Using Classical Music As a Form of Social Control 721
cyberfringe writes "Classical music is being used increasingly in Great Britain as a tool for social control and a deterrent to bad behavior. One school district subjects badly behaving children to hours of Mozart in special detention. Unsurprisingly, some of these youth now find classical music unbearable. Recorded classical music is blared through speakers at bus stops, outside stores, train stations and elsewhere to drive away loitering youth. Apparently it works. Detentions are down, graffiti is reduced, and naughty youth flee because they find classical music repugnant."
A Clockwork Orange (Score:5, Funny)
You are aware that A Clockwork Orange [imdb.com] was fiction, aren't you? It was a movie and not a documentary.
Next problem... (Score:5, Funny)
Groups of retired people, hanging around busstops.
Pestering innocent by-passers...
Calculus Gang (Score:5, Funny)
But it's attracting the Calculus Gang and the Bach Gang. They wrote 30,000 digits of pi all over the bus stop last week. Cost the city 20 grand to remove it all.
Re:Great... (Score:5, Funny)
Don't worry. If this method is continued then, by natural selection, more and more young people will stop hating classical music and may even start liking it. The cool guys will be those who can finish the graffiti or whatever before running away.
romanes eunt domus (Score:5, Funny)
They'll grow to like it and... (Score:4, Funny)
A new renaissance will be born!
Just wait... (Score:1, Funny)
Someday soon, we'll be blasting death metal in nursing homes...
Of course (Score:3, Funny)
Children perform the bad behaviors because of file sharing and disrespect of copyright. Playing music in the public for free only gets things worse.
Will someone please think of the children?
So? (Score:4, Funny)
Most adults I know can't stand classical music either, so I doubt this will have a long term effect on listening habits; who knows, being exposed to it might actually get more kids interested in it. And as someone in their late 30's who can still hear frequencies up to 20kHz I'd much rather this than those buzz generators, as long as the sound quality isn't too bad and they don't play too much Satie (I don't want to fall asleep and miss my bus).
Re:A Clockwork Orange (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Calculus Gang (Score:1, Funny)
It was the XKCD gang. They thought they were being funny.
Re:WWII (Score:2, Funny)
Re:It'll stop in a few years (Score:5, Funny)
Easy there, that makes sense and this is the government we are talking about
Oh, if we're talking about the UK government, that's even easier. Just mention to a local official that the music contains lots of "sharp" notes. They'll spring into nanny mode, and require that all the speakers be entombed in Nerf so that nobody cuts themselves.
Re:Great... (Score:4, Funny)
Whoops, didn't mean to post that as an anonymous coward...
As if that was YOU! You're just trying to take credit for my insightful comment. :)
Re:A Clockwork Orange (Score:5, Funny)
Yes!
But with the voice redubbed in as Donald Duck.
Re:Horrible! (Score:4, Funny)
[R]ecorded music is just a BAD thing to listen to ... /me posting this listening to Beethoven's Grosse Fuge op.133
You're posting during a live performance? Have some respect dude. ;)
The Year 1812, Festival Overture in E flat major (Score:5, Funny)
Pyotr Ilych Tchaikovsky, Op. 49. I'd like to hear them play that on the 5th of November at the Houses of Parliament...
Revenge... (Score:5, Funny)
There's only one solution. Bring a boom-box to the bus stops, and start blasting Dr. Dre like it's 1992.
Take that, old farts!!! HAHAHAHAHA!!!!
Re:What's that? A "war against youth"? (Score:3, Funny)
off his comfy chair?
well I have to say, the chair is rather nice. I wasn't expecting that...
Re:Revenge... (Score:3, Funny)
There's only one solution. Bring a boom-box to the bus stops, and start blasting Dr. Dre like it's 1992.
Take that, old farts!!! HAHAHAHAHA!!!!
1992? Dude, you ARE one of the old farts!
Re:What's that? A "war against youth"? (Score:3, Funny)
C'mon, could someone post the obvious Spanish Inquisition joke so we get it out of the way and can continue a sensible discussion? Please?
I'm usually the first to pick up a good punchline, but obvious jokes are boring.
Re:Horrible! (Score:1, Funny)
Don't worry, he's posting by speaking silently into the phone. Now it's only a matter of time before he wreck a nation.
Re:Ask the Artists (Score:3, Funny)
Oh, yes, thank God we are torturing other people so that we might learn how people feel about their music being used to torture.
