Harold and the Band

Years ago, when I performed "pre-hire" physical exams at 7:30 Monday mornings, musicians were easy to spot. At one point during the exam I would hold a mechanical (tic toc) watch near patients' ears and ask what they ("they" were mostly men) heard.. Then I would rub my fingers together near their ears and repeat the question. If they didn't hear anything, my next questions were (1) are you a musician?and (2) did you have a gig this weekend?  Invariably the answer was "yes" to both.  Musicians were easy to spot because they were hearing impaired as a result of their work.

My friend, Harold, was not a  musician.  He was a caterer, and like many in that occupation, he provided fine food and competent service at bar mitzvahs, weddings and other large events where music was part of the entertainment. But unlike most caterers, Harold had something special in his pocket, something  which was unusual.  He carried a pair of wire snips.

When the music, became painfully loud, Harold would speak to the band leader and ask that the volume be reduced. The band leader usually complied - for a while. But because the band leader and the musicians were all hearing impaired and didn't appreciate what the party goers were hearing, soon the volume would rise again and Harold would wince.  Once again, he told me,  he would leave the serving tables and slowly walk to the band leader and ask that the sound volume be reduced. Once again, there was fleeting compliance.  The third time, Harold made no request.  He took out his wire snips, cut the musicians' amplifier wiring and walk away to a  suddenly quiet banquet hall. The next time that Harold and that band leader were  hired  for another event,  Harold never had to take the snips out of his pocket.

How many events have my readers attended which were marked by painfully loud music?  I recently attended one at which there was a large glass container of soft earplugs (thoughtfully provided by the hosts) which were effective at protecting against the loud music played by the DJ, but also made it impossible to hold a conversation.  How many of the young DJs, musicians, and their audiences, have impaired hearing as a result of irrationally loud music.  How many of these people will require $5000 hearing aids later in life because no adult will take action, as Harold did?

Hearing loss is an isolating expensive handicap. Some of it can be prevented. Do we care enough about our young people to take action to protect them?