Beyond Brushstrokes
By Maria Victoria Rufino
Sound and noise seem amplified. Is the world nosier?
The radio has blaring music — rhythm and blues, jazz, rock, vintage songs. The TV and radio news are loud, hyper, and disconcerting.
The streets have tooting horns and motorcycles revving up, cars zooming (when there is no traffic).
Human beings react in diverse ways to sounds in the environment. Constant exposure to sound stimuli allows the individual to adapt. After a period of conditioning, he learns to accept or reject certain sounds as part of his lifestyle.
At the office, people are accustomed to the varied sounds of computers, fax machines, intercoms, telephones and cellphones.
Sounds become mellower as one goes up the corporate ladder. Executives [refer to be insulated from office chaos. Their staff speak in hushed tones. Footsteps in the hallways are muted as well.
In the service industries, employees hear stressful noise that cause migraine and heart palpitation. Factory workers are subjected to deafening repetitive mechanical noise. Soldiers, firemen, policemen, humanitarian workers, airport crew are bombarded by ear-splitting sounds of panic, riots, sirens, traffic, disasters.
Party animals, rock-music stars and their fans, basketball, boxing and sports audiences develop steel eardrums. They can withstand ear-shattering synthesized music, pounding drums and cymbals, whooping cheers, and screaming.
Noise is toxic.
Prolonged exposure to hazardous sounds cause hypertension, ear, and brain damage. Fortunately, people have internal defense mechanisms to cope with noise abuse.
Weary eardrums tune out — selectively or permanently. Perhaps this explains a recent social affliction among creatures of the night — Acquired Hearing Impairment — better known as premature deafness.
Social celebrations are occasions where one can learn about people. By switching off the sound, body language becomes more revealing — gestures, posture, eye, and facial expressions.
A sensitive ear would discern speech patterns, intonations and accents. Or distinguish aural differences among nationalities, regions, classes.
The volume of sound corresponds to a specific class of people. Being loud tells a lot about appearance and behavior. Well-born, well-bred, cultured individuals are discreet, genteel, and quiet. Their subtle gestures and dignified manners reflect good breeding.
Loud and brassy people crave attention. Exaggerated gestures, vulgar words, and rough mannerisms are seen in rowdy politicians, tacky showbiz celebrities, and déclassé social mountaineers.
At business and social affairs, class differences become more apparent. The low-key, well-bred individuals tend to downplay their presence unless they are guests of honor or celebrators.
At a deluxe hotel’s power lobby, braggarts discuss money and stocks. The flashy types strut around while speaking loudly on their cellphones.
Loud mouths gloat and compare new acquisitions and toys (club shares, condos, cars, and girls). One assumes that this exercise is for the benefit of neighbors. In reality, the target audience is bored.
Ladies who lunch make an interesting case study. There are vamps in tight mini dresses; the lacquered matrons in glittering jewelry and shrill voices. Their inane chatter covers scandal and gossip, foreign pilgrimages, shopping orgies, petty rivalries, fashion trends and stylish events.
On vacation, the rules of acceptable social behavior still apply. The sophisticated blend in discreetly. Elegantly simple, they do the proper thing, wear the appropriate clothes. No fuss, no fanfare.
The upstarts are exactly the opposite as they advertise power and money. They let their hot convertibles and flashy motorbikes roar. Everything is staged, contrived, and loud.
In contrast, nature lovers and contemplative types savor the soothing sounds of the outdoors: cooing bird calls, twittering crickets, gushing wind, breaking waves, and rain showers. These are the sounds that calm and inspire creative people.
Musicians are hypersensitive to the nuances of sound. Composers, conductors, and artists transform random notes into melodies, sonatas, etudes and symphonies and operas. They produce music that nourish the spirit and relax the mind.
If only we could switch off the offensive, grating noise for a while. The precious moments of silence would make us feel serene and sane.
Wishful thinking.
Happy Lunar New Year to all!
Maria Victoria Rufino is an artist, writer and businesswoman. She is president and executive producer of Maverick Productions.
