Slate’s Farhad Manjoo and Emily Yoffe had a discussion today about whether or not it’s rude to talk with your earbuds in. But is rudeness the issue with this particular practice, or is it another factor entirely?
It’s not that rude. Sure, someone barking at you with their earbuds in is kind of annoying. But not because it’s rude, or because I find it particularly offensive. But rather because it probably means they’re using crappy headphones.
If, after hitting pause on your phone or MP3 player, you can hear what someone is saying well enough to where your first instinct isn’t to pull your earbuds out, they probably have a terrible pair of headphones that don’t block out external noise well at all. And someone treating their ears like that is unforgivable.
Someone will eventually tell them they look like a damn idiot. Which they do. And hopefully they change their ways. [Slate]
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