Aaron Naparstek

» Thursday, April 22, 2004

Motorist Barbarism

"...As the racket grows, people with no escape acquire a sense of hopelessness. In a 1999 census report, Americans cited noise as their most serious complaint about their neighborhoods, surpassing even crime and concerns about public schools. Nationally, noise is the leading reason people want to move.

'They call laws that govern noise nuisance laws,' said Thom de Stefano, a freelance writer in Toronto who is co-founder of Quiet Please United, which pushes for tougher laws on vehicle noise. 'That's a monstrous understatement, like calling kidnapping a petty offense.'"

From an article on traffic noise in today's Los Angeles Times.

Coincidentally I had an incident last night with a limo driver blasting his horn outside our house at about 11:30pm. The horn on this Town Car was unbelievable. It had been modified into a high-pitched, ear-splitting warble. Rather than just giving it a little tap -- or better yet, getting his fat ass out of the driver's seat and ringing our neighbor's doorbell -- this horrible little toad man let loose with lengthy, agressive, jarring bleats every 60 seconds or so. It was a warm night. Our windows were open and so were lots of others'. After about four of these honks I went out to talk to the guy and find out who he was waiting for. I wanted to tell him he was an asshole -- which I did -- and then help him out by ringing my neighbor's doorbell, calling them on the phone, breaking into their house -- doing whatever I could to get this moron to stop terrorizing my neighborhood with his horn.

What a definitive "motorist." This guy couldn't have cared less about the world outside his vehicle. Motorists are barbarians. They've crossed the Rubicon and are inside the city gates. They are an ever-increasing threat to civility and civilization.

1:17 PM | Link |

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