The Wonders Of Tinnitus / Hearing Loss

[4 FINGER PETE]

For the noobs, I gigged bars for some 35+ years, Rock, Southern Rock, Country Rock, Country and then Classic Rock.

 

Fender Super Reverb, Peavey Deuce, Marshall JCM900 1/2 stack, Fender Prosonic, Mesa Blue Angel, and had other guitarist on stage with large rigs as well. Not to mention years of playing in living room "circles" putting together projects, etc, etc......

 

Over the years I seem to have lost certain frequencies in different ears, so at times if I hear a certain cell phone ring, buzzer, etc., I will think it's on my right (when it is on the left) because the left ear doesn't hear that frequency as well. Stereo television can be a real treat at times when movies have a lot of action going on.

 

I've been drug free for many years, although that wasn't always the case ( ) but can always find wonder and amazement in just normal daily activities now just trying to figure out what certain sounds ARE, and WHERE they are......

 

Actually I hear pretty well considering, it's just certain highs that are effected and I thought I'd make fun of it with you all.

 

Wait, what's ringing.......?

Check this out Murph : http://www.ata.org/music

[E-minor7]

Don't mention it - I had my ears attacked by frost in mid-January - on a trip where I bought a Hummingbird - and is only slowly recovering. It's a flat curve back.

 

Just too depressing - even learned to act as if nothing was wrong. All guitars sounded like tubular bells under water, I couldn't sing harmony.

 

Went to several doctors - then went through tropical summerdays/nights wishing the block would evaporate.

 

In September I visited the specialist again - another one. She told me my hearing was reduced, but only what could expected for my age.

 

Still there was Wrigleys somewhere inside. Now I play and sing out of the cans without feeling inhibited.

 

My humble hope is things will be back to normal on the date the plague arrived - 2014. I thank the lords above it didn't stay weird/down.

 

Had a guest the other day - a guitarist who totally lost his hearing on the right ear 12 years ago.

 

Now the other is suffering from severe bass-holes.

 

He looked at my collection, saw it for the first time - we couldn't play a note together.

 

Sad theme - Sad post.

[Fullmental Alpinist]

like it or not this thread would be much funnier if everyone typed in upper case.

 

That was funny PM.

 

I had a massive infection in my left ear when I was five. It expanded inside my ear to the point that it crushed two of the little bones that transmit sound (you know, hammer, anvil, and stirrup). Then it marched into the mastoid cavity (the air filled bones between the ear canal and my brain). For some reason my care givers didn't notice until the infection was threatening to invade my brain. (There's those who say it already conquered my brain....)

 

At ten I had an eight-hour surgery where they dug out the infection with a melon ball scooper, rebuilt the bones with pieces of my skull and my ear drum with the lining between my scalp and my skull. Amazingly, I only lost about a third of my hearing in that ear (great surgeon and God's blessing I guess). I just had my ears checked out last month and even though I'm 55, I've still got perfect hearing in my right ear (yes, Blue Chip picks really do sound better....) and the left one is hanging in there.

 

I have mild tinnutis--I can generally ignore it, but I do get a clicking in my left ear from time to time: sounds like Morse Code.

 

So, the short of it is, I've been to dozens of ear doctors and I know the routine. If you haven't been to an Ear Nose and Throat doctor ever, or not in the past several years, please go. Many times hearing loss is just wax accumulated in the ears. It can easily be removed by the doctor without surgery. Piece of cake. (Well, rather nasty tasting cake.) Your using a Q-Tip will only push the wax more solidly into your ear.

 

If your kids use iPods, buy them noise isolating cans--they help people listen at lower levels. BTW: France has a law forcing portable mp3 players to only play below a certain volume.

 

Also, I've heard reports from medical pros that people are reporting permanent tinnitus after having a flu shot--I'm not saying, I'm just saying....

 

I empathize (empathise for you Brits and Aussies) with those who report having problems hearing conversations. It sucks. People think I'm trying to dance with them as I spin around trying to get the good ear pointed toward them. And I'm fortunate to have one good ear.

 

Hang in there, friends.

 

FMA

 

(And if you want to hear what your guitar really sounds like, bite on the end of its headstock while strumming a chord. Seriously: bone transference!)

[Aster1]

I've been suffering from acute Tinnitus for 3 years now. Probably from too much loud music. To the point where i have to wear plugs if I play electric. No hearing loss yet though. I hear a constant loud high pitch sound in my head. Drove me crazy at first. I would like to hear from anyone who shares my ailment. Many musicians suffer from Tinnitus, Clapton, Collins, etc.

 

Since mine isn't from loud noises I am hoping that I can get some relief from some of the homeopathic offerings that I see advertized. Will advise if they work as I'm getting ready to be ring free even if light ringing. Glad I can still hear low-high as I need that for work setting up home theaters & such.

 

Aster

[Jerry K]

Yeah, I have some hearing loss too. The part that hurts most is I used to be able to sing pretty well and had very good pitch control. Now my guitar playing has improved but when I listen to myself sing on recordings I can hear the pitch going off. I find myself seeking out corners and rooms with windows and mirrors to play so I can hear myself sing and stay on pitch.

 

I can't complain. I'm 60 and can still hear pretty well, though I have trouble with speech comprehension if there is music, many people talking or other noise. It's part of getting older. My joints are all wearing out too.

[duluthdan]

I have endured selective hearing loss ever since I was told - "Hey, don't do that". Seriously though, the 24-7 ringing in my ears is too often driving me nuts. If anybody finds a real cure to this that is not internet hocus-pocus I would sure like to know about it.

[fumblefinger]

I have endured selective hearing loss ever since I was told - "Hey, don't do that". Seriously though, the 24-7 ringing in my ears is too often driving me nuts. If anybody finds a real cure to this that is not internet hocus-pocus I would sure like to know about it.

 

Hey Dan, check out some of the high end hearing aids but be ready to mortgage the farm. I have a set of Phonac Q90's

that have a tinnitus masking program. They don't eliminate the problem but have helped me. You should be able to

trial a pair for a couple of weeks before buying.

[aerohead]

Yeah, I have some hearing loss too. The part that hurts most is I used to be able to sing pretty well and had very good pitch control. Now my guitar playing has improved but when I listen to myself sing on recordings I can hear the pitch going off. I find myself seeking out corners and rooms with windows and mirrors to play so I can hear myself sing and stay on pitch.

 

I can't complain. I'm 60 and can still hear pretty well, though I have trouble with speech comprehension if there is music, many people talking or other noise. It's part of getting older. My joints are all wearing out too.

I hear ya Jerry at least the part you said about the *itch going off! Oh PITCH you say? I also hear it in recordings when I play them back. My kids always tease me because when I can't hear what they are mumbling I just fill in my own words that sound something like what they said.

[ParlourMan]

I hear ya

 

That would seemingly go against the grain of this thread. Boom-tish!

[Mojorule]

My electric guitar responds well to FLATPICK and FINGERPICKING, but it's even more VERSATILE than that. Its previous owner was a professional SIGN LANGUAGE INTERPRETER, so it also responds to BSL and ASL.

[Anthony Buckeridge