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Arthur T Knackerbracket has found the following story:
It was a bright, frigid morning in Ann Arbor, Michigan, two weeks before the University of Michigan let out for winter break, and the college town's numerous coffee shops were abuzz with the gentle tapping of keyboards, the whooshing of espresso machines, the occasional chatter—and the tinny strains of 1980s and '90s pop hits.
It's that last element of the sonic landscape that drives Gina Choe and Libby Hunter crazy. Standing just inside a cavernous cafe where The Smiths' "How Soon Is Now?" competed with a sizzling griddle, jostling coffee cups, and echoing voices, Choe said, "I came in here once, and [the music] was everywhere around me. Everyone was talking more loudly—I couldn't even hear my friend."
As Choe checked a decibel meter on her phone ("65, the level of loud conversation"), Hunter mentioned that the last time she was here, she had asked a counter worker if the music could be turned off. "The manager came over to my table, and she was really nice, but she said no, because of the 'atmosphere.' It's amazing how afraid they are to not have music."
Hunter, a retired middle-school music teacher, and Choe, a 2017 Michigan graduate who is working in a research lab while she prepares to apply to medical school, do not travel in the same circles, and might never have met at all had they not come together over a mutual love of quiet spaces—and a loathing for piped-in background music.
(Score: 1, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday December 26 2017, @07:03PM (2 children)
I doubt people worship frosty the snowman as a god. Are you a future archeologist overinterpreting trinkets?
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday December 26 2017, @08:29PM (1 child)
Yes, I am from 2000 years in the future trying to unravel some mysteries. From the ancient sacred book of Walmart, it states that "Frosty" Olaf the snowman came to life to battle the evil anti-consumerism Jesus. But in the battle he killed Kenny and became a bastard. Who exactly was this Kenny? I probably need to go back another 20 years or so. The events where Olaf is sadly defeated by Jesus and Venkman crossing the streams and melting his face off should be happening any day now. When that is done I will step another 20 years in to the future and witness Princess Celestia and Optimums Prime bringing the Ultimate Peace to the Earth.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday December 27 2017, @01:19AM
If you haven't yet experienced it, you'd get a charge out of a performance/demonstration by Reverend Billy and the Church of Stop Shopping, [google.com] featured in What Would Jesus Buy? [wikipedia.org]
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