Walking with the sound of silence...kinda

By Elizabeth Tabasko
Collegian Staff
February 14, 2007

The next time you cross 20th Street using your iPod to keep you motivated as Wister Hall comes into view, consider that politicians like Democratic New York State Senator Carl Kruger are trying to make it illegal for your favorite artist to accompany you on your morning dash to class.

When we were younger, our parents warned us against every small danger. Listening to music in our headphones too loud would cause us to go deaf, and watching television too close to the screen would cause us to go blind. We were taught to look both ways when crossing the street and not to talk to strangers. As we grew up, the warnings diminished and we were left to our own devices. It was up to us to utilize what we had learned in our everyday lives. Today, for the most part, we make our own decisions, while still obeying the law, I hope. But sometimes it seems that our politicians overstep their boundaries as they propose laws that bare a stronger resemblance to the warnings we got from our parents than to rules that will maintain a civil community.

This past week, Kruger announced plans to attempt to place a ban on the use of iPods, as well as other electronic devices such as handheld PDAs, while crossing the street, Kruger’s logic is that this distraction keeps people from taking the necessary precautions, leaving them vulnerable to being victims of automobile accidents. Backing his idea, police officers and politicians in cities throughout the country agree that iPods keep people from noticing their surroundings, making them more likely to be robbed or injured. While I do not deny that it is easy to become distracted while listening to music or text messaging, I feel that this is a personal responsibility and is not a place for the government to get involved.

We are all aware of the safety concerns on the La Salle campus. Students are assaulted while walking around at night, sometimes as they are making their way back from a class or the library. Security has reported iPod theft from students walking around (Collegian, Oct. 18, p. 2) and recommended students conceal them to prevent crime. While this has been a suggestion, it is not an enforced law. As adults, we make our own decisions.

If we feel that iPods keep us from being safe on the streets, we remove our earphones and put them away until we reach our destination. If the University suddenly told us that Security officers would be issuing incident reports to students seen walking around campus listening to music or talking on their cell phones, we would be outraged. This potential law is no different. It strips us of a right to make our own decisions with our own possessions.

Whether you are walking in the city or on campus, there are plenty of distractions. Should attractive people be kept from walking the streets because they may distract a pedestrian? Maybe there should be no bench ads or other advertisements, in case we read them and accidently walk into the street without first looking both ways. It would be unfair to ban only some distractions; let’s go all out with this. If this ban goes through, maybe the government will begin banning conversation on the streets, forcing us all to walk quietly wearing blinders.

Thank you for your concern, Mr. Kruger, but I will take the risk. My mother has already taught me to look both ways and not to turn the music up so high, and I think I will notice if a city bus is hurling towards me.

tabaskoe1@lasalle.edu