It is a Friday and it is 2:30 in the afternoon. I pull up to my home and I can no longer hear what once held my interest on the vehicle’s radio. The thought that clouds my mind is why doesn’t this place blow up or evaporate into thin air. More than ever, I want to be an assassin today. I want to assassinate these speakers, all speakers that would dare disturb my peace or the peace of this nature isle.
Before everyone jumps to conclusions, I do love music, I enjoy a jam with sweet sounds that force one off a chair, gets the feet tapping, the waist moving, the heading nodding, and eventually captivates and moves the body as one entranced. I think back to those University days when on a Saturday morning as a cross country team we would arrive at our destination, coach would park the van, we would open the doors having been restrained in the van to move only shoulders, heads and snap fingers to the alluring sounds of whatever was being emitted from the vehicle’s speakers, be it our Caribbean jams, or the latest Rhythms and Blues. We would, now on our feet and with time before the whistle for the start of the three- or five-mile run, warm up to the sweet rhythms and take our minds for a few minutes off the task at hand. So, I do love music! I love a good party and I would even enjoy what was being emitted from these speakers if I could hear the lyrics and feel the beat. What I feel, however, is the vehicle shaking, my head throbbing, and when in my house, the walls vibrating and of course, the sounds of the windows and doors rattling. So yes, today I want to annihilate those speakers.
I can imagine several of you dismissing my feelings and merely laughing off the idea of music being unbearably loud. Why not? The “nature” isle has become loud and so few understand the concept of quiet or music being played to a certain decibel that I accept the laughable nature of my complaint. We drive past schools, hospitals, courts, churches and in these places, everyone is forced to press mute until the “noise’ is no more and life can continue as they should in these places. We even drive into our neighborhoods at all hours of the day creating a racket, enough to raise the dead. We wake babies, traumatize our elderly, force into earshot lyrics so crass, so sexually explicit, so unsavory, and so unedifying. Sometimes I wonder whether the noise that we have grown to love is meant to attract or repel others, to show whether we have progressed or regressed as a society, to interfere with opportunities for introspection and so give a false sense of growth and development. Whatever it is meant to do, it does it well. This noise we have embraced, and we relish allows us little time for thought, but why should we think?
I am often forced to accept that I live in a country where laws don’t matter as I am certain that somewhere on the law books, there is “a noise abatement act”, but there are all types of laws in Dominica to govern all kinds of things because laws must be written; it is the norm. It is what is done in all societies, so we do it. We waste resources to employ legal minds to write laws, and we waste time and resources to ensure that they are legislated. Then, we ignore them because our country is special. It does not really matter whether there are laws or not, once you are in Dominica, you are free to do whatever you want; there will be no consequence. In fact, doing what one wants is often facilitated. Permission is granted for night clubs to be built and operated in residential areas without the requirement that the sounds be contained within the building. In certain communities, elderly citizens are tortured all night long by the sounds vibrating from these night clubs, and no one cares. There is no cut of time for noise in our communities, and no law enforcement officer will dare interrupt a jam to remind the organizers that they should turn down, or turn off the music as they have gone past the lawful time for noise.
It is 3 am on Saturday. I pull my pillow a bit more under my head; it seemed to have had its own agenda during the night, or I seemed to have had mine. I am now wide awake. I lay on my back and listen…. the sounds soothing; the water lapping on the shore reminding me of its presence, the night creatures harmoniously serenading those like me who have enjoyed blissful rest. Time dead marches on and I am fighting the urge to remain captive to nature’s symphony as an ungraded English paper has decided that an invasion is necessary. It has arrived with a roaring engine and a booming speaker to remind me that time has marched on. I long again to be an assassin. I want to lay in wait and watch the huge black boxes on wheels explode as they drive past, and I will breathe a sigh of relief as silence reigns.
I totally agree with the writer. Just yesterday I had to ask a bus driver to lower his music. His response to me :mammy if I have to play my music loud you would not be able to stay in the bus.” It is so disturbing. The young children coming up have no silence in which they can do their homework because they too ate bombarded with loud music in their neighbourhood. Sad!
The same govornment thats been having motocades in the city and all over the country one behind the other?
I agree some of the guys go overboard.
I always speak to guys about playing loud music.
1.A baby is around ,low down the music.
2.Elderly people around
3.The schools
4.Police station
5.The court house
6.Residential areas after 11:00pm
I wont sit here read this and leave y’all bash everyone.
Oh Ye Hypocrites!!! how quickly you forget.
The same ones who are complaining about the “noise” today forget when they were stone death in the days of their youth.
I get it though!!! The musical styles and beats of today do not resonate with you as the loud jams did back-in-the-day.
I fully understand your progressive aversion to the loud decibels which emanate from the airways and beyond; however, I implore you to honestly recall the days of your youth when you cared very little about the possibility of the music blowing out your eardrums.
DNO: Thanks for your service and the opportunity to learn and share; however, I sincerely believe that this opinion piece is nothing but a BIG FAT NOTHING BURGER and a waste of space and time!!!!!
Noise! Noise1 Noise! I cannot not agree with the writer because I too suffer form this era of noise pollution. We talk about Climate Change form a global perspective. Here in the Nature Island we have noise pollution which is quickly becoming a fashionable way of life and nobody seem to care with the proliferation of the growth in membership of the “like it loud” club of motorists. It matters not what time of day or night. Respect for the rights of others to freely enjoy their peace and quiet is out of the window. Anyone daring to complain becomes the offender – not wanting others to enjoy themselves. As far as they are concerned, only their rights to full their head with noise matters. Any attempt by you to insist on your right to a peaceful existence free of that social outrage is met with scorn and ridicule by the perpetrators. Sadly the authorities seem uninterested for fear of offending the youth. Even law enforcement find solace in that practicing that outrage.
