this post was submitted on 14 Sep 2026
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Fuck Cars

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But the most significant change in modern science is not just about the amount of noise, but how we experience it. Noise is no longer understood solely as a problem that affects hearing, it is also recognised as a systemic environmental pollutant. Transport noise is now one of the leading environmental cause of illness in Europe, second only to air pollution.

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[–] godsammitdam@lemmy.zip 17 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Dude, drinking water isn't even a right according to our supreme court.

[–] tyranny@crazypeople.online 1 points 2 days ago

hmmm i wonder what country this person could be from. hundreds to choose from, perhaps I'll never know.

[–] CADmonkey@lemmy.world 13 points 6 days ago (1 children)

I moved to a rural area in early 2025.

Its so quiet. Sometimes Douche Baggins is running his or her turbobdiesel F4000 dually down the road too fast, but usually its just wind, roosters, frogs, and bugs.

Before this I lived in a suburb. Roaring cars constantly. There was a period of two months where semi trucks were driving down the street in front of the house one right after the other, constantly, day and night. A stroad down the street was noisy all the time.

[–] JustPlainDave@lemmy.zip 5 points 6 days ago

Sounds like more of a Sackville-Baggins activity.

[–] moldy_rice@piefed.keyboardvagabond.com 13 points 6 days ago (1 children)

I'm very curious to see this study replicated in Latin America.

My experience here is dreadful. I have stress, insomnia, and irritability from the constant noise from traffic (there's a near constant blast of cars with megaphones repeating an amplified voice of some merchant selling something like gas or brooms or juice or buying scrap metal or whatever).

On the other hand, most of the locals literally don't notice the noise. They can sleep through it all, even fire alarms.

The evolutionary argument is interesting, but I really want to see this study repeated and confirmed in cultures that are largely ambivalent about noise pollution

[–] rollerbang@lemmy.world 9 points 6 days ago (1 children)

I hear you, absolutely dreadful. I also wonder how can people ignore those "sounds" so effortlessly.

[–] overcast5348@lemmy.world 11 points 6 days ago (1 children)

It's just what you're used to, in a way.

I grew up in a noisy third world country and could've slept through a drummer 10 ft away. I then moved to a first world country and have now gotten used to the relative silence that I experience here, despite living in a downtown area of a major city. Going back home to visit my parents is a nightmare because I the up waking up a million times every night because of all the sounds around.

Visiting cousins/friends who live in the suburbs of my new country gives me the creeps because of how much more quieter it is. So I end up getting nightmares of being in some post apocalyptic world when I stay over at their places. So, I can't sleep through complete silence either. 🤷‍♂️

[–] rollerbang@lemmy.world 4 points 6 days ago (1 children)

I'm not convinced. It must depend on the person. I've lived in such a country for way over a year and I could never get used to it.

[–] moldy_rice@piefed.keyboardvagabond.com 9 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

When you're a a baby that falls asleep on a rickety ass bus bouncing around and blasting Latin music with loud brass instruments, it's the comfort that rocks you to sleep.

If you experience that all through adolescence, it's normalized. When you're adult that's lived through it your whole life, it's normal.

That's completely different than someone getting used to it

But I still think it's unhealthy for everyone, as the article points out

[–] CH3DD4R_G0BL1N@sh.itjust.works 11 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) (1 children)

I’ve had seedlings of this idea earlier this year so I’m happy to see this. It’s my fault for letting it rile me up so much, but neighborhood security cameras that make fuckass noises or yell “HI UR ON CAMERA” anger me to a likely unhealthy degree. They take a peaceful enough morning dog walk through a relatively low traffic noise neighborhood and shatter my peace of mind absorbing what little nature sounds I can. I’ve already made peace with myself that everyone now is too big a paranoid piss baby that they have to have their doorbell cams and other cams hoovering up my image into the panopticon against my will and consent. But then to have them fucking talk at me is beyond the pale.

[–] HerbalGamer@sh.itjust.works 9 points 6 days ago (2 children)

neighborhood security cameras that make fuckass noises or yell “HI UR ON CAMERA”

Those exist??

[–] AlligatorBlizzard@sh.itjust.works 9 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) (1 children)

One of my old neighbors had one. I would walk by it every day walking to the bus stop, I started flipping it off. So fucking annoying.

[–] mrgoosmoos@lemmy.ca 9 points 6 days ago

I'd bring an air horn with me

I'm so tired of assholes just ruining things for others, if it's going to happen to me then we're all going down, fuckers. I'm not going to just tolerate the bullshit and abuse anymore

like LED headlights. if I can't see, my LED high beams are turning on so that you can't see either. I didn't start this, you did. sorry to the people behind the offending driver that I am possibly affecting but can't even see. that asshole driver will just keep doing the same thing if they don't feel any consequences.

[–] moldy_rice@piefed.keyboardvagabond.com 7 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

They're popular in my country. The camera swivels to follow you as you pass, and when someone walks by it screams over and over

YOU ARE UNDER SURVEILLANCE

...which is doubly insane because only like 10% of the population understand English in this country

[–] culprit@lemmy.ml 6 points 6 days ago

Cities Aren't Loud: Cars Are Loud

Urban noise is a common problem, and the vast majority of it is created by motor vehicles. Noise is far too often dismissed as a minor nuisance, rather than the legitimate health issue that it is.

The book "Curbing Traffic" has a chapter about the health impacts of noise pollution. I explore the research in the book, and visit Delft, the city that is highlighted in the book as being a shining example of what can happen when noise pollution is taken seriously.

This video explores the problem that farting cars, farting motorcycles, and farting mopeds create in our cities.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTV-wwszGw8

[–] DJKJuicy@sh.itjust.works 9 points 1 week ago

I'll pencil that one in right below healthcare and education.

[–] hanrahan@slrpnk.net 7 points 6 days ago (1 children)

endless barking dogs is my main noise gripe, fark....

[–] Goldholz@lemmy.blahaj.zone 6 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Crying children in public spaces where you cant just get away from them, mine

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[–] chunes@lemmy.world 5 points 6 days ago (3 children)

ironically, cars are the only thing that allow you to live a quiet life out in the country

[–] Johnmannesca@lemmy.world 9 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Until they build a datacenter nextdoor, that is

[–] JustPlainDave@lemmy.zip 2 points 6 days ago

Luckily you can still buy tannerite at Tractor Supply for that eventuality.

[–] moldy_rice@piefed.keyboardvagabond.com 6 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

Nah, just live in a reasonable country with public transportation that runs through the country.

Hell, even the US has trains that mostly go wayyy out in the middle of nowhere

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[–] Baguette@lemmy.blahaj.zone 4 points 6 days ago

I have mild tinnitus so i forgot what quiet is

[–] ScoffingLizard@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

Leaf blowers are even worse. I thought about it recently, and literally every time I've lost my temper in the last 25 years, it's been because someone was making noise.

As I read this, I hear the truck selling gas blasting it's "gas for sale" tune. And the neighbor's blasting bad music. And dogs barking.

It's 07:00 AM.

[–] CommanderCloon@lemmy.ml 3 points 6 days ago (2 children)

Correlation vs causation maybe?

Yeah I wanna see the paper to see if they controlled for this

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