Now, if we could only create a robotic toenail remover that was controlled entirely by emacs extensions, so we could get Richard Stallman's opinion on software freedom vs physical liberties and human rights.
Re:Just wait... (Score:4, Funny)
blasting death metal
You mean shrapnel, right? Or perhaps that would be "blasting metal death"...
Re:Calculus Gang (Score:3, Funny)
Next week they're gonna start playing "Bye bye, Miss American pi" to counter that.
They tried this already... (Score:2, Funny)
In my home town, about 10+ years ago, they tried the same tactic to get rid of the teenagers that were eternally hanging out in the town square. Trouble was, the teenagers in question were mostly goth/vampire types and they actually liked the classical music. It still makes me laugh...
Re:Calculus Gang (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Horrible! (Score:4, Funny)
Kids know classical music (Score:3, Funny)
I heard one youth on a London bus recently, encouraging his friend to play out loud some trip-hop piece with violins and a drumbeat. "They can't tell you to turn it off, because it's Classic, innit?"
But I don't think this is much to worry about. How many of us have instantly hated the music of our fathers when teenagers, only to discover its charms later in life?
Re:A Clockwork Orange (Score:5, Funny)
i hope your not from the united states of water boarding
I dunno where that is, but I'm picturing clear skies, warm beaches, palm trees, and some bitchin' waves. Got a travel brochure?
Re:Next problem... (Score:2, Funny)
"Hell's Grannies"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CStfT8gCrjM
Re:A Clockwork Orange (Score:3, Funny)
I did not mean to imply that just because they've both exhibited some really poor behavior in the past it should put them on an even playing field. I do, however, mean to imply that no one should feel morally superior here due to the action of the military or intelligence agencies.
Any moral superiority should be limited strictly to civilian law enforcement.
Re:What's that? A "war against youth"? (Score:3, Funny)
Kids these days and their ASBOs. Back in your day the local constabulary just gave you a talking to, or maybe a quick swat upside the head. You didn't get any fancy bracelets, or an indefinitely recorded criminal record. Instead you had to create your own remembrances of youthful, disruptive behavior by painting stripes on the onions on your belt.
Re:A Clockwork Orange (Score:3, Funny)
You are aware that A Clockwork Orange [imdb.com] was fiction, aren't you? It was a movie and not a documentary.
Yes, but it was based on the real life documentry Transistorized Carrot [myspace.com]
Re:Next problem... (Score:5, Funny)
Or vicious gangs of Keep Left signs
Re:Calculus Gang (Score:4, Funny)
Singin' this'll be the day that I... (rolls 2d6 to save...) die...
Re: almost a haiku... (Score:3, Funny)
loitering around bus stops
Vivaldi's bullies
Re:A Clockwork Orange (Score:5, Funny)
Your wrong.. both Canada and the US have been doing this for years. Was actually kind of sad in one case since they had a nice classical piece playing outside of a shop but inside it was Brittany Spears. I actually preferred being outside the store.
Re:A Clockwork Orange (Score:2, Funny)
come on boys, stop fighting!
(getting up to turn music louder)
Re:Great... (Score:5, Funny)
Public Space?! Public Space?!? The young ones doan't know nought aboot the 'ardships of life these days. In my day, in my day, we; we 'ad to make do with the radio and telly and videyo games. We stayed indoors we did, playin' Super Mario and Sonic the we 'edgehog. Proper pastimes those! Taught us 'ow t'entertain ourselves they did.
'angin'g about in Public Space?! What kind've a pastime d'you call that?! Now'days with d'Internet and mobile phones, there's plenty 'nuff t'do indoars for the day without clatterin' about outside loitrin' on street coarners. Ger'roff of it ye layabouts!! Get a game handle!
It's about time the adults caught on... (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Next problem... (Score:3, Funny)
This thread's got silly.
It started off with a nice idea about grannies attacking young men, but now it's got silly.
And this "j-bay's" userid is too ordinary for a +1 funny too.
Re:A Clockwork Orange (Score:1, Funny)
You, douche tool.
Re:It's about time the adults caught on... (Score:3, Funny)
Oh I love this idea. I am putting up outside speakers right now. No more whippersnappers on my lawn!!!!
Re:A Clockwork Orange (Score:4, Funny)
Sounds like a personal problem. When I listen to smooth jazz in public, I'm so cool that people nearby decide that smooth jazz is cool. Maybe you should work on that.
Re:Calculus Gang (Score:3, Funny)
Would only have cost 10 grand if the University professors hadn't insisted on copying the proofs down before the city cleaned it off.