Music and More...at Low Volume

So, apparently... Yahoo! News (if you can believe anything from Yahoo!) delivered us a story of a guy who was fined $150 for playing -rap- music too loudly.

Truly. Very few people like rap music.

It's annoying.

But, you know what? If he's not breaking a noise ordinance (which, I can't imagine he was since it was his car stereo), you don't really have the right to fine him.

Le gasp!

Ya see... there's this document that you may have heard of (and if you haven't, why are you just now starting to read this blog?!) called the U.S. Constitution. And attached to this "Constitution" is another document called "The Bill of Rights." If you're born in America or have become a naturalized citizen or were born abroad to American parents, you're covered by these "mythical" documents.

Your choice of music falls under the category of "free speech," also loosely called "freedom of expression." I don't particularly care for rap music. In fact, I prefer steampunk or power metal. Maybe some industrial or gothic metal. The list goes on, really. But, I think the only "rap" I like is old MC Hammer and very little Eminem. Obviously, I don't like them enough to give them links. It's not my thing, really. I'm a classically trained vocalist. Why do I want to listen to rap? Most of them don't enunciate and half of what they say isn't even actual words...it's slang. "Bling bling"? Sorry. "Lavish." Yes, use intelligent sentences and words with me, please. I will count you among the unemployable otherwise.

Back on topic.

This kid (college student...roughly 18-21) was given the opportunity to reduce the fine to $35 if he spent 20 hours listening to classical music--like Bach, Beethoven, and Mozart.

Now, I adore Beethoven. I love Rachmaniov...Rimsky-Korsikoff, and Tchaicovsky. Through in some Stravinsky, and I'm a very happy Rogue Assassin. But even I--a classically trained musician--could not listen to TWENTY HOURS of classical music.

Excuse me? I need a beat, please.

I don't particularly care for mariachi bands. Especially when they play at 9am in my driveway at my apartment complex. Yes, this has happened. I wanted to see if that trumpet player could play the trumpet after it was shoved up his rear...probably. There's plenty of refried beans to be had. Anyway. Even though they're annoying and they play the same three chords over and over and over and over again... and they're LOUD... fining the people that hired them probably isn't the best thing in the world.

I bet that kid doesn't turn down his music. I bet ya it makes him turn it up louder. It would me. Not because I have an infite amount of cash (I'm a writer. How much do you think I get paid for this? Don't make me have to put in a

button to donate to my paypal account). It's because I, by my very nature, am defiant.

I know.

I can hear you gasping from shock.

Common Sense for $1000, Alex

Cell phones.

They're a great tool to use to call people and chat and stay in contact with people 24/7. Of course, if you haven't contracted brain cancer from all the radiation caused by these cell phones, caused yourself sterility, blown up your car while pumping gas and talking on your cell phone, then you probably have a brain cell or two left in your head that are, hopefully, still functioning.

So...

With said functioning brain cell, I would expect the common sense to not do something, like, say... texting while driving your car. Call me crazy. Call me naive. Just don't call me the Text Driver.

Come ON, people! Why do we have to make a law to OUTLAW this?! Common sense should tell you -not- to text someone while you're driving your freaking car. Is it really that important to text someone while you're on the road? No. What did you do in the days before cell phones and text messaging? You waited until you arrived at your destination and you called the person from a land line.

Or you waited until you saw them in person.

With today's tech-savvy world, we've seem to have lost the ability to, I dunno, THINK. We allow these devices--everything from cell phones to PSP's to whatever else--control what we think, do, and experience. If it's not a movie or music, it's a video game or a computer. If you want a cross-section of how unintelligent our society has become, you simply have to go to Yahoo! Answers or YouTube and read the comments.

Apparently, society has become stupid enough to necessitate a law dictating our own safety.

And it's not for the safety of the drivers who are stupidly texting. It's for the safety of the drivers who have to be even more alert for the idiots.

Do us all a favor and just DRIVE. Better yet... take a bus.