To ask if they had earphones they could use?

[SoundandFurry]

Name-changed for this...

My family were on a cross-Channel ferry at the weekend and we got ourselves settled in to one of the lounges to enjoy the sailing. A young couple sat down a few seats away and immediately began watching something (sounded like an action film) on their ipad, with the volume turned up really high (probably so they could hear it over the ferry's engine noise). There were other groups of passengers seated nearby who kept glancing at them and were obviously unhappy too about having to listen to someone else's entertainment.

My husband asked them if they had earphones they could use as the volume was so high. They immediately said No, and that as they weren't seated in a Quiet Zone they could watch their device any way they wanted. The man also said that my husband was rude to ask them about earphones (at this point my jaw hit the floor).

I really did not want to get into any kind of "scene" but fortunately the situation resolved itself when my son turned up with a tray of coffees. He's early 20s, 6ft 3 and built like a second-row rugby player. The man took one look at him and announced that they were going to sit somewhere else, but still carried on muttering about us being "rude" and that it wasn't a Quiet Zone.

I wasn't expecting people to sit in silence, but we felt that the couple could have been more considerate about using their device. I don't object to noise generally - in fact, their place was taken by a family with two young girls who chatted, sang and played beautifully, with the mother shushing them from time to time if they appeared to get over-excited.

So, were we being unreasonable to ask if this couple could use earphones?

Yes: You were unreasonable to ask.
No: They were entitled to watch their ipad

My son was oblivious to what was going on when he turned up. But I think his appearance changed the dynamic a bit. The man thought he could kick off against an unassuming middle-aged couple, but when my son turned up - young, fit and strong - he withered somewhat and that's when he said they would move. To be honest, that took me by surprise, as until then the man looked as if he was gearing up for an almighty argument. I did thank them as they left though.

It depends if they were both watching from the same tablet I’m not sure they could listen with 2 ear phones? But then they should have done something quieter or moved somewhere there weren’t people.

Having said that, you could have moved too. I wouldn’t have asked them to put on earphones tbh. I’d either have moved or made more noise.

The activity known as Sodcasting.

Headphone splitters are a thing.

Oh Jesus @Hugasauras I can well imagine how angry that made you! I was waiting to be seen because of reduced movements, I was already stressed and anxious and having to hear a constant bombardment of inane noise was just too much.

you would like peace and quiet

the op doesn’t even allude to wanting peace and quiet. In fact she says that the couple were replaced by sisters chatting and playing and no problem

The fact that the op didn’t want to hear very loud action film on an iPad meant she wanted “peace and quiet”?

so you don’t see a middle ground?

Everyone was pleased. It lasted about 50 seconds and then everyone could enjoy the rest of the day in peace and quiet.

@CapMarvel 🤣🤣 .......@Musti ....and Bluetooth

Headphones in public have been standard since the beginning of devices. They even make child safe versions.

Agree with you. They're inconsiderate, selfish, entitled and rude

I have zero tolerance for folk who want to impose their listening choice onto everybody else.

so I never ask them - I tell them I don’t want to listen to their music/game/TikTok/ whatever so either turn the sound off or use headphones.

yup, I’m being rude. But not as rude as them.

They were very entitled and rude to be watching a film out loud like that, and your husband was right to ask them as he did.

However it does annoy me that being a 6ft 3 etc well built young lad gives you and those without so much of an easier, better life!

I agreed with you initially but when you said some girls then took their seats and sang... ugh. I'd rather listen to the loud film.

In the early 70s my sister bought herself a transistor radio that took batteries, so it could be taken outside. It came with a single earphone. So you are quite right. Even unsophisticated devices have had headphones for at least 50 years.

Ugh I hate when people do this. Even with kids watching stuff and playing games, there are kids headphones. There are headphones splitters so they can both watch their film with headphones. It’s so rude and entitled.

These two things aren't equal. Sitting in peace and quiet disturbs no one, whereas playing your movie at full volume disturbs everyone else around them. People should be considerate of the impact of what they want on other people. That is how society works.

Never fails to amaze me how absolutely clueless some people are about their surroundings. Just zero awareness whatsoever of the fact that everyone else can hear their device or that others might not want to have to listen to it. Either that or they don't care, but the fact they have the gumption to do it in the first place says a lot about them.

And cheap.

Or just have one ear bud each, it's really not hard to be considerate

Is there any reason that public places like trains, planes, ferries HOSPITALS of course, and the like cannot have a notice advising people to use headphones for their comfort and the comfort of those around them, or some such low key message like that?

Probably against personal freedoms or something, but I have often thought this should be the norm. I realise there are "quiet" spots, but I fail to see why headphones cannot be used in public facilities at all times, surely the sound quality is so much better than the squawking coming from a device! Not to mention the selfishness of subjecting all and sundry to YOUR choice of film or music. Ugh drives me mad anyway.

YANBU - had it on the train this morning, the sports news on the radio in the seat directly behind me. It was a man of retirement age though, not a millenial.

No way is this your opinion, no one could be that you can see their point

....sorry, posted before I'd finished!

No way is this your genuine opinion, that you could see the couples point, no one is this rude surely?

This. I hate people who do this. In my head I’d love to tell them to stop being such inconsiderate arseholes and if I wanted to listen to their TikToks/film etc I’d do so myself but in practice I don’t want abuse so I just put in my own AirPods to drown out the noise.