NOISE INITIATION CEREMONY

Federico Miyara

 

Our modern society has established certain guidelines for social life initiation, amongst which we find in a quite consistent fashion from childhood through adolescence, the crude exposure to very intense sounds. As early as kindergarten birthday parties, kids are exposed to very loud music and encouraged to play noisy group-games such as answering together with shouts, or using whistles, rattles and other high sound level toys. As a matter of fact, a children's party without a considerable racket would be considered an abnormally boring party. Children's shows such as movies and theater also take place with an exceedingly loud sound accompaniment, which in its turn stimulates frantic movements and a lack of concentration within the young audience.

The sound level keeps growing when pre-adolescents start to attend dance parties. The desire to hear loud music is already taking shape at this time. This is apparent when pre-adolescents and teenagers listen to music consistently at a high volume. This is an important factor in family disputes and in the generation gap between parents and teenagers.

When somewhat later teenagers start going to discos, a noise "addiction" of sorts tends to mount as the desire for exposure to loud music becomes chronic. At this stage, Walkmans and Discmans become very important personal gadgets. Teenagers are able to listen to very loud music without having to bear the angry reactions of the occasional neighbours. This makes those little appliances highly desirable. This trend deepens when they jump from disco to night clubs, where the stentorian kingdom of the sound power reaches its maximum expression, with two-hour exposures to sound levels which are harmful for even a couple of minutes.

This process resembles other addictive processes, such as smoking or alcohol drinking. It starts with a natural rejection, overcome only thanks to social mimicry, thanks to the desire to not be"different" and to conceal "weaknesses". As the organic effects increase, the sensibility to the aggression gradually disappears, and at the same time more intense a stimulus is required to accomplish the same subjective effect. It is an established fact that a human being's protective mechanisms gradually weaken as a result of a repetitive aggression. Among these are warning signals such as rejection, discomfort or pain.

In the specific case of loud sounds, one of the most evident effects is hypoacusis, or hearing loss. This effect bears several undesirable social consequences, such as oral communication handicap, social isolation, learning difficulties and loss of job opportunities. Unfortunately, the individual notices his or her handicap when it is too late, since it is the consequence of the irreversible destruction of the inner ear sensory cells. Indeed, this process is fairly gradual (in most cases taking several years), and the individual adapts easily to each of the small steps towards deafness. As a rule, hypoacusis is "discovered" by other people, such as relatives, acquaintances or doctors who are consulted for some other reason.

There is a simple rule of thumb to estimate the hearing impairment that a given individual might suffer after several years of repetitive exposure to very loud sounds or noises. After hours of exposure to noise hearing acuity is temporarily reduced, resembling the irreversible loss which would take place after several years. This rule is most useful to assess potentially hazardous situations.

It must be pointed out that at equal sound level, the most beautiful music comprises the same risk as the most disturbing noise, since it is at the cerebral cortex where they are actually discriminated--far beyond the internal ear, where irreversible damage takes place.

There are several possible reasons to explain this veritable (auditive) mutilation rite during the social life initiation. First, we have an ceaseless increase in the community noise level found in large cities. This threshold must be generously exceeded in order to get a meaningful sound experience, i.e., one capable of masking the constant uproar of machines, engines, vehicles and people. Second, background music at public places is an eternal backdrop, which stimulates the high volume setting when music is intended to be actually listened to, in order to accomplish the necessary contrast. Popularization of audio and TV equipment capable of delivering fairly high amounts of sound power at very low prices is another element. But one of the chief reasons is perhaps the lack of formal and informal knowledge about noise, its causes, and effects.

Unfortunately, several researchers have long been warning us about the likely possibility that next generations might be hearing-impaired, along with the trouble this will pose not only for individuals but to society.

It is imperative that we do something before it is too late. Though it is the State (in its various decision-making levels) which, by means of adequate ordinances, acts or bylaws, should encourage a healthy society, responsibility belongs to everybody. Individuals should insistently demand an agreeable and healthy soundscape. When, at a public or private place, they find themselves faced with a sound aggression, they should lodge a complaint to the people who are responsible for it.

For instance, if at a party or public show the sound level is as high as to produce discomfort or even pain, people should ask to lower the volume. At the same time, they should demand from their representatives that regulations addressing noise pollution issues be discussed and carried. They also should require from the executive authorities that those regulations be effectively enforced. This is the only way to stop the catastrophic process of massive mutilation of one of the human being's most fundamental and essential senses.

 

Rosario, June, 1997

This article was previously published in La Capital, a newspaper in Rosario, Argentina

 

E-mail: fmiyara@fceia.unr.edu.ar
Top
Home
Español