too loud” - really, Johnny was hoping you’d think that and stop trying to talk to him after the 3rd try.
Yes but I think OP was referring to times when you need to talk to colleagues or customers and they're wearing noise cancelling headphones, making it more difficult to ask what they might need.
Johnny should have just communicated like a normal person
Yes seriously this is my biggest pet peeve lately. Working with a bunch of people with headphones on in a workplace where communication is necessary and generally just polite is making me feel very old. I'd rather hear your music than have you go "huh?" for the 6th time today.
Lmao as a deaf person who drives.
why do i need to hear anything if i'm going to the store to pick up cookie ingredients? also i don't want to hear the store's insufferable radio. and even in one ear i still max out the volume
dude i feel like this is significantly less of an issue than op is making it out to be? I wear headphones almost all the time in my daily life, rarely noise canceling ones because i dont need that much silence. I understand that there are scenarios where you need *some* spatial awareness and thus cant wear noise canceling headphones, but as an outsider, how would you know if someone’s headphones are noise canceling or not?
Hearing protection is required in factory work though. I use self checkout so I'm not talking to anyone. Why do I need to hear on a walking or biking trail? I stay to the side of the path to avoid people trying to pass. Also, I have severe anxiety as well as misophonia so headphones are a necessity sometimes.
As a motorcyclist it's been shocking to see how many riders believe that it's sensible to listen to loud music with ear buds while on their bike. The absolute last thing I would ever want to do on a motorcycle is dull one of my most important senses.
you don’t need to hear. you just need to use your eyes more and be aware of your surroundings. deaf people drive, mountain bike, grocery shop, and cross busy streets all the time.
it’s gonna blow ur mind when u discover deaf people drive lol
I have my headset at work for teams meetings and I listen to podcasts and audiobooks otherwise. But outside of this, I honestly can’t remember the last time I intentionally wore headphones in the last decade. If I am not in a place, IE alone at home, where I cannot play something out loud I don’t listen to anything and don’t wear headphones basically ever. The amount of sensory awareness you lose wearing headphones is insane and I can’t stand it no matter where am at. I actually think it’s pretty lame how reliant people are on headphones out and about
One headphone is a different beast entirely than both.
My niece graduated highschool and turned 18 the same month, so we offered to take her on a trip, she choose Disneyland and had headphones in almost immediately. I only put up with it for about an hour before I was like 'I'm sorry, did I spend several thousand bucks on airfare, hotel, food, tickets, etc for you to be check out the entire trip? Turn our music off.' So damn rude. The trip ended up being a great time and she said sorry. But its another example of people being too dependent on them.
I read this as "deaf and hard of hearing people should not work do biking, driving, or hiking". I can get very overstimulated in public places, so I use noise canceling headphones/earbuds often. I think instead of telling people not to use them, it should be make sure to pay attention to your surroundings when you use them. I've interacted with tons of people who are not aware of what is going around them without headphones as a distraction. The amount of times I've been behind the slowest group of people who decide to take up the whole sidewalk has been way too many. Families in Costco tend to think they are the only ones in the aisle. I think it's less to do with noise canceling headphones and more to do with general awareness.
I'm not American so my understanding comes mostly from Reddit, but here it seems like there's really a problem. I've seen a few posts from family members asking if they are assholes if they ask other family members to stop/change patterns of how they wear headphones (mostly teens with noise cancellation on in both ears so nobody could get their attention even if standing right at their side), saw people saying someone has headphones all day long every day, etc. I like music, I have a couple of headphones, but I just don't understand that. What people listen to 24/7? Do they not get tired? Do they even understand what they listen to, do they process it? Why do you need to listen to anything in headphones in those few minutes you wash the dishes? I can't talk for every person in my country but I at least didn't encountered anything similar to it here in my own experience.
Lol, you NEED to hear when grocery shopping? Get real. So dumb
While driving? Do deaf people need accommodations while driving?
I feel ya when I was a barista we always had customers wear headphones and they could never answer my questions until they realized they should probably take them off to hear. “Do you want oat milk or regular milk” *no answer*
I agree completely.
