Super true. Go to any modern concert, or even most movie theaters, and much of the experience will be well over 80, and even 90db. This is frankly unacceptable.

Super true. Go to any modern concert, or even most movie theaters, and much of the experience will be well over 80, and even 90db. This is frankly unacceptable. Even the supposedly good standards for audio engineering (Dolby atoms and IMAX) — which specifically make sure theaters are following the spec — are over 90db. A wedding DJ had the music at over 90db in a small venue recently. The last concert I went to, which had good audio engineers, was over 90db for nearly the whole thing. My theory is that audio engineers are mixing live venues after already having hearing loss, thus normalizing hearing damage for everyone else as well. I strongly believe regulation is needed to combat these problems. Firstly, a venue should not be allowed to damage one’s hearing with loud speakers. I think it’d be reasonable to require nearly all of any auditory experience to be under 80db. Secondly, city noise pollution is a huge health problem as well. Most of it comes from car tire noise or strangely loud engines (like Harleys), so preventing that should be a priority. Walk along the waterfront in any city, and the overwhelming audio source is the white noise of car tires on the uncovered freeways. It’s hard to imagine how wonderful these places could be if those sounds were much more muted. I have no problem if you want to have fun with a loud thing, but do it out in the middle of nowhere! Like any kind of pollution, we have a right to live without others negatively affecting us. I think law has not really caught up in these areas of human rights.