For me it's a bunch of stuff-
One, I am becoming an old curmudgeon.
Two, there are a lot more distracting noises
Three, The curmudgeon in me doesn't like those noises, so I spend time actively tuning them out, and I miss what I was really wanting to hear.
Four- over a lifetime of abuse, one can lose hearing in certain frequencies. Dentists, for example, can lose hearing in the frequency of the high speed handpiece. My grandfather in the FBI, shot Thompson machine guns with no hearing protection. He was deaf as a doornail.
Five- Certain nationalities have pronunciations, and dialects, that miss the syllabant sounds and cues I am used to, and I have a harder time understanding. Thick dialects, etc. I have a very hard time understanding people from India. I can watch the mouth move, but the words just melt/evaporate before I can make out what they are saying.
Cars have so many safety beeps, lights, and warnings, I cannot pay attention to the actual environment around me.
Communication devices have so many G@#D@#$ sounds and gimmicks they make me want to scream. Do I really need to hear a bird chirp on someone's cell phone from across the store to signify they got a text when I am trying to buy groceries? Annoying. When I am pulling teeth, dental surgery... chirp chirp... "excuse me... this is an important call" VERY DISTRACTING!
I believe the complexity of one's ring tone is inversly proportional to the importance of that cell phone call.
Sports bars with 5 big screen TV sets tuned to different channels all blaring?
No wonder....
I was in a hotel recently, on vacation (you know- getting away form it all), when I came into the lobby only to be greeted by CNN and FOX on two different big screens blabbing about racial violence and two different versions of the past election. Complementary breakfast my arse....
I feel much better now!!!!