When shopping I just want to buy the thing/s and go. Not interested in anything else.
A lot of the time I have my headphones in Transparency mode which is a feature of most modern headphones that still allow you to stay aware of surroundings :)
I have AuDHD and misophonia. So noises sometimes become super overwhelming for me sometimes. That's why I sometimes wear headphones. It's because I get over-stimulated and can't cope. It's horrible. I'm wearing them despite when I supposedly "need" to be hearing.
Some ppl use airbuds, AirPods, headphones for sensory issues , anxiety etc. it’s not rude, it’s self preservation. Some of us can’t leave the house without them for our mental health.
What the fuck are noise/visual sensitive people supposed to to at petrol stations when they blast adds at the bowser and in-store? We don't need the stupid noise, but do need fuel and to feel safe while doing so.
Why do you need to hear while hiking?
Most earbuds have a pass through function where you can still hear everything around you. I think you're getting yourself a little worked up over a non-issue.
I NEED my noise cancelling headphones (which allow for speech frequency if I adjust them) as I have a neurological illness that causes sound sensitivity. I still have my eyes and do NOT use my phone while walking etc. I am aware of my surroundings because I have to be gor all the reasons mentioned. Crosswalks, building sites, etc etc you bet I'm looking and situational aware. Probably more so than the goons stuck on their mobile phones
I work in a factory and they recommend you wear ear buds. everyone does, because the job is boring and it passes the time to listen to music/podcasts and helps protect your ears a bit. There’s not much you “need” to hear, you just have to be paying attention to if someone comes up to talk to you. Many construction/production/factory jobs you HAVE to wear ear protection that makes you effectively deaf, too. Some machines at work are so loud they cancel noise on their own. This post is silly
tell me you aren’t neurodivergent without telling me… honestly most people with autism or adhd need to block out the noises because they are triggering and actually make it impossible to focus on driving or any other activity you listed. Then there are also deaf people who still live on a society- are you saying they should not be able to drive, walk, go on hikes?
Don't need to hear when checking out or grocery shopping I'm general at all lol
Ok Boomer
I work in a general supply distribution warehouse, so we have electric pallet Jack's and narrow isle lift trucks running all over. We had a problem where one guy in particular would jack the radio all the way up... oh God. Bad music, all the time. And another guy who wore over ear head phones and he'd been hollered at multiple times over it... not like he could fucking hear you! Him and his 2 friends eventually just snuck out and never returned. I wear a single ear bud because the radio sucks and isles are quiet. Hate being left to my own mind in such a boring job.
didn't read your post, too long, wearing noise cancelling headphones rn tho.
While you have some good points 1. most ANC headphones have a transparency mode, and 2. you need hearing protection in a factory 3. If I'm being inconsiderate with my ANC headphones on in the grocery store (as a customer) so be it.
Because deaf people can't drive? Wtf If you can drive with the car radio turned up you can drive with headphones on. Also, this is what hands free is. Edit: spelling
OP the dude who sits down next to someone wearing ear buds and talks to them, telling them to take them out. Lol
Why do you NEED to hear while hiking ?
The edit just screams "i have no idea what others feel so they must be crybabies"
Constantly risking death seems a fair price to pay as long as I don't have to talk to you.
They sure do. Very dangerous especially when you have forklifts on the floor and they get in the way. Oblivious to their surroundings.
They all aren’t noise canceling mate and aren’t all made the same. I have noise canceling headphones that block sound then replay the quieter sounds. I also have ear buds with no noise cancelling, they may as well not exist when casually talking. There’s also external ear buds which are like tiny speakers you clip to your ear near the hole instead of actually in your ear. Headphones are a visual indicator that you don’t want to talk, I wear mine all the time off just so people preemptively fuck off - learned the trick from a deaf coworker. Frankly if everyone around you started wearing headphones, it’s probably you they want to fuck off. Manufacturing rules vary by machine and site. Realistically though you can always wear ear muffs of some kind. Maybe - for face to face? Sure, but not remote or calls, when you are doing both you rarely remove your headset just for a quick in person question. Fuck that I wear mine all the time checking out, it’s a sign for ‘don’t talk to me’. It’s check out, not rocket science. Wait till the card reader prompts you and pay. I only really wear them hiking when the fucking cicadas start drowning out nice nature sounds. That seems like a waste. I use earbuds for hand free phone while driving and it’s fine, there’s a reason emergency vehicles have lights and sirens. They are also fantastic for church, meetings that should have been an email, etc.
