An experiment to try with your friends and family. Turn off the car audio.

A couple of years ago I got to the point where I just turned off the car audio and never turned it on again other than to occasionally verify that the radio is indeed still all around me even if I'm not hearing it. That wasn't what was interesting... what was interesting was observing the different reactions to people who rode in my car.

I was quite surprised at how decent of a barometer this was for how "aware" people were (to use an overused term). What I mean by this was the more the person is focused on whatever is the current "pop culture" people, stories, and topics... the more unnerved they were when the car wasn't playing music or radio of *some* sort. Others who I tend to have the more in depth conversations about say Patriot Act or NDAA or The Fed or Gnosticism... tend to not notice for a while and then eventually comment and say "This actually really nice!"

To clarify... I'm including all audio being played... not just broadcast radio. Though there is a big difference I recognize between well chosen specific music and broadcast radio. It's the "stuck with only your thoughts" during the silence part that I feel is affecting people the most.

For me it was interesting to observe that the audio is like an addiction and without it, those who are the most "plugged in" tend to get uneasy/agitated. Sometimes to the point of reaching up and turning it on and demanding that they can't stand the quiet, or playing something on their phone.

Upon reflection it isn't surprising, but it wasn't what I had in mind when I stopped originally and I wasn't expecting the "revealing" nature of the reactions to "sitting with your own thoughst" that made it possible to predict most of their general attitudes about "what's going on in the world". Has anyone else observed this? What were your experiences?

I drive a Porsche, no radio required.

www.youtube.com...

I actually watched a screaming rally video today, with some Orbital played along the engine noise. It was very relaxing!

Turning off cable and broadcast TV was a big plus in my house. We still watch TV on Netflix, but there's no droning on and no commercials. When a show we like to watch is over, we'll just do something different, or be quiet for a long while.
Many serial shows we just let play because we're comfortable with the particular voices, it does quietly fill in the gap.

It's sort of like when you walk out of a movie you enjoy, you don't really care to watch anything else for a while.

I have a theory that rythmic music helps focus the brain. It's almost like how a computer process syncronizes to a central clock frequency. The music resets the brain clock/timing/frequency or whatever.


Something like this will make you feel good...

www.youtube.com...

My '92 buic skylark only *has* a radio.

And I don't even use it.

I listen to a lot of sports talk radio when I'm driving around town by myself.

As far as when I have passengers in the car, I always try to have some upbeat dance or party music to jam to unless there's an important conversation to be had.

I listen to my wireless.

ABC ( Aust) of course.

reply to post by ErgoTheConclusion


I like music. Not pop music. I have what many have dubbed the most eclectic and excellent assortment playing at any given time. I dont need it, but It makes my brain feel good.

I think any car ride deserves mood music. I enjoy driving. I think it adds to the experience.

I HATE the radio though. If I dont have any music with me, I will spend the entire trip looking for a good song, sometimes only listening to the last 30 seconds of it before arriving. So mostly I play with the radio until I get frustrated with its non content or I get lucky.

I really filter my music. The more recent it is, the more I filter it. Not to mention that everything good is NEVER played on the radio.

I agree with your assessment of the radios effect and it being a meter of sorts...

Originally posted by mungodave
I listen to my wireless.

ABC ( Aust) of course.

You just helped me remember this is probably a most heavily American experience due to the overwhelmingly absurd amount of time we spend in our cars and media... so I probably picked the wrong daylight time zone to post it during.

My old car doesn't even have a radio. When I drive the "good" car, I forget to turn it on most of the time. Mind you, I usually drive alone, but when I am with my husband, the radio stays off anyway, so we can talk. If it gets turned on at all, it lasts about 30 seconds before one of us turns it off or down so we don't have to talk/hear over it.

I also don't use my phone for music, though I did bookmark a local streaming news radio website for weather.

My dad's car doesn't have a radio. Its weird when i sometimes fly into USA and dont have that luxury of tuning into the 'news' station... and I'm minimalist so its not like I have itunes pandora or anything like that

Its weird not that most of us cant live without radio at all but that pop/crap most people need to be listening to 24/7...

what do u guys listen to in the car, or do you not have a radio/audio source playing most of the time??

reply to post by ErgoTheConclusion


I usually have my car radio off, but when it is on it's tuned to a French rock station (Canadian) on XM. I don't speak French (yet) but I can now follow maybe 10% to 20% of the lyrics of most and close to 90% of a few.

About the only time I do have it on consistently is when driving late at night. Coast to Coast helps keep one awake.

Another exercise which is similar is to turn off the TV. I occassionally watch a movie (only Sci Fi), but not all that often. My TV is often off for weeks at a time.

So now it's "wrong" to listen to a radio?

It's one thing to admit you don't like using your radio, but it's another to try to clump all radio listeners into some category that is somehow below your "status" or whatever.

It shouldn't be frowned upon that people want to listen to something while driving. If you're not having a conversation with them or there isn't anything interesting to catch out of the window, then what's wrong with radio or music playing?

reply to post by TravisBickle451

I didn't say it was wrong. I'm honestly reflecting my experience and asking others... and why I chose the word "experiment" on purpose.

So it's wrong to tell the truth of your experience and ask others to share theirs so you can compare, even if it's potentially unpleasant?

I wouldn't have asked if I wasn't skeptical of my experiences, but I can't deny them. I've watched it and actively tested it for over a year now before commenting on it.

But yes... listing to any mass media is going to ultimately be "bad" for you if anyone takes it as the only source of information. But that's a bit different from "can't stand silence".

Originally posted by zedVSzardoz
I like music. Not pop music. I have what many have dubbed the most eclectic and excellent assortment playing at any given time. I dont need it, but It makes my brain feel good.

I think any car ride deserves mood music. I enjoy driving. I think it adds to the experience.

I edited the OP to more accurately reflect the full intent. There is a spectrum of quality listening experiences to be sure. Though the inherent "can't stand the silence" was a curious one for me.

reply to post by TravisBickle451


You are right.

The problem is not Radio or TV.

The problem is the people who cannot take responsibility for their own actions and failings as they blame all this on something else and say...IT WASN'T MY FAULT!

Split Infinity

reply to post by SplitInfinity

Nobody is "blaming" TV or the radio in this thread and if they try to they are getting off topic.

reply to post by ErgoTheConclusion


Sure they are. The very nature of this topic is by design describing ones ability to be able to or at least TRY to turn off the Car Radio...in order for a person to experience something that is described as lacking from peoples lives.

The thing is...where is it that people started directing their lack of something of value within themselves has a root or can be recovered by simply shutting off a source of entertainment?

Split Infinity

Originally posted by SplitInfinity
Sure they are. The very nature of this topic is by design describing ones ability to be able to or at least TRY to turn off the Car Radio...in order for a person to experience something that is described as lacking from peoples lives.

The thing is...where is it that people started directing their lack of something of value within themselves has a root or can be recovered by simply shutting off a source of entertainment?

Nowhere is the OP blaming TV or Radio for a person's "inability to sit in silence". It is up to that person. I'm not saying they have to and nowhere say they SHOULD. I don't care if someone is "aware" or not insofar as it isn't affecting me immediately though it's impossible to not still notice what they choose to focus on talking about and thinking about. Or not.

It is a pretty simple observation to note that on average over the course of the year I was specifically focused on observing... those who "don't give a damn" about "the fed" were the ones most likely to demand something be making noise. Those who were "so what's up with the fed?" were *on average* most likely to say they liked the silence.

This is my active experience. You can dismiss it if you like and but I didn't make those people respond to me that way... they chose to. I don't blame TV or Radio for it, simply expressing my experience from their choice to focus on that rather than something else.

The only way I can find out if it's just *my* local group is to ask others... and specifically couch it as an experiment to get additional feedback.

Originally posted by ErgoTheConclusion
reply to post by TravisBickle451

 

I didn't say it was wrong. I'm honestly reflecting my experience and asking others.

So it's wrong to tell the truth of your experience and ask others to share theirs so you can compare, even if it's potentially unpleasant?

I wouldn't have asked if I wasn't skeptical of my experiences, but I can't deny them... I've watched it and actively tested it for over a year now before commenting on it.

But yes... listing to any mass media is going to ultimately be "bad" for you if anyone takes it as the only source of information. But that's a bit different from "can't stand silence".

I read the beginning posts and it has the same feeling that permeates this forum.

A multitude of the people here have this sense that they are above others who have any contact with the "mainstream." It's silly since no one but them make this distinction.

If one of these "mainstream folk" were to read some of the stuff here, they'd probably think it's a curiosity, interesting, or simply ignore it without coming back. Meanwhile, a bunch of smug members look down their nose on the "mainstream folk" but they're not doing anything intrinsically wrong.

I've read comments where people disapprove of conspiracy theories and such hitting the mainstream. That makes no sense, but at the same time it does. All these smug people would be nothing if the "mainstream" broadcasted the material in this forum. So in a way, they want people to not know what they know or do what they do. If so, they wouldn't feel so special.

I don't even listen to the radio in the car anymore, because
1. There's nothing on, really
2. I'm more entertained by my thoughts
3. It's always good practice to listen to your car, you can catch so many things that are about to go wrong (loose belts, worn tires, suspension issues, engine noise) if you listen.
Haven't watched tv in almost three years, and whenever I go to someone's house and watch with them, I realize how much I don't miss it.
The only time I turn on the radio is if someone rides with me, they do start acting awkward with no radio on; some people seem to can't stand silence! All the constant stimulation has got to be murder on one's attention span and ability to concentrate.


Posted Via ATS Mobile: m.abovetopsecret.com

reply to post by TravisBickle451

It is of course your freedom to interpret it that way.

I don't see someone who is more aware of calculus as "higher" than someone who isn't... but I'm not going to get absurd and try to talk about them the same when it comes to math. I used "aware" on purpose. Not "enlightened". Not "awake" though I did originally use that and realized my mistake.

You either ARE more aware of the legislation being passed, how it relates to legislation in the past, etc or you aren't. You either ARE aware of Taoism and how it relates to Gnostic Christianity or you aren't... even if you are a "Christian".

I chose my words "experiment" and "aware" very specifically.

But thank you for letting me know how you perceived it, I can only attempt to clarify so far.