But the most significant change in modern science is not just about the amount of noise, but how we experience it. Noise is no longer understood solely as a problem that affects hearing, it is also recognised as a systemic environmental pollutant. Transport noise is now one of the leading environmental cause of illness in Europe, second only to air pollution.
I’ve had seedlings of this idea earlier this year so I’m happy to see this. It’s my fault for letting it rile me up so much, but neighborhood security cameras that make fuckass noises or yell “HI UR ON CAMERA” anger me to a likely unhealthy degree. They take a peaceful enough morning dog walk through a relatively low traffic noise neighborhood and shatter my peace of mind absorbing what little nature sounds I can. I’ve already made peace with myself that everyone now is too big a paranoid piss baby that they have to have their doorbell cams and other cams hoovering up my image into the panopticon against my will and consent. But then to have them fucking talk at me is beyond the pale.
Those exist??
One of my old neighbors had one. I would walk by it every day walking to the bus stop, I started flipping it off. So fucking annoying.