Do They Need Help - or Just a Volume Control?
@Ruby3881 (1963)
Canada
April 3, 2016 12:30pm CST
The Bug and I were home alone at bedtime last night. The Wolf had taken our "surrogate daughter" home, and my two older girls went along for the ride. My youngest was at a friend's house for the night, so I was hoping to settle into bed early and enjoy some peace and quiet.
No such luck!
The neighbours from across the back fence were kicking up a huge ruckus. At least I think it was them. Sound travels oddly here, so it could have actually been someone on the street next to their house. In any case, there was some sort of kerfuffle that I could hear even with all the doors and windows closed against the cold night air.
Some woman or girl was screaming.
I couldn't tell if she was just excited and talking loudly, or whether she was angry or upset. The sound was muffled, and I couldn't make out what she was saying. I wondered if she was in trouble, but there didn't seem to be any urgency or fear in the screams. She may have been having a fight with someone, but it did not sound like she was being hurt.
I opted to just ignore the noise, as there are frequent incidents of very noisy children or loud family discussions coming from their yard. It may be just the way sound carries (they have an oddly shaped yard, and it's raised about two feet higher than ours.) And it may just be they're a bit of a noisy family.
But I did find myself thinking that with their frequent noise - especially the children who scream and shout excessively in that yard with some regularity - all the neighbours probably tune them out.
So would any of us hear them if someone they really needed help?
It's kind of like the boy who cried wolf. We aren't likely to take yelling from their yard seriously, because they do far too much of it....
Have you ever lived near someone who seemed in need of a volume control switch?
[Image: Prawny/Pixabay; CC0]
10 people like this
9 responses
@Morleyhunt (21741)
• Canada
3 Apr 16
I have a brother who not only needs a volume control he also needs an on-off switch.
1 person likes this
@Morleyhunt (21741)
• Canada
3 Apr 16
@Ruby3881 I often remind my grandchildren.....inside voices.
1 person likes this
@Ruby3881 (1963)
• Canada
3 Apr 16
@Morleyhunt The problem with that is these kids are outside! I honestly think, based on the times when it's worst, that the parents shoo them outside and let them yell like that. They don't want to hear it, and can't be bothered to quiet the children.
1 person likes this
@BelleStarr (61463)
• United States
3 Apr 16
We live in a neighborhood with large yards and we are on a corner so we don't hear much noise here.
1 person likes this
@BelleStarr (61463)
• United States
5 Apr 16
@Ruby3881 Yes it does sound as if you hear way too much. In the summer late at night we can sometimes hear the freeway that is 5 miles away, the summer night is that quiet.
1 person likes this
@Ruby3881 (1963)
• Canada
4 Apr 16
Lucky you! We're boxed in between two houses, and the noise carries terribly. The police station is just down the street, so of course we hear a lot of sirens when there's an emergency.
We also live right at the corner of the street that leads out of town in both directions, with the brewery just below us and the train tracks in between. The noise is far from constant, but when we do hear it, it's loud!
It's a great location, from the point of view of services. But it's busy for a residential street in a rural town.
1 person likes this
@cupkitties (7421)
• United States
4 Apr 16
lol My older daughter actually. If you tell her to turn her music down, she'll just barely touches the knob and of course that doesn't lower the volume in the least bit.She doesn't understand or argues that "It isn't even that loud". Same with her speaking too. She has almost gotten her self into trouble a few times with that loud mouth. I'm thinking some hearing issues may be involved, that or just complete obliviousness.
1 person likes this
@allknowing (153544)
• India
4 Apr 16
It would be the case of 'wolf wolf' and no one will come to their aid.
1 person likes this
@Ruby3881 (1963)
• Canada
4 Apr 16
Yes indeed! It's a shame some folks don't seem to understand this. If one day they need help, it will be difficult to get.
@TiarasOceanView (70020)
• United States
3 Apr 16
Have I ever omg..talk about noise.
On top of all the shouting, I once had people upstairs that lived for noise, but on top of that (and this was not their fault) the floorboards were creaky as an old pirate ship, I mean louder than humanly tolerable.
As far as crying wolf, yes where I live here in these apartments, any number of issues could be going on, but because of the constant shouting etc, one does not know if it is indeed an emergency of some sort. And life goes on...
1 person likes this
@Ruby3881 (1963)
• Canada
3 Apr 16
I see you know what I'm talking about! It's funny, because we live in a small townhouse complex on a street that is mostly single family dwellings. A few doors down there is a group home for disabled adults, and across the street is the public library. Despite the fact that more people use these properties, they are generally very quiet. The real noise comes from the single-family homes around us!
1 person likes this
@TiarasOceanView (70020)
• United States
3 Apr 16
@Ruby3881 Yes and I understand what you mean about how the noise carries in a weird way.
1 person likes this
@acelawrites (19272)
• Philippines
3 Apr 16
They could be so inconsiderate of their neighbors. You and your neighbors should complain to the authorities about it. Or you can approach them in a nice way. I guess if you have a remote control to "mute" them, you will be so happy! ha ha ha!
1 person likes this
@Ruby3881 (1963)
• Canada
3 Apr 16
They're not really breaking any noise bylaws (except maybe that screaming girl last night) so there's no point reporting it. And people generally try not to get in each other's business. It's more an observation, than anything.
I've lived through much, much more noisy and inconsiderate neighbours. These ones may not be winning any medals for friendship, but they are more than tolerable.
1 person likes this
@Juliaacv (56218)
• Canada
3 Apr 16
We live in a rural village, and the best part of that is the size of our yards, and the fact that we have an open field behind us, so no neighbours there. We can however hear the female head of the household when she is outside, on both sides of our yard. Both women are loud, and it makes me cringe.
1 person likes this
@crazyhorseladycx (39503)
• United States
3 Apr 16
we'd a neighbor down the road'n which they'd get into screamin'/cursin' matches. i put a stop to such. warned 'em once that if'n such occurred yet 'gain, i'd call the law 'n let the sheriff sort't out. 'course, they didn't heed my advice 'n 'fter 2 'visits' from the law, the landlord told 'em to move.
1 person likes this
@Ruby3881 (1963)
• Canada
3 Apr 16
This particular instance was not frightening, which is why I say I don't think she was in trouble. But I have had the experience of hearing someone who did seem very troubled. It's definitely frightening!
