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A steely, straight-ahead gaze. A little swing in the steps. Occasional head-bobbing and (thankfully) silent lip-synching. These are the telltale signs of a personal concert in progress. Look a little closer and you'll
almost certainly see earphones in the music enthusiast's ears, usually of the white plastic variety.
What was once the sole province of techno-gurus and audio geeks has become an almost ubiquitous sighting in the last year or so, stemming from an explosion in the sale of MP3 players.
The aforementioned earphones and the players attached to them are probably a more common sight on college campuses than in any other specific environment.
OU is no exception. Take a look around the South Oval next time you walk to class and count how many you see. You'll run out of fingers and toes before you run out of earphones to count.
Owners and proud users of MP3 players can likely rattle off at least five reasons they never leave home without their prize devices. I should know; I'm one of them.
They're indispensable on long trips and in the gym, for blocking out construction and loud neighbors, too. And they certainly help make that long walk up to Catlett more entertaining.
However, I believe that this practice is contributing to the erasure of important things from our college experience. A good portion of chance run-ins and good conversations with friends simply don't happen because of our personal music bubble.
When rocking out to Green Day, the ears are busy processing music and will likely miss the greeting of a buddy you haven't seen for weeks.
In all likelihood, your buddy probably wouldn't even bother yelling your name if he gets a glimpse of the headphone cords. Would you want to yell after someone who doesn't even hear you?
While this is a minor issue, it merits discussion, if as nothing more than a preamble to what I feel to be a more serious issue.
OU has a huge student body, with an equally large number of personal causes and convictions. This turns the South Oval into a hotbed of student activism, with a plethora of groups striving to be heard.
These demonstrations are meant to pique student interest and motivate action. The crucial factor is actually getting the students to hear the message. Here is where musical ignorance manifests itself more significantly. While some of the more spectacular demonstrations certainly compel passers-by to stop and listen, the more plebeian protests usually aren't that lucky.
When confronted by a small group of sign-carrying orators and chanters on the way to class, most people's reaction in the digital-playlist world of today is to sidestep and simply turn up the volume on their players.
I've been there both as witness and guilty perpetrator. Granted, some protesters are downright offensive in their tactics and language, but before the widespread popularity of music players, there was nothing to prevent their rhetoric, no matter how grating, from at least reaching our ears and minds.
We have the right to disregard any message or messenger as we see fit, but these music players are rendering many of us deaf to these voices, effectively making us discard their message without even considering its merit.
These protests are an essential part of the governance of OU, which is in effect a microcosm of the larger institution of the nation as a whole. While a direct correlation is hard to produce, it's undeniable that ignoring small but essential parts of the governmental machine at this stage in life will have an escalating negative effect on an already politically apathetic populace later.
MP3 players have fast become indispensable parts of college students' lives. They undoubtedly have their advantages -- hence their popularity. However, they are the harbingers of some negative practices, as well.
As the vanguard of a population that is concerned with the self to a greater extent than arguably any past generation, we are being made even further isolated from our physical and intellectual surroundings at least in part by our heightened and extended use of our music cocoons.
I don't mean to berate or belittle the legions of portable music lovers, as I am one myself. I'm trying to simply draw attention to an aspect of our playlist-filled lives that is not entirely rosy. If after reading this, you don't agree at all, that's perfectly fine. It's your right to do so.
I just hope you read it with your 'phones out of your ears, so you can at least consider the arguments that reached your mind without having to compete with your personal soundtrack to life.
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