Are we less tolerant to noise? Neighbourhoods have always been noisy

[Fishareidiots]

Just that really.
In generations gone by I expect everyone used their gardens much more as there was less on telly, plus they weren’t all at cinema, b&q, softplay, swimming. So what has changed?
why is it now that there are so many complaints about kids playing, chatting, sunbathing in bikinis, drinking alcohol etc.

Exactly this. There's far more noise to tolerate nowadays, unfortunately, especially in terms of children constantly screaming while playing.

Garden pubs are a thing now.

There's two near me. One is a family who have people round, but that's not too bad as they don't play the music too loud and they shut the summerhouse doors about 10pm-ish which muffles the noise. It's more just irritating but liveable with when I want to sit peacefully in my own garden.

The other is a young lad who has his mates around and plays loud metal/rock music. They have big weekend sessions. We can hear the thudding from that inside our house even with the windows closed. They have a bonfire, shout loudly over the music, yell football chants and so on from mid-afternoon until the early hours. Fair enough if I lived next to a city centre beer garden, but I live in a quiet suburb and just like to chill on a weekend.

we had to be quieter on a Sunday

many of us are generally live in a louder world being surrounded by more noise constantly, more traffic, more stimulation and it’s overload so we are more irritable

and we also have more platforms to moan about it

also I think many people live in cities but what they are wanting is a non city life, where it is quieter, less traffic, less interactions with people, it’s more orderly but that isn’t what living in a city is like

I grew up on a very noisy council estate and I think we only complained about noise once because our neighbours threw a two day rager. I do remember it being very noisy as a kid, but I just slept through it. Only time it was actually an issue for me was during exams but we had the library that was open 8-8 so I was fine.

Where I live now is pretty quiet by my standards but I’ve had neighbours moan to me about other people - which I think is a bit weird anyway. I’ve always lived in busy places so I don’t really know if it’s gotten louder. I think maybe for most people it has as we didn’t all used to live so close together? There’s more densely populated areas these days.

Social media nowadays, gives everyone a platform to moan and whinge.
Before Mrs Mangel could just complain and tut from behind her net curtains at Daphne at number 7 with her loud music or whatever, now she'd take to FB or Mumsnet. 😁
<Shows age>

I think this is it. We get to hear everyone's inane thoughts, their whinges, their judgements in a way that we didn't in the past. Now instead of someone bitching to their husband/wife about the kids hitting the football off the wall they come and share their thoughts with everybody.

Not sure I agree. I think there genuinely was more consideration for others a generation or two back. I'm Gen X and definitely grew up with a sense of it being important to think of other people's comfort as well as one's own. Obviously there have always been, and will always be, thoughtless parents raising thoughtless kids, but I do think they were in more of a minority.

I don't think behaviour is worse actually. What is worse is it's far easier to have huge amplifiers to belt out noise which travels far further, tools typically use power rather than being hand held and swimming pools/trampolines, meaning children stay in one place for longer are popular - as well as children playing more in own garden rather than the park.
All those things mean more noise for doing the same sort of things.

My parents used to joke one of their neighbours mowed the lawn with electric scissors - there was no other possible reason for them taking 2-3 hours to cut the grass which was about 12 feet square!

In the 80s my dad would frequently do work in the garden or woodwork. He had a hand mower, saw, various hand tools, and you could hardly hear him from the front garden if he was working in the back.
The children in the village might descend on mass on the neighbours, but you knew they'd move on (either in mass or in various groups) within a couple of hours to someone else's house or the park (or somewhere less safe like the train track...). They'd never have kicked a football for hours in the back garden - they'd have gone to the park and joined with others.

My personal thoughts are i think people are less tolerant.

People complain about children and family's enjoying their garden yes there may be some loudness /music/bbq kids over excited. Or even a party.

What i feel people who complain don't seem to see is its not all the time there are more peaceful days than there are noisy days

My neighbours have party's roughly 4 times a year to me thats fine. But on mumsnet next door app etc as soon as the suns out and theres noise the complaints flood in. It doesn't matter that the people complaing have had several days of quite that seems to be forgotten.

Our council says they will not take on complaints about a one off party's or children playing .

So if my neighbours have a party roughly 4 times a year so once every 3 months. That means I have had 3 months of reasonable peace I feel it would be very unfair for me to complain.

Older primary kids used to play out rather than being stuck in their own gardens. If kids were noisy and the neighbours complained, parents could open the door and tell them to get lost and take it somewhere else.

Oh, I think Mrs Mangel would have roundly disapproved of social media, personally. And I don't think loud music was the biggest thing she'd have disapproved of about Daphne.😄

Seriously though, I do agree about social media providing a platform, although I also think there's genuinely more to complain about nowadays, sadly.

Also there’s always been people who are a nuisance. My brothers used to get a new CD and they would drive around the estate blasting it. These days the kids have just evolved to be a nuisance in new and innovative ways and it’s easier to document. Instead of someone knocking on our door telling my mum or dad their boys are at it again, it gets posted on Facebook, or videoed and it goes viral and gets loads of comments about how “they weren’t like that in my day!” When in reality, little shits have been little shits since the dawn of time.

I think this is sensible. We should all expect a bit of noise every now and again from our neighbours, whether it's a noisy playdate in the garden, a party or mowing the lawn or doing DIY. It's courteous to warn your neighbours in advance if you can, but I don't see one off noise for a little bit or for an occasional event as being a problem. The neighbours opposite us had a 16 year old's party with a marquee in the garden a few weeks ago... yes, it was noisy but it was over by midnight and we were warned in advance. We'd have preferred absolute peace and quiet but it really wasn't a big deal.

Like everything it depends. If you only have 1 neighbour who has parties 4 times a year and generally lets everyone know and doesn't play their music so loud it rattles the window frames 2 streets away and finishes around midnight then congratulations, you have considerate neighbours

but I think ppl are really talking about the ongoing constant loudness which isn't parties or one off things like that, just ever present noise

I agree with you that one-offs are fine but if you had my nextdoor neighbours you’d understand why I complain! Daily loud music, shouting, swearing screaming. It’s just relentless. And sadly it’s those types of people that seem to be on the increase.

I really agree with this. I hope you find your house and location that offers peace.

Yeah i agree with that.
But from what i read there are so many complaints. Children playing getting over excited someone mowing their garden cutting their hedge . I don't know maybe some of them are not true complaints but more of a moan sounding off a bit.

I think it’s the growth of individualism on all sides. People think ‘if I want to make noise that’s fine but if other people do when I want quiet that’s not ok.’

There is also a difference between background noise and full volume and some people don’t seem to have that difference.

My current neighbours are in their garden all the time, friends come round, they have barbecues etc and it doesn’t bother us at all as they talk at a normal volume, control their dog etc. Other side have young children and a dog and again it’s lovely, hear play and laughter but not screaming at full volume.

Old neighbours did the same thing but it was really intrusive- could hear every word of their conversation, normal speaking voices were a yell, no thought or regard for others at all. Lots of other examples but it was sheer hell.

on the face of it both were ‘enjoying their garden’ but the impact on us is totally different!

I have to say I love hearing children playing out :) but then I'm lucky, the children round here aren't screamers!

I have a real intolerance to other people’s noise…it’s a complete ‘me problem’ which I’m totally aware of
im lucky, that I don’t don’t live in an area where there are lots of families so it’s pretty quiet. But delivery drivers who delivery parcels with music at ear splitting level is and leave the van doors open so the houses bounce…the old guy a few doors down has carers several times a day and the first at 6.am. The carers walk to and from their cars having loud very funny (evidently) conversations, passing under our bedroom window having a rare time with each other at the crack of dawn…and yes…this is pretty petty shit…and it’s only me that it annoys…but I understand where you’re coming from. If noise is something that bothers you, doesn’t matter how insignificant it may be to other people our rational brains just blow it up until we’re stressed.

again…total me problem !!!

When I was young noone ever played music in their garden. Maybe they just couldn't but the normal chatting adults or kid noise isn't such a big deal. The music though is horrible and people are so inconsiderate with it. It feels like lots now don't even care how they make others near them feel.

I think "naice" people are often living in denser areas than they grew up in and they aren't used to it!

I was absolutely amazed a few weeks ago when my neighbour started mowing his lawn at 8am on a bank holiday. I was already up but I'm sure he pissed off a lot of people who had been looking forward to a lie in.I feel like there are lots of unwritten rules about being considerate to neighbours that people either don't know or choose not to follow.

I would far rather listen to children playing outside and enjoying themselves.
We have been driven insane by our next door neighbours 15 year old son who spends hours gaming in his room. He constantly shouts and yells obscenities while playing in the room directly next to our bedroom. All weekend and during school holidays and sometimes until 3am. We complained to his parents and were told it was because he wears a headset and can't hear himself. They thought it was funny!
I have fantasies about breaking in and destroying all his computers and gaming equipment!

I’m older than many people here -mid 60s - and when I was a child, it was considered rude to make a noise at times that would inconvenience neighbours eg a petroleum lawnmower around Sunday lunchtime on a summer’s day