As I sit in my car about to leave the garage, the sudden vibration of the entire level that I am parked on startles me.
Is there an earthquake in Florida?
No, it’s somebody blasting the latest single by Drake at a decibel so loud I am almost certain it could be heard in outer space.
OK, that may be a bit of an exaggeration. But the music was literally so loud it shook the walls of the garage.
This isn’t the first time I’ve heard someone blaring music at an unreasonably loud volume. I witness this type of behavior at least twice a day on Florida A&M’s campus.
I usually encounter these cars with ridiculously loud music in the garage; however, it is not uncommon for a car to pass me while I’m crossing the street with the music set on an ear-splitting level.
I even observed one car that had the nerve to have its speakers mounted outside. As if it were doing the world a grand favor by sharing its song choice.
I often wonder what makes people do this.
When I get in the car, I like to jam out to my favorite song just like anyone else. I even blast my music sometimes, but never to a level that can be heard outside my car or that draws attention to me.
I think the key word here is attention. If you have loud music booming from your car, you are bound to turn heads.
I have noticed the majority of people on campus who blast their music are men. I often wonder if they think it makes them look cool, or if they think the ladies will flock to them once they let them know they are in the area.
I used to think it was only the guys with the nice cars, the “dunks” or the shiny Cadillacs and Chargers with rims, showing off their piercing music. But I have seen people in mini-vans and 1995 Corollas bursting their jams as loud as their sound systems would allow.
Friends of mine even have specific CDs that they put in when they know they are about to roll through a crowd of people. They have the perfect song on pause ready to hit play just as soon as they get close enough to a crowd.
One of my good friends loves to throw on his Young Jeezy CD every time we get in the car. He rolls all four windows down, even if the back seat is empty.
I believe he did this to make some type of statement. The goal behind blasting his music, I am not sure. But what I am sure of is he was essentially screaming, “Everybody, look at me!”
Not everyone is interested in hearing the music you are listening to. The volume should be kept a reasonable level so only the car’s passengers can enjoy.