We do have a noise abatement act, the Dominica Noise Abatement Act of 1993. Unfortunately, not many people Do take notice of this, let alone, observe it. It does not help either when authorities, who should set an example appear to promote the notion that laws are there but do not necessarily apply to them.
When you tell Dominicans that the quality of life in New York City is better than that of Dominica, they vehemently disagree with you. From violating traffic laws, to not waiting their turn in line, to discarding their garbage anywhere they so desire, Dominicans are the worst violators of the law. The speakers blasting in front of those stores in Roseau, would not happen in the cities I have lived in many parts of the world.
I agree goverment should do somthing to help vonerable and elderley and stop lound musik in residetial area
The same govornment thats been having motocades in the city and all over the country one behind the other?
I agree some of the guys go overboard.
I always speak to guys about playing loud music.
1.A baby is around ,low down the music.
2.Elderly people around
3.The schools
4.Police station
5.The court house
6.Residential areas after 11:00pm
I wont sit here read this and leave y’all bash everyone.
Are you referring to the same Government who had trucks and vehicles all over the city and every village in Dominica with no respect to the police stations and fire stations ?
Well written. Kudos to the author.
This is more than a nuisance, it is harming everyone involved. Extreme noise exposure causes auditory center brain damage yielding the condition known as tinnitus – lifelong “ringing in the ears.”I can guarantee that the extreme noise levels also puts off tourists – and anyone – who knows better than expose themselves to such injury. Noise ordinances are needed to help stop the harm being caused. We refuse to go to such establishments. This is not a “grin and bear it” issue. Would anyone put up with people beating up people in the streets? This type of harm is just as real.
I had similar experiences a few years ago when on three different occasions, by three different neighbors, at about 6:30 am, the neighborhood was forced to listen to very loud music.
I very nicely told one that he had very good taste in his music collection, but it was a bit early to be playing his music so loudly. He politely told me “but it was after 6 am and that it was OK”. He even said he didn’t turn up the volume to the max.
The other two were born again Christians who thought it was their duty to wake us all up listening to gospel and country and western music
While vacationing in Antigua about 20 years ago, I bumped into a resident Dominican lady who was complaining about “foreigners”, meaning overseas Dominicans, who wanted to change their culture of playing music loudly. She was more specifically referring to returning Dominicans who had resided in Britain.
Since then, I have learned to grin and bear it until my time is up to leave the island.
Many people feel your pain. They are told they have to drag the person to court, expensive so we are afraid. But to those who can fix it for sake of society, elderly and those affected, the deliberate constant loud sound is ‘NIMBY: it’s NOT IN MY BACKYARD’ so ‘they’ do nothing about it, and have rendered this well written law,….a waste of time. Or until people start taking the law into their own hands.
The noise-makers have, by constant noise making, managed to get rid of night clubs in Dominica. Well I think there may be one left, I doe know where.
You see, anyone with half a brain, armed with the government blessings and police disregard for the pain inflicted to neighbors and this well written ‘Noise Abatement Act’ opens a few boxes of corned beef, Buster, beer, some bakes and acra, then places heavy speaker boxes OUTSIDE and puts music in their neighbors’ a** ..all day, if they want. Sick, the stupidest backward thing, this is sick. This has to stop!
Here in Bronx, NYC the thump thump blasting causes house to shake, loss of sleep and music loud can be heard in winter with windows closed. We know the type of music and who causing this problem; noise laws are in place but it is not “priority” for police to take action. One morning 1:30 am music blaring and these immigrants decided to have auto repair work done on my residential street with equipment drilling. They stopped after my screaming at them but summer coming soon and more aggravation. No respect is left in society whether in big city or on Caribbean island. A friend on Bermuda had to buy ear plugs for all the noisy shows that take place; it is a universal annoyance. Our rights no longer exist.
I know just what you mean, and these are moving targets. At least they did the humane thing and stopped when you screamed. If NY cops had got there before you yelled out, it would be a different ball game. They would be stopped or someone be headed to jail for the night, their law has some teeth. Here in the Bronx I’ve seen them instruct ppl at parties that a neighbor complained to ‘turn it down and if we have to come back someone is going down with us’. I bet you they turned it down. We all love music. THAT’S ALL WE ARE ASKING, you don’t have to stop just f’ing turn it down. In Dominica they don’t enforce they don’t f’ing turn it down, it’s called torturing the neighbors with impunity. The police, and government officials take part while neighbors suffer. Our rights do exist but some take advantage of others due to the non-enforcement.
Nice article, Karen. I have often commented the need for noise abatement when I come home on vacation. The problem everyone knows a politician or policeman who is the offender’s, so he gets a pass.
Let’s set up a loud speaker suicide squad! Including the trucks, the buses, the roadside bars and even some popular restaurants on the bayfront. Not to forget private vehicles. And certain churches as well. I’m in it!
Funny that, except it is not funny. At times when I ask religious gathering to keep the noise down they getting indignant and say they are praising the Lord, as if that is an excuse for their assault on my ears. Well my Christian friends, God is not deaf you know, remember that and behave in a more Christian fashion with respect for your neighbours. God does not tell you to make them suffer with your exuberance.