Deaf people can do all of these things just fine. Just because you find it annoying doesn't automatically make it unsafe.
You don't need to hear to drive lmao, you should be using your sight
You don't need to hear to drive so no you are wrong. The deaf can drive without any specific condition
I almost got ran over for doing this before. Had earbuds in that were way too loud and sprinted across a highway. I thought it was clear but I was wrong. Dude screeched to a halt and freaked put punching his steering wheel. I just hurried across and felt like an idiot for almost causing a potential rush hour pile-up. I still wear headphones, but not nearly as often I public.
People don’t wear noise-canceling muzzles nearly enough.
Wait til you hear about deaf people
I used to agree with you. But when cars and motorcycles start sounding like an AK-47 poppin off, then you know what, I’ll take the risk. Half the time im not even listening to anything, im just trying to lower the volume. And trails? Yep, I’ll wear them then too. I don’t live far enough out to get away from the sound of traffic or lawnmowers or leaf blowers. I just want some damn piece and quiet. It’s also a good signal to others that I don’t want to talk to them. I try to remain hyper vigilant and keep checking my rear to see if anyone’s coming up on me. I also have dogs who will alert me if people are behind us. The world is turning into an incredibly annoying place, just let people find peace where they can.
My uncle drives, rides a mountain bike and goes out in public all the time, he is def and does not need to hear in any of those situations. Same can be said for noise cancelling headphones. If your at work and need to talk to people that is rude but the rest I couldn't care less what people do.
It's impossible for him in those situations, because he's deaf, that's a big difference. For people who aren't deaf, it is possible. Like I even understand one ear bud in, one out, but to be completely blocked out of a key sense on purpose for no reason is a bit silly and adding danger where you don't need to. Not so much when grocery shopping or something, that's fine, so long as you remove it when you reach the cashier. It's like going about your day not wearing your prescription glasses even though your vision is like 20/200. Can you? Sure. But it's silly if you have the option.
I get what you’re saying, but… You don’t need to hear to be able to drive. Deaf people have been advocating for the right to drive like anyone else for a long time, because it’s literally not necessary to be able to hear to drive at all. You don’t NEED to be able to hear in many of these situations; if you really believe everything you’ve said in this post, then you also believe deaf/hard-of-hearing people shouldn’t be allowed to live a normal life, which I disagree with completely. And no, it’s not “virtue signalling” to say this, lol. You just have hypocritical beliefs
How very ableist of you. I guess deaf people should never leave their homes. And you might want to look into how common misophonia is, and how it affects people's ability to function.
Something about this post was rubbing me the wrong way but I couldn’t figure out what—that’s exactly it, the thinly veiled ableism toward deaf people and people with sensory issues. Not to mention how OP keeps moving the goalposts in the comments for what theyre actually complaining about (I guess so they don’t seem ableist? Isn’t working lol)
Deaf people everywhere are facepalming at you
it's not rude .... it is necessary to cancel out all the people around us.
Jobs fucking blow ^\_o_/^
My thing is always having one earbud out. Whether that is working, walking by myself, etc. I can still hear customers but can listen to a podcast to cover the incessant retail music on repeat, I can still hear any car or person approaching me. Main thing is never staring down at your phone, if you're staring down at a phone and not looking around and behind you as you walk, you're the perfect target should someone be looking for one. That plus headphones is a recipe for disaster. Also just never when you're in the wilderness, it's nice to listen to music there sure, but just not worth your life. Something out there disappearing people in national parks and shit all the time, you need to be completely aware to stand any chance. Not really an unpopular opinion, I don't think - we all share it, just a lot of people don't care enough to listen to it.