How Germany's love of silence led to the first earplug

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-35122755

by miraj • 11 years ago

73 11 11 years ago

adrianN• 11 years ago

I've tried Ohropax ear plugs, the wax, foam, and silicone variety and didn't like them very much. So I did a little research on the Internet and bought Laser Lite earplugs. They are very comfortable and dampen sound _much_ better than Ohropax products.

panamafrank• 11 years ago

The germans love for silence can be evidenced in the reviews for earplugs/protectors:

http://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B004RANCEA/

mrec2• 11 years ago

Oh God, I have a pair of those and they're fantastic. My only complaint is that they're too bulky to be practical while sleeping.

myztic• 11 years ago

Saw, clicked, read, ordered.

Why did I never think of this before, it's so obvious, but I never considered this to be an option, and yet I actually have to deal with street noise I find distracting.

Thank you ;)

elimik31• 11 years ago

Noise like living next to an airport, a train track or a loud street can make people sick, no matter if they are German or of some other nationality. There is scientific evidence for that, which is why there is a need for regulations and people can complain if there are violations. Maybe this is something typical German, the idea the things have to be done the right way.

We have five senses, all of which are important, which is why in my opinion, architecture shouldn't be only about the "seeing" aspect. Sound architecture is a good thing, but I never thought of it as something typical German before.

In Germany there is the opinion that if you are speaking the truth, there is no need to shout. That might be also a reason why our politicians are quieter. Being loud is often seen as a sign of passion, but not a sign of reason. Well, our political debates also become quite loud and I could only wish they were all about reasoning.

"Kids' playgrounds across Germany are notable for the lack of noisy children as parents and teachers fear neighbours' reprisals."

In my experience that's usually because many children prefer staying at home and play video games and/or because of the poor state of many playgrounds. Playgrounds are one of the few places where children can play as much as they want (in theory), but parents might fear their neighbour's reprisals if children play loudly outside of playgrounds. But all that might depend on the neighbourhood. Also, some playgrounds have certain "opening hours."

As a final remark, I don't think that today's Germany is the worldwide benchmark for quietness. I know somebody who was in Japan recently and nobody talked inside the train there (at least on the way to work), while it is quite common to talk in a train in Germany (if you get really loud, you will earn a lot of looks though). But Germany is changing and becoming more colored and multinational and sometimes also a little bit more noisy and that's not necessarily always a bad thing.

justJanne• 11 years ago

Regarding trains: In German long-distance rail, we separate between Ruhewagen (silent cars) and normal ones – if you want to have a quiet ride, go into one of the silent cars.

germanier• 11 years ago

To be fair I don't really notice a difference in the sound level between those types of cars. It's only advised to be quite in those cars but nobody can do anything against you if you are loud there.

mschuster91• 11 years ago

"Kids' playgrounds across Germany are notable for the lack of noisy children as parents and teachers fear neighbours' reprisals."

Because parents these days can't / don't want to keep their kids under control.

blubb-fish• 11 years ago

but I never thought of it as something typical German before.

Well, people from Spain, France, Italy, Poland etc. are definitely on average louder in usual day to day situations.

In that sense I feel, as a German, keeping your voice on a lower level is somewhat typical. Then again there are of course more countries with this tendency - some of them even stronger, f.x. Estonians.

Marinlemaignan• 11 years ago

Well i dunno, all my worst flatmates ever have either been british or german. and they both were sooo terribly noisy and invasive. French people really do like and respect silence.

mrec2• 11 years ago

Speaking as a Brit, some of us do too. But I think we're in a minority, alas.

How Germany's love of silence led to the first earplug

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