Staying Fit
David Weissberg
I grew up in the 1970s and ’80s going to see bands such as Judas Priest, Rush, Heart and U2. Coming home with our ears ringing (sometimes for days) was common for my friends and me after a loud show.
As I’ve gotten older, my musical tastes have expanded, and I’m usually content to listen at a much more reasonable volume. At times, though, I crank up those speeding ticket-inducing songs.
AARP Membership— $12 for your first year when you sign up for Automatic Renewal
Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine.
As the saying goes, “If I’m listening to ‘Kashmir,’ so is everybody else.”
Los Angeles Metro reportedly has been playing classical music at high volume 24/7 to persuade the unhoused people living in its stations to take up residence elsewhere. This is part of a broader effort to increase safety that includes updated lighting, fencing and more security cameras. The joint effort with law enforcement began early this year after an uptick in crime and a decrease in ridership.
Though Metro reports that the efforts are having the desired effect, advocacy groups for the homeless, who apparently don’t like Beethoven, Mozart or Gershwin, suggest this treatment is a form of torture.
“This is despicable,” tweeted Scott Hechinger, a civil rights lawyer. “Sonic torture of people without homes in LA.”
“Playing the high energy classical music really gives it the Clockwork Orange feel,” wrote Twitter user henryfung@onewilshire.la, referring to the 1971 Stanley Kubrick movie in which the British government attempts to reform a violent criminal by using audio and visual means.
To counter the opposition, a Metro spokesman claimed that the music was played at 72 decibels, which is slightly louder than an ordinary conversation. The Los Angeles Times tested that claim by carrying a handheld meter into a station. The meter suggested the sound levels averaged 83dB and peaked at 90dB in some areas.
I spent many years as a safety officer at an organization, so hearing protection is in my wheelhouse. OSHA standard 29CFR1910.95 sets the Permissible Exposure Level (PEL) for an eight-hour workday at 90 decibels.
More From AARP
10 Long Lost Courtesies
Forgotten etiquette that needs to make a comeback
Heroic Uber Driver Stops to Rescue People From Fire
Fritz Sam ran into a burning building — and still got his passenger to the airport on time
Breaking New Trails
The return of the American Western, just in the nick of time