Loud and Proud

Loud and Proud



         The world seems to have changed in recent years.  It's not the cars, buildings, or any technology really.  That's all basically the same, with only the usual advancements.  No, what has changed is the people.  In the past, people listened to others ideas because of the rationality of them.  They respected the points of view and always tried to figure out which person made more sense.  But sadly, that is not the case anymore.  Now the person who is loudest, is automatically the person who is right.  It doesn't matter what they are saying, just so long as they are bursting your eardrums while they say it.  How did this all happen?  Just pay attention and I'll tell you what I think.



         It started with politics, as most things do.  Political debates used to be talks abut serious issues with the nation watching to find out which candidate had the best ideas to help them.  But somewhere along the line, it stopped mattering what the candidates were saying.  People started to vote for whoever spoke the loudest.  The public was being overwhelmed by the speaker so much that they started to ignore what they were saying and just thought that since he was yelling he knew what he was talking about.  Sadly, this was not the case and as a result, we have had some terrible government leaders.  In fact, both political parties have taken to nominating big rednecks or bleacher bums, people that can yell loud and captivate their audience.  But fortunately for the U.S., this was happening all over the world.  Blame it on music, TV, whatever you want.  People responded to the person that spoke the loudest.  And even though this started in politics, it quickly spread to everyday life as well.



         Now in everyday situations, all you hear is yelling as you walk down a street.  Guys try to impress girls by having yelling contests.  If a boy proposes to his girlfriend, she will only accept if he can yell louder than her father.  Bands have stopped trying to captivate people with lyrics, instead it is a screaming mess that blasts from everyone's speakers.  Car salesmen have been extremely successful in this new era.  They just have to yell louder than their competitors and they can convince an average consumer to pay them whatever commission they want, way above sticker price even.  Also what we used to find desirable, now we don't.  We used to want the TVs with the best sound quality.  Now families shopping for the brand new living room TV ask about how much static they will get and if their TV fan will be louder than the actual shows.  Sales clerks proudly show them around, telling them how this brand new model has 17 different static channels and 25 new sounds that play 24/7, such as foghorn and interstate pile up.  The families are assured that if they buy these products, everyone in the neighborhood will be able to hear them and they will be the envy of all.  The same goes for people shopping for new cars.  Brand new models are louder than ever, commercials boast.  Just listen to that engine rumble and threaten to explode.  Fat people have made remarkable gains in this new society.  With their larger bodies, they are capable of making enormous sounds and so therefore they are now respected where once they were ridiculed.  Rednecks and obnoxious sports fans, people who always talk on their cellphone in public places, and even vagrants on the street predicting the world's end have gained new found respect and followers.  Each of those dooms day prophesiers has his own congregation following him around.  But these aren't the only things that have changed.  There are huge global impacts of this loud talk.



         For example, some of the world powers have changed.  France and Britain used to be considered major players in international affairs, but due to the fact that they have a very soft speaking population, they carry almost no weight in today's global dealings.  The United States has stayed a world power and Russia has finally made itself into a world leader again after its collapse from the Cold War.  The U.S. because of their many obese people and pompous airheads who like to shout and Russia because, well, lots of people are loud in Russia.  Even their language sounds better when spoken at a deafening volume.  The newest global power is Australia.  They have gained command of the global stage with their many rowdy people.  They come from the land down under but they have moved up to the top. 



         One good thing about this listening only to those that yell loudest is that war as we knew it has ended.  All nuclear weapons were destroyed because they weren't loud enough.  We have gone back to the crudest of black powder and the most primitive of guns.  Now when two armies face each other, they aren't aiming to kill and destroy their enemies.  They are trying to drown them out, for whichever side is loudest, is internationally recognized as the victor.  They line up their armies of thousands and instead of shooting, all they do is yell at each other.  Speakers are carried in to the battlefield and blaring sirens and awful clanging noises are played over them, trying to make as much noise as possible.  This is one reason the U.S. has remained in power because most speakers only go up to ten, but with the United States' advanced technology, we have speakers that go up to 11.  And as everybody knows, 11 is one louder than 10.



         Sporting events have changed drastically.  There are no more overtimes in any sport, instead they just see whose fans cheer the loudest.  If a baseball coach goes to argue a call with a referee, they will change the ruling if the coach yells loud enough.  New sports have been invented all together.  There is now the cymbal crash, the demolition, building breaker, and the ever popular air horn blast off.  Even the Olympics have changed.  All the sports that were decided by judges, are now completely scored by the fans watching.  Like in figure skating for example, after a skater finishes a routine, the fans cheer to decide their fate.  The judges just stand around with volume detectors.  The athlete's score that they receive is just the decibels of the sound of the fans cheering.  The same goes for gymnastics and snowboarding competitions.  The home town team always seems to win.



         Many people like this new way of life.  They just listen to what is being shouted at them and accept it.  If God gave them such a loud voice, he must have meant for them to use it to spread wisdom.  They must be right if they were born with that deep of a voice.  However, I don't like this new way.  I think it has problems.  Our country is falling apart.  Nascar is becoming the national sport.  Girls are losing the rights they fought so hard to get, simply because they are naturally more quiet than men.  But who knows?  I might be wrong about it all.  Maybe it has always been like this.  Either way, nobody will pay attention to my point of view.  For you see, I am a mute, so I can only voice my objections on paper, and paper doesn't make much noise at all.