Why? Just why?
That is the question that pops up each time this happens. Each time the walls and floor start shaking because of giant speaker pumping loud music… IN AN APARTMENT BUILDING.
It’s not a dramatic crying “why?” like “why me?”. Generally I try to be as empathic as I can, so the “why?” is genuinely trying to understand the logic behind somebody blasting music or movies at insane volumes, clearly knowing and being conscious they do have people next, or under or above them, and knowing there is no possible way they’re not gonna feel the repercussions…
And believe me. It’s not a problem with music, I’m a music obsessive myself (and a vinyl freak, but that’s a whole different article). It’s not even a problem with volume levels either. I’m a rock musician. I go deaf after two hours of loud rock and roll on a weekly basis at rehearsals. It’s a problem with absolute lack of consideration. And honestly I don’t think It’s either that simplistic. Maybe littering the streets, leaving the house messy for someone else to clean it up, avoid work and let other people take the extra burden, those things sounds like “lack of consideration”. They can generally be disguised as “oh sorry, I didn’t realize about that” and you can probably believe or expect that from some people.
But I just can’t for my life picture one single circumstance in which you pump your soundsystem to a level that YOU KNOW everybody else is gonna feel the tremor, for ANY other reasons other than just deliberately wanting to disturb people’s peace. Maybe you need attention, and like a 8 year old you just can’t tell between getting it for the good or bad reasons.
Oh and of course. Usually these people don’t just listen to loud music, but they just NEED to extend their habit until the wee hours of the night (say 2 to 3 am). Because why wouldn’t they enhance a terribly annoying habit by doing it at a time when most normal (sane) people are sleeping?
I know for a fact this has happened to you. It happened to me twice already. The worst thing of all is that I moved from an apartment I loved, because of a loud neighbor. Now I love in another I don’t love as much, next to a loudER neighbor.
And before you suggest it, yes. I tried. I tried messaging, I tried the doorbell, I tried complaining to the building’s administration. I tried being polite, I tried being friendly, I tried being funny, I tried being stark, I tried being kind of an asshole, I tried being enraged (virtually, I despise any kind of violence). I even tried “eye for an eye” until I realized how stupid it was that someone who hates loud music at home was fighting it with more loud music at home.
Yes I also tried calling the police, mind you. This is usually the exchange:
- ‘We received complaints about loud music coming from this apartment’
- ‘Oh sorry officer, I’ll try to keep it down’
- ‘Thank you, have a nice day’
These police complaints are apparently valid for about a maximum of one week. After which it all comes back to the same routine. Rinse and repeat.
Nothing works. You know why? Because if ANY of these previous methods did work, it would mean this person would have had the minimum requirements of common sense that would have prevented him from doing this in the first place. Just like you, Just like me. Just like any regular “shit giving” person.
So, it might not be the most hopeful message to take away from this, but if you are going through this, MOVE. And nope, that’s not even going to be a guarantee that it won’t happen again. But at least you were conscious enough to make the positive change eventually. You can do it again. Just like me…
And to anyone living above, under or next wall to somebody and listening to loud music with big speakers… just know that you are at least ruining somebody’s life.
