You know whats Not on Roids, but is absolutely pumping up my blood pressure? The sheer, unadulterated audacity of people who treat public spaces like their own private sensory deprivation experiments. We all have pet peeves—those particular and often continual annoyances that make us want to scream into a void—and today, I am the void.
Let’s start with the auditory assault known as slurping. Seriously, keep it chill and keep it quiet, even if you’re eating soup. Why do some people believe the world needs a front-row seat to the sound of their liquid intake? It’s a food-related noise that transforms a pleasant meal into a psychological thriller. While some might call it a personal bugbear, I call it a crime against the eardrum.
And while were talking about noise, can we discuss the one-uppers of the sensory world? I’m not talking about someone bragging about their vacation; I’m talking about the people who dominate the environment with distracting habits. You know the ones: the pen-clickers and finger-tappers. In a classroom or office, these sounds are self-stimulating for the culprit, but for the rest of us, its a countdown to a mental breakdown. Its the same energy as the person popping their gum like they’re some zealous neighborhood kid from The Incredibles. Please, for the love of all that is holy, lets strive for virtually noiseless gum chewing.
Then there is the social interruption—the ultimate impact by other peoples decisions. Whether its the person in your airplane row getting up to use the bathroom for the fifteenth time or the person treating a checkout line like a podcast studio by broadcasting their entire phone conversation, the lack of awareness is staggering. No one wants to hear your drama, and no one wants to be ignored while you send a text.
From the nightmare of silverware scraping teeth to the absolute illegality of nails on a chalkboard, the world is full of triggers. Stop it. Just stop it.
