Teen Repellant

There hasn’t been much going on in the news lately, except the same ole’ stuff about the election and the latest scandals surrounding it, and gas prices (and how they’re driving the price of everything else up).  So I was browsing the news sites looking for something interesting, and I found a story on a ‘Teen Repellant’.

This device has actually been around for a while.  It actually has been in use in Europe for a pretty long time I believe.  The device emits a high-pitched tone that will eventually hurt your ears if you hear it long enough.  That is, if you can hear it at all.  You see, it was found that teens and adults in their early 20’s could hear higher pitched tones than could most adults over 30.  It just so happens that those higher pitched tones can drive a person crazy (I can hear them – there is a sample sound here if you’d like to see if you can).

The twist now, is that there are several groups that are trying to ban them.  They’ve called the device cruel, and some have likened the sound to fingernails scraping a chalkboard, or a mosquito buzzing in your ear – only you can’t make it go away – you have to leave the area.  I’ve never personally seen one of the devices in use, but I can guarantee that I’d give that store/shop no more of my business if they ever installed one.  For me, it’s an instant headache.

I don’t have a problem with people calling for the ban of these devices, but I don’t necessarily support the ban.  To me, this is the perfect example of the will of the people at work.  If you don’t like the device being installed around businesses, don’t give that particular establishment any more of your business.  I’m of the opinion that if they finally get the idea that the device is actually driving away business, they’ll get rid of it.  For a business, nothing speaks louder than money.

A good while back, I blogged about this device’s sound being used in a totally different way.  A lot of teens have used this high pitch sound as ringtones on their cellphones.  Since their 50-year-old teachers can hear a phone vibrating, but not this high pitch sound, it’s the perfect solution for them to be able to use their phones in school without their teachers knowing.  It won’t work, though, if you get a 22-year-old teacher fresh out of college – he/she will be able to hear it more than likely.