To not want to be sat near loud cackling women

[Ferretmad2]

What is it with groups of loud, cackling women these days? Third time I’ve eaten out recently and next to a table full of shouty, cackling women who seem to be in a contest of who can cackle the loudest. Doesn’t seem to matter whether it’s a posh place or not. I’m fed up of having to be sat near them whilst waiting for my food. Can’t move as we are in a table of 7. My three autistic children are completely silent! Feel like following my eldest child’s example and getting noise cancelling AirPods.

The word 'cackling' does tend to be associated with women but I struggle to find an accurate synonym for the noise that conveys the harshness of the laugh. Guffaw is not the same for example, that type of laugh doesn't hurt.

100%.

DH and my pre-Christmas meal was absolutely ruined by a bunch of unnecessarily and intrusively loud raucous laughter from a table of 12 blokes obviously on a night out without their wives/partners. We just couldn't hear ourselves think and certainly couldn't carry out a normal conversation between ourselves. on and on and on it went.

Completely selfish, they weren't young either - old enough to know how bloody selfish it is to carry on like that and wreck other people's dining experience because they felt their right to fun trumped everyone else's. The restaurant owner came over to personally apologise and said how selfish they were being.

at least women's laughter isn't that oppressive booming sound that you can't escape from.

I agree with you OP. Basically people think it's the law that they have to make as much noise as possible to make sure everyone knows what a great time they are having.

See also - garden parties where it's the law that people at the other end of the street have to hear their music at 1am.

Who knew that it wasn't possible to have a good time without making loads of noise?

They dont really forget, they just desperately need the attention and this is very common nowadays, loads of people act like they are some sort of minor celebrity that must have the attention of the room. You can feel the times changing though, it is getting less "cool" to act like this, less "cool" to stand in the street like a statue gazing at a phone, soon all the affected behaviour of the social media age will be like leg warmers in the 80s, something to laugh at in nostalgia TV shows, best thing is to ask to move or avoid places that attract loud cackling types.

Define cackling

I'm a woman, read the thread. It was cackling though, thats exactly how it sounded and they were in competition with in each other! There's loud laughing, guffawing(which I've only ever heard once in a pub frequented by the hunting set) and cackling. Not sure if men can cackle but they can be equally loud and annoying, however not come accross any whilst eating out lately.
I try and avoid pubs because they are full of loud, drunk men (and women) but you expect pubs to be noisy, likewise with night clubs. There's a time and a place for loudness and it's not when people are eating!

Cackling for hens!!

Women going out and having fun.

Who do they think they are?

I bet they were showing their ankles.
Hussies

God forbid that anyone goes out and has a good time these days!

Nothing wrong with having a good time as long as you don't spoil it for everyone else. You don't have to be loud.

It's a loud, harsh, high pitched, broken laugh to me.

Yes. Poor OP unable to have a good time because a noisy group were inconsiderate.
That is who you meant, yes?

This ^ 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
You've nailed it succintly. Having a good time and being loud can be mutually exclusive.

Don't be ridiculous!

Some women do "cackle".

Once heard, it cannot be unheard.

It sounds totally different from laughter - it is jarring and discordant. It really sets people's teeth on edge.

However even "proper" laughter is a PITA if you want a quiet meal.

I had a meal recently that was almost comical in how every time we spoke or the waiter said or explained anything to us, it coincided with ridiculously loud laughter from the table of two behind, rendering conversation impossible. I don’t buy that it was just having fun. The majority of people don’t make that much noise unless in a large group, where noise is often unavoidable. It’s a minority of people with a disproportionate presence, although that minority is growing and getting worse.

Blokes do it too. There’s a particular kind of unnatural hyena-like laugh that young men in groups do, which is so obviously about being seen as one of the pack.

And as always on these threads, I wonder when as a society we moved away from prioritising not disturbing others to aggressively telling people they should just stay at home if they don’t care for obnoxious behaviour.

Could be worse. You could be near a group of men.

It depends a lot on the acoustics of the place. One coffee shop I go to is very echoey and even normal levels of conversation from others reverberate and sound loud, making it difficult to hear what the person next to you is saying.
But another I go to is the opposite and you can have quiet conversations with whomever you're with.
I have also been known to ask places to turn down the 'music' so I can hear what the others at my table are saying.

Yep!

It's like rats.

You may never have seen a rat, or picture of a rat, or even have heard of rats, but if you meet a rat in your kitchen you know EXACTLY what it is. Your evolutionary memory kicks your limbic system in the arse and says "RAT!!! FFS get a broom/ shovel/ terrier/ machine gun/ flame thrower - whatever! Just KILL it!!!!!"

Same with a cackle. You hear it, you know it.

Is it? Even if it is why can't people behave like adults and not inflict their noise on other people.

They also swoop down from the north and fill the matinée theatre performances in London while continuing to cackle, move around and stand up to leave and have a piss mid-performance.

Peter Hitchens did a good article on this, the empty laugh he called it, it goes on just that little bit too long and is heard all over the UK now, almost like people are trying to cover up an emptiness inside by trying too hard to appear like they are happy/having a good time, cant find the article now and I know he isnt everyone`s cup of tea, but in this case I think he nailed it, it is a by-product of social media and the fake lives that people portray on there IMO.

Why would seeing kids with ear pods in affect you though

I had a group behind me at a concert, screeching their conversations over the artist we'd all paid plenty of money to see, I asked them to shut up

Loud and very raucous laughter at a decibel level that is intrusive.

You seem to be intent on defending loud people. I want to hear people laughing and enjoying themselves, but it really doesn't need to be this loud and intrusive.