Billboards and Muzak

Pollution. Everyone agrees it's a bad thing.  No one wants dirty air or foul water.  But there are other kinds of "pollution" that we endure or even welcome.  Well, some of us welcome it.  The pollution I'm referring to is visual and noise pollution.  Those unwelcome sights and sounds that intrude on the enjoyment of public spaces.  After traveling to other countries it is glaringly evident that here in Southern California that kind of "pollution" is everywhere.

Last night I was at a restaurant having dinner.  The restaurant is located on a corner and we were eating on the enclosed patio so the noise from Pacific Coast Highway was audible especially when a motorcycle or sports car whizzed by.  In addition to the street noise, the restaurant piped in music. You can see where I'm going with this can't you? Everyone on the patio had to raise their voices to be heard including us so as the patio filled with patrons the noise level rose.  Despite the wine and good food, our meal was not relaxing and we were glad to be out in the relative quiet of the parking lot.

At the many restaurants we ate in while in Europe, only once did we notice overly loud music that inhibited our ability to make conversation and that was in a sports bar. In Europe eating is a social event and management does not encourage you to scarf down your food and run for the door. It's a cultural phenomenon that prizes a relaxed social atmosphere. Loud intrusive music does not contribute to relaxation or conversation but it does make you eat faster and leave sooner. No wonder there are so many ads for indigestion medications!

Here, our shopping malls, whether inside or outside, have music playing everywhere. There is no escaping it.  Speakers hidden in planters make every outdoor space a concert whether you like it or not.  I'm not really clear on the concept.  Is there scientific evidence that music makes people buy more? In stores as well, music prevails.  So while shopping, there is a cacophony of noise with which you have to contend. Every store has it's own music and then there is a different tune playing outside.  The volume of the music in stores seems to depend on the age of the employees.  The younger they are, the louder it is. I know I sound like an old granny but the reality of it is that I have money  20 somethings don't have and I can't and won't shop in places where I can't think.  What are retailers thinking?  I don't want to be assaulted by music everywhere I go. There is enough noise in public without the music.

While traveling and shopping in Europe I never heard outdoor music except for the occasional street musician and retail stores were tuneless as well. Maybe they cater to customers rather than employees. Although I didn't shop in large malls, small stores didn't blare music. I enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere in the shops and streets and even the street sounds themselves. In old city centers it's imperative to be able to hear cars and bicycles lest one be mown down by one. It's also interesting to hear the variety of languages and accents being spoken around one and to be able to talk to one's companions.

Lastly, here in California, capitalism is king.  The amount of money that goes into billboard advertisements must be in the billions.  Billboards are everywhere.  You can't see the city for the ads. The farther out of the city you get the fewer you see, but they are still there. Even driving into small desert towns that boast barely 1,000 people, the billboards start appearing about 10 miles out of town. Talk about a plague upon the land.

We drove for hours in the Black Forest of Germany, in the Swiss and Austrian Alps, and through farmland and vineyards. No billboards advertising cars, DUI attorneys, or films.  No billboards at all. The landscape speaks for itself. This must be a conscious decision on the part of governments to improve the look of their countries because let's face it, billboards are ugly and intrusive.

While traveling in Europe I enjoyed having plenty of landscapes upon which to rest my eyes and quiet outdoor areas to walk and think and talk. Attitudes and values are the key differences.  Here business rules our lives. Companies decide what our public spaces will look and sound like and companies exist to make profits not to improve quality of life. In Europe, the "big, bad" government steps in to regulate business and maintain quality of life.  Here quality of life is defined by how much stuff we acquire and there it seems as if quality of life has a much broader definition including keeping the country free not only of trash but of noise and visual pollution as well.