Generally when you ride the subway in NYC there is a cacophony of background noises to accompany your ride – air conditioners, the wheels on the steel tracks, the occasional announcement. (Oddly though, no one really talks to anyone else. )
Back in the 80’s, there was a problem with people bringing boomboxes and other devices on to the trains and blaring music (or so I am told). Today, however, with the proliferation of Ipods there is once again music on the train but this time it comes from people blaring their headphones too loudly. Sometimes all you can hear is the base line, other times you can actually stand next to someone and heard an entire song, instrumentals, vocals, all of it.
I did not notice this trend until I was in a conversation the other day, but, almost everyday I find myself in close proximity to someone listening to music too loudly. If this occurs elsewhere, and not just in NYC, there is going to be half of a generation with serious, serious hearing problems.
The investment play, long hearing aids.
