Fun = noise?
Archae0pterYx
Lorenzo River in the redwoods of the Santa Cruz mountains, enjoying
the lovely woodsy air and sunshine, mild breeze, birdsong, and chuckle
of the river--during those intervals when I can hear it. I thought
this would be prime writing time. But instead this seems to be a peak
afternoon around here for folks who want to have Fun.
It occurs to me that for some significant proportion of the
population, there is no such thing as quiet fun. Fun requires audible
vocalizing and some quantity of upbeat broadcast music.
I don't begrudge anyone their fun and think everyone ought to have
some, even though there are times when my enthusiasm for the volume of
other people's fun is rather low. But what I am wondering about right
now is simply the correlation.
In your opinion, just a spontaneous gut-feel estimate, what is the
relationship between fun and noise?
- What percentage of what is generally regarded as fun requires a lot
of noise?
- Does the noise actually add to the fun?
- Does the noise lead people to think they are having fun whether they
are or not?
- If the noise stopped, would the fun stop?
Just curious about what other people think. And no, this isn't just a
grumpy-senior question about noisy neighbors, which I enjoy just about
as much as I did 40 years ago. And of course I acknowledge that
people's ideas of fun (and a lot of other things) not only differ
widely but change over time. I really am just wondering what others
think about the degree of tie-in between pleasurable activity and a
high degree of auditory input and output.
Thanks for your comments,
Tryx
myoarin
Good question. Yes, I think making cheerful noise does have something
to do with fun. Playing games with no noise can be serious business,
as one sees and doesn't hear at all sorts of sporting events,
professional and just for "fun".
When people play frisbee, say, if they are competing, there isn't much
vocal exhuberance or bantering, as there is in non-competitive play.
The same applies to card and board games. And, of course, when a
professional field game gets tight, the crowd simmers down. That is
why there are cheerleaders - "cheerful".
After a score and at the end, folks get noisy. It was all fun then,
in hindsight, but during the silent tense moments it wasn't.
Making noise is a release of tension, but doesn't always mean fun: a
nervously chattering person, whisting in the dark, etc. I don't think
incessantly noisy folks are having fun, but maybe they do.
On the other hand, a person by him/herself can be having great
enjoyment in a silent activity, but I expect that s/he probably hums
or whistles with delight when something is especially successful:
finding the right piece of the puzzle; recognizing that a difficult
bit of handwork has been successful, etc.
Maybe in other cultures it is different. We tend to think that
stodgy, silent people are no fun and assume that they have no fun.
Does that help?
Cheers, Myo (Throw a pebble in "my" river.)
David
right. Noise and fun seem to go hand in hand. and the quiet-but-fun
pursuits (like Sudoku. Some folks think it's fun...go figure) are of
a somewhat different category of fun, when you get right down to it,
than, say, riding a roller coaster fun.
Still, there's no denying that noisy fun often gets in the way of
other people's enjoyment, especially if they're pursing one of the
quieter pleasures.
Not a terrifically insightful post, I know, but you've got me thinking
about the topic now, so I'll let you know if anything profound comes
along (but don't be holding your breath, now).
David
> > Tryx- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -
Purplecloud
My gut reaction to the fun = noise concept is the improvements/
advances
in special effects (including sound effects) and ubiquitousness of
personal
entertainment systems (ie iPods) has made the concept of "fun" and
"escape"
more physically intense than say 15 years ago. Many people (esp under
25 years of age)
can't have fun unless they literally get their adrenaline flowing.
'Fight or flight' has
evolved into 'overstimulate or be bored'. Along with that I see more
competitiveness
than before.
Remember the old hootenannies or folk song sing alongs from the 1960s,
where
people sang together? Sing along with Mitch (Miller)? In Taiwan where
I live, karaokes (KTV) are popular... but the volume has to be set as
loud as it goes, so it's not a 'let's enjoy singing together' but a 'I
can sing louder
than you can' extravaganza. It's no coincidence that one of the most
requested KTV songs is
Sinatra's "I Did it My Way'...
I personally think noise can enhance the fun; noise is an important
part of the ambiance. Roller coaster rides
require more noise; poker games require less. But somewhere along the
way, many of us may have forgotten
that there is a range or a scale of noise: it can be toned down or
enlarged.