By David Futrelle
Well, feminism was fun while it lasted, but now it’s time for us to negotiate our terms of surrender to the Men’s Rights Activists. And all because of this post in the MRAmemes subreddit by some dude called MRA-automatron-2kb..
Yes, that’s right, the earplugs in the lavender-colored box are somewhat more effective than the ones in the blue box. And you get a few more of them at a slightly lower price.
Well, you could get that if you were a lady, because obviously men are barred by law from buying anything lavender. Clear misandry — and clear proof that it is men, not women, who are discriminated against by boxes of earplugs. Checkmate, feminists!
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In my area, cheap disposable earplugs don’t seem to be gendered, but usually come in “large” and “small”. I seem to fit the small size, despite being a very tall man. I usually reuse them a few times, washing away traces of earwax.
I guess if I wanted to be a real man(TM) I could just put candle wicks in my ear canals and not take them out until the candle’s ready…
I had to laugh at that, because I was *assigned* earplugs (with their own little carrying case and everything) when I was in the Army for use when we were doing the manliest of activities, which was of course shooting things that can’t shoot back at you. One day I forgot to put mine in and I learned just how important they are at the firing range.
@Schnookums
That reminds me of this Terminal Lance comic. I would imagine hearing loss isn’t uncommon in any profession involving regular firearm usage.
@Lumipuna:
Sorry, I can’t really parse that?
@Moggie
I think this is the joke, but I could be reading it wrong:
In slang, ‘noice’ (pronounced ‘NOY-ss’) is a word that some people find annoying. Thus, ‘noice’-cancelling headphones would prevent having to hear people say it.
@ Buttercup;
The urban legend on this is, “to make sure automobile drivers hear you”… Though in my experience, the only situation that extra noise would help is if I’m riding in an automobile drivers blind spot. Which I avoid like oil spots at an intersection.
To be seen (and not hurt), modulating lights help waaaayyyy more than loud exhaust
I guess that’s it then. We have been defeated by their clever arguments. Good game everybody. Good game.
If they also function to block out that New Joisey accent, I’m sold!
(No offense meant, but it just really drives me up the wall) :p
@Buttercup, Weird Eddie:
Thing is, Harley Davidson actually applied for a trademark on the sound their motorcycles make, mostly due to some other companies actively trying to make their motorcycles sound more like a Harley. (According to Wikipedia, the application ended up getting withdrawn after six years of fighting over it with several of their competitors trying to block the application.
So, the loud annoying sound of a Harley actually is considered a part of their brand by the company itself and a lot of their customers.
(One of the few Harley riders I knew personally was an engineer in his mid-thirties and a father of two. Because, frankly, those things are more expensive than cars to actually own.)
Harley Davidson is on the ropes financially, stock down 44% in last five years 🙁
Apparently the most common “accessory” among Harley riders is the “senior discount”
I did a lot of shooting in the 70s and 80s, we never wore earplugs, we were young and invincible. My doc sez I have hearing loss in the “loud rock music and gunfire” sound range
I might be considered no fun for hating motorcycles, but I do. Way too much noise!
I used to hate snow machines because they’re way too much noise and stinky.
Then I learned to ride them and discovered holy shit they’re fun! And way too much noise and stinky.
I have hopes that electrification of transport will help reduce noise generally in our lives — but particularly with mopeds and motorbikes.
@Weird Eddie:
Not surprised. Don’t ride myself, but I’ve got a friend who’s a certified Harley Davidson mechanic. As you say, a lot of the folks riding them are old, and the particular cachet of a Harley doesn’t play as well to the modern audience. And a lot of that cachet is ‘I don’t care what other people think.’
Not to mention that, as I said, they’re expensive, very much the conspicuous consumption of the motorcycle set. I suspect that a lot of the people who are finally getting to the point where they might be able to afford a Harley have also had to deal with way too many annoying Harley riders belching smoke at them already, and have no real interest in the brand.
There is this one as well.
https://terminallance.com/2019/07/30/terminal-lance-554-say-again-your-last/
I think there might be a third one about hearing loss but I’m not 100% sure.
@ sunnysombrera:
Have you ever tried reversing your earbuds (i.e., left bud in right ear)? Maybe I just have weird ear canals, but like you say, earbuds just didn’t fit right…until I swapped sides. Now I can sort of just screw them right in and they’re perfect. Of course the channels are reversed, but I can’t really tell. Either my brain learned to swap how they blend too (the way it does when you wear upside down glasses), or I’m not enough of an audiophile to tell the difference.
I also have to do the mash and shove technique for foam plugs. And yeah, after a few hours my ears really hurt.
My tinnitus is so loud these days though, it’s hard to hear over it. Except in the shower, where the sound of the water hitting the tile is like a cap gun going off next to my ears.
The irony being that they care quite a lot, or they wouldn’t deliberately work to piss people off with their noise and exhaust.
@Karalora:
True.
I suppose it’s really more ‘I don’t have to care what other people think’, by demonstrating that they’re just fine with pissing everybody else off.
> Mogwitch
Oh, ok, what you say makes sense. Different sizes would have been good, indeed, as i am short.
I hate to have things in the ear canal – except when cleaning, of course -, but it was either that or hearing loss (which happened anyway, but in a lesser scale, i hope). Maybe we were to used to resignation to complain about the size ?
Speaking of resignation, “thanks to” the coronavirus, i have a bit more space in transporation, me being eurasian. Of course, this is going with more racist snipes, but i suppose media had not anticipated that using “chinese” as an epithet for the virus would have lead to that.
Reading this thread has made me see that Harley Davidson is a perfect metaphor for the baby boomer generation.
The not caring if they inconvenience others and reduce the quality of life in the community.
The rebellion and counter culture giving way to consumerism.
Turning a lifestyle of freedom into something to expensive to be accessible to younger generations.
It all tracks.
In Finland, we have talks of phasing out gas-powered cars by 2040 or so, because electricity is somewhat more climate friendly. Personally, I’ll be sorely disappointed if this won’t also cover motorbikes. (And if it does, it’ll sorely disappoint certain people who “enjoy an auditory sensation” as part their hobby.)
Then again, I don’t understand why motorbikes haven’t been already banned at least in urban areas, since apparently their noise can’t be moderated. Same with certain silly-looking “sport cars” that only show up in nice weather to make explosive fartlike noises.
Ordinary modern cars make just the right amount of noise. In contrast, electric cars and scooters can be actually too quiet, as they easily sneak up on pedestrians.
@Lumipuna
There’s been talk of having electric cars make noise on purpose to prevent that problem. I’m not sure what the result will be because they’re are few if any all-electric cars where I live.
I have learned things about ear canals that I’ve never considered. I must have unusually large ear canals, because sometimes an earplug or bud gets lodged deep in one, and I need tweezers to pull it out. I have noticed, though, some audio products coming with a variety of earbud sizes.
This is one of those areas where I haven’t even been aware of my privilege. The issue of automobile safety equipment being detrimental to the safety of many women is something I’ve never encountered.
Oh, yes. In general, a lot of things were made with men’s bodies in mind. Tools, office furniture, safety equipment, temperatures in office or commercial buildings. Pretty much everything is made for men.
I have tiny ear canals, so earplugs are generally a no-go at all for me. The pressure is unbearable.
Neither the pink and yellow ones nor the lavender ones would work. I can feel the pain just looking at them.
Domino’s has electric scooters for delivery in the Netherlands, and they solved the “too quiet” problem by having the scooters play a recording of a human voice saying “Mmmmmm Domino’s mmmm pizza mmmm lekker” (Lekker basically means “tasty” in Dutch).
https://youtu.be/n17B_uFF4cA