Hear that?

As I write this, there are no disruptive noises coming through my window. There rarely are in the small village where I live. I like that about where I live. It's important to me.

There's a real issue for many people with the persistent noise of their surroundings. These are often places where rents are at their lowest, or the lowest in any particular area. Cities are of course more noisy than rural areas.

Some places are plagued by mysterious noises e.g. the Hum.

An article that I filed away ages ago and returned to recently was published in the Atlantic in September 2022.

It was titled: "Why do rich people love quiet?"

Read it on the link above.

It compares the areas that have been gentrified, where the wealthiest in New York live, with those experienced by the poorest:

"The bourgeoisie are safely shielded by the hum of their central air, their petite cousins by the roar of their window units. But for the broke—the have-littles and have-nots—summer means an open window, through which the clatter of the city becomes the soundtrack to life: motorcycles revving, buses braking, couples squabbling, children summoning one another out to play, and music. Ceaseless music."

It explores some interesting ideas around the aesthetics of silence and some cultural implications when different groups of people share the same space.

Some attempts to quieten neighbourhoods have targeted certain groups disproportionately.

Do you like peace and quiet, or hustle and bustle?