Sound says 'buzz off'
Posted by Leah Hemenway on Feb 23rd, 2008
I saw an article recently that really stopped me. At first, it was funny. The “Mosquito” has caused controversy in Great Britain. This sonic device emits a high-pitched sound that is unbearable. Stores are using it throughout Great Britain to disperse groups that block their entrances and gather for no good reason —certainly not to buy merchandise. The catch is that only people under 25 can hear the unbearable sound. Yes, this sound repels teenagers and young adults who hang out and sometimes cause trouble in malls and parking lots. .
Robert Gough owns a Spar convenience store in south Wales. Gangs were hanging around his store and once a customer was robbed of his alcohol in the parking lot. “The Mosquito has reduced the problem massively,” he reports.
I can think of many temporary uses of the Mosquito. You have a group of young people outside of a local night club. Some are drunk, loud, and argumentative. You would direct the Mosquito towards the parking lot where fights have begun. People would hop in their cars and forget about the fights. They’d run away from the obnoxious, buzzing sound.
In another case, you have rowdy teens at an unauthorized house party. You’d blast Mosquito to break it up and get them going home rapidly. Or the cops could carry Mosquito in anticipation of problems. Is it really that different from a taser? Maybe I’m going too far
What about the innocent kids who are assaulted by Mosquito? In the Greenstead Estate in Colchester, England, the Mosquito has cleared out teens who vandalized the housing development. But on a nearby playground, two young teenagers reported, “It goes right through you, a sort of screeching noise… It rings in your ears for ages afterwards.” Another youngster said that he woke up to the noise all the time, “We live over the shops.”
I think that the Mosquito has a future for the people over 25, if it could be small and used deliberately. In fact, I’d purchase my own personal set of mini- mosquitoes. I’d place them on the outside of Pringles cans, Oreo cookies, and other essentials that I “buy for my kids.” It would work as an instant deterrent to opening and enjoying the contents. I could also carry a spare Mosquito which I could activate when I found myself in places that may tempt me: fast food restaurants, JC Penney sales, Botox waiting areas, hair salons, or tattoo parlors. The Mosquito would help you think about a rash decision on your way out. Musak seems a bit like Mosquito for me. When I hear musak, I look for the store exit, even though people say that it makes you ready to buy and hungry.
I still find think about Mosquito seriously. It reminds me of Aldous Huxley’s "Brave New World." Huxley describes the conditioning for young children. When the kids admire flowers, art, and other inessential items, the teacher administers a slight electrical shock. Later, it’s little wonder that members of the society reject art and anything but the most utilitarian objects. When the Brits under 25 experience a painful buzzing noise, they avoid the areas at the mall or storefronts. It’s conditioning and it works: don’t loiter in front of my store or you’ll experience a painful sound. The young people move on.
The Mosquito invades the public spaces and the air of the under 25’s for hours. One shopkeeper explained that his Mosquito was on a special timer, set for the twelve hours that his shop was open. The sidewalk area in front of his store and his parking lot were filled with the screeching Mosquito every minute that his shop was open. Some opponents to the Mosquito worry about babies and young children, subject to a barrage of Mosquito in their daily lives.
The next time my 20-year-old son comes home, we’re going on a Mosquito tour. Maybe we’ll have to travel to Great Britain or maybe it’s already here. Since I’m over 25, I may not know. I still don’t understand how it works. When I hear a loud buzzing sound, I want to hit people, not run away. But obviously, it works. While storekeepers admit that problems still occur, it now involves people over 25. Just kidding.
On my Mosquito tour, I figure we could try out ear plugs, a possible defense for all babies and children. Just as part of their equipment along with strollers, backpacks, and water bottles, all kids could wear them. We could answer another question: does Mosquito pierce through even Hannah Montana?
Mosquito is coming to America. Maybe it’s already here. I’ll let you know after my tour. But I have decided that today I’m supporting the anti-Mosquito movement in Great Britain, one we can all hear: Buzz Off, Buzz Off.
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