Is Bad Music in the Ears of the Beholder?

Why I believe Los Angeles Metro gets it wrong by trying to solve its homeless problem with nonstop classical music

Greg Carroll,

AARP

Comments

En español

Published June 15, 2023

an illustration showing three classical composers on a los angeles metro train

David Weissberg

I grew up in the 1970s and ’80s going to see bands such as Judas Priest, Rush, Heart and U2. Coming home with our ears ringing (sometimes for days) was common for my friends and me after a loud show.

As I’ve gotten older, my musical tastes have expanded, and I’m usually content to listen at a much more reasonable volume. At times, though, I crank up those speeding ticket-inducing songs.

As the saying goes, “If I’m listening to ‘Kashmir,’ so is everybody else.”

Los Angeles Metro reportedly has been playing classical music at high volume 24/7 to persuade the unhoused people living in its stations to take up residence elsewhere. This is part of a broader effort to increase safety that includes updated lighting, fencing and more security cameras. The joint effort with law enforcement began early this year after an uptick in crime and a decrease in ridership.

Though Metro reports that the efforts are having the desired effect, advocacy groups for the homeless, who apparently don’t like Beethoven, Mozart or Gershwin, suggest this treatment is a form of torture.

“This is despicable,” tweeted Scott Hechinger, a civil rights lawyer. “Sonic torture of people without homes in LA.”

“Playing the high energy classical music really gives it the Clockwork Orange feel,” wrote Twitter user henryfung@onewilshire.la, referring to the 1971 Stanley Kubrick movie in which the British government attempts to reform a violent criminal by using audio and visual means.

To counter the opposition, a Metro spokesman claimed that the music was played at 72 decibels, which is slightly louder than an ordinary conversation. The Los Angeles Times tested that claim by carrying a handheld meter into a station. The meter suggested the sound levels averaged 83dB and peaked at 90dB in some areas.

I spent many years as a safety officer at an organization, so hearing protection is in my wheelhouse. OSHA standard 29CFR1910.95 sets the Permissible Exposure Level (PEL) for an eight-hour workday at 90 decibels.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration formulated the PELs for worker safety. They are intended to protect employees who work at a place such as Dave & Buster’s (think adult Chuck E. Cheese) and must listen to 90-plus decibel music (yes, I measured the volume) for their entire shift. The PELs weren’t intended for concertgoers like me or people who are living in a location that was not intended for full-time occupation.

The PELs recommend hearing protection and regular hearing tests for those exposed to prolonged loudness at workplaces. If LA Metro is doing that for its station managers, then it is operating correctly. The LA Metro is not a housing facility or a bar. Heck, it doesn’t even have Skee-Ball.

(The LA Metro has recently said it's lowered the volume of the music so that it's not as loud.)

However, if you ask me, LA Metro’s approach is all wrong. Classical music can be soothing and even help people sleep. I’ve seen it many times at the opera.

If the intent is to have people spend as little time as necessary in the subway stations, I humbly recommend turning the dial to something else. For instance, my mom used to put stereo speakers in the windows and blast bagpipe music at the neighbors when their radio got too loud. That could be very effective in the subway as long as it’s not St. Patrick’s Day.

Perhaps a collection of songs on the Jukebox from Hell could include “Billy Don’t Be a Hero,” “Muskrat Love,” “MMMBop” and “Achy Breaky Heart.” Or if the LA Metro really wanted to torture people, including its commuters, it could play the many “ear worm” songs that can get stuck in your head, such as Barney & Friends’ “I Love You” or “Clean Up” songs, The Lego Movie’s “Everything Is Awesome!!!” or even Disney’s “It’s a Small World.” I apologize if these tunes are now pinballing around your brain.

The one thing that is repeatedly emphasized in Metro’s mission and values statements is public safety. It is the transit agency’s job to ensure the safety of everyone who enters the station and rides its trains. The classical music playing is not torture, nor is its volume a safety concern. If the agency’s statistics are correct that it has seen a 50 percent drop in crime, then it is meeting its responsibility.

If only the advocates for the homeless could focus on finding housing for the 41,000-plus people living in Los Angeles’ Metro stations, under bridges and on the streets instead of complaining about their discomfort in the Metro, maybe we could permanently turn off that ode to eviction, “One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer.”

Share your experience: What song or music genre absolutely drives you nuts?

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Greg Carroll started his career in marketing and advertising, writing ad copy for several small agencies and private companies after college. He spends his time writing policies, training courses and the occasional article for a federal agency newsletter. At some point, he hopes to get back to the novel he and a friend never finished writing a decade and a half ago.

Is Bad Music in the Ears of the Beholder?

Why I believe Los Angeles Metro gets it wrong by trying to solve its homeless problem with nonstop classical music

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