Blasting Music

The article ‘Sound Blaster’ that appeared in the Straits Times on January 7th, 2007, discusses the issue of teenagers ‘blasting’ music on public transport, such as on the bus or the MRT. Most people feel that it is very inconsiderate and rude of the teenagers to play loud music in the public transport, as other people might not like it and find it irritating. There was a lot of feedback about this issue on Stomp, the Straits Times interactive portal, and most of them disapproved of teenagers ‘blasting’ music, as there might be “nursing mothers, elderly people or weary office workers trying to get a short rest during their journey back home.” However, most of the writers wrote that they would not tell the teenagers off for ‘blasting’ music, as they would not want to create a scene, but on the other hand, the teenagers interviewed said that they would apologise and turn off the music if other people complained to them.

Personally, I feel that listening to music on public transport is not wrong, but playing it loudly and disturbing the peace might be going a little overboard. We should always think about others first before thinking about ourselves and if playing loud music would make others feel frustrated or upset, then we should not do it but instead find alternative means to listen to music, like using a earpiece to listen, which would kill two birds with one stone, as it not only allows the person to listen to his favourite tunes, but also not disturb the peace of the environment. The onus is on the teenagers to be considerate and have empathy for the people around them, and not only to think about themselves only.

Moreover, the other commuters who feel irate about teenagers ‘blasting’ music should stand up for their values and tell the teenagers to turn off the music. As the article claimed that most teenagers would be willing to apologise and turn off the music if someone stepped forward to complain, the other commuters should have the courage to tell the teenagers that they are disturbing the other people. It is also the responsibility of the other commuters to tell the teenagers as they might not know that they are disturbing the people around them.


Title of Article: Sound Blaster
Author: Benson Ang
Publisher: The Straits Times
Date: January 7th, 2007