Perhaps this is more of a “big picture” life question than something specific to airports and airplanes. Heck, maybe I just need to see a therapist and figure out why this gets on my nerves so much. I figure I’m not alone, though, so I’m curious how the OMAAT community feels about this…
Frustration with people not using headphones in public
For some reason, a surprising number of people think it’s appropriate to do various activities without headphones in public — this includes video calls, playing video games, watching TV shows, or even blasting music.
Frankly I don’t get it. At all. I don’t expect the whole world to be like Japan, but how is it that a not-insignificant number of people think this is appropriate? It’s bad enough to do this in public or in a terminal, but it’s even worse to do it on a plane (which is a confined space where you can’t leave) or an airport lounge (which is supposed to be a place to get away from the hustle-and-bustle of the terminal… well, in theory).
While the noise is frustrating enough as is, I think what really gets to me is how selfish it comes across. What goes through someone’s mind when they watch TV clips on their phone at full volume without headphones? As someone who lives in Miami, I find this to be the biggest issue when flying to & from my home airport, as it’s just an accepted practice there. However, it’s hardly the only place where this happens.
Some annoying examples, as this is a global issue
At Miami Airport, it’s just totally common to be there at 6AM in the Admirals Club, witnessing everything from someone conducting a video call without headphones, to someone watching a video of soccer game highlights without headphones (in Spanish, of course, so you get to hear the “GOAAAAAAAAL” being yelled constantly), to someone playing a shooting video game without headphones.
In fairness, though, this isn’t exclusive to Miami. For example, during a recent extended layover at Ho Chi Minh City Airport, I witnessed much of the same. Several people in the lounge were having (what sounded like — my Vietnamese is a little rusty) extended phone calls with family and friends, where one can hear everything being said on both sides of the conversation (well, assuming you speak Vietnamese). You’ll be shocked to hear the guy having the loudest conversation also had his feet on a table with his shoes off. Nice.
Half the time I’m not sure what I find worse — the lack of respect for others, or the complete lack of any desire for confidentiality with whatever matters they’re dealing with on the phone or video call. I don’t typically invite strangers in on my phone calls.
Even after boarding my Emirates flight in Ho Chi Minh City, I witnessed a couple of business class passengers making extended phone calls on speakerphone, and those didn’t stop until the crew asked them to put their phones away for departure.
While I’m randomly ranting, can I also mention how annoying those people are who feel the need to pace around the lounge while making phone calls? It’s typically also the people who talk the loudest while on the phone. Sure, please, don’t just annoy a section of the lounge, annoy everyone!
How do you deal with these total jerks, if at all?
I’m curious how y’all feel about this. Am I off base for finding not using headphones in public to be terribly inappropriate, or am I in the minority and need to get over myself?
Some might say “well just put on a pair of noise canceling headphones.” Practically speaking, that doesn’t work all that well. Noise canceling headphones typically do a great job canceling out consistent noises (like the sound of aircraft engines), while they don’t do a great job canceling out other audio, like people talking, music, etc.
If you’re as annoyed by this stuff as I am, what’s the correct way to deal with it? I’m a much more passive person than I used to be. I avoid conflicts at almost any cost, because I’m just damn tired and don’t think they’re worth it. But I also hate myself for not saying anything, if that makes sense.
So what’s the correct thing to do?
- Not say anything, and just deal with it? That’s what I’ve been doing, but I’m also irked, so…
- Say something directly to the person? This would be the most satisfying, but is also most likely to lead to a confrontation, which I’m looking to avoid
- Bring it to the attention of the flight attendant and lounge staff? I hate putting them in an uncomfortable situation, and sometimes it can be hard to handle this subtly
- Buy headphones in bulk, and passive aggressively hand them out as needed? This actually seems sorta fun and productive 😉
- Take the “if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em” approach, and simply blast something louder than the person who is being annoying, or make a phone call even louder, to prove a point? I can’t decide whether this would work well or lead to a bad situation
I recognize I’m probably not going to be able to change the world and get people to stop being so selfish. However, it feels good to at least be able to talk about it, in hopes of me not being alone in feeling this way.
Bottom line
For whatever reason, some people seem to think it’s totally acceptable to blast their phone calls, TV shows, music, and video games, for everyone on an airplane and in an airport to hear. The public at large not being terribly considerate of others is nothing new, so I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised. But somehow this still really irks me…
Anyone else as annoyed by this practice as I am? If so, how do you deal with it, if at all? How do we solve this issue, or how do we at least find zen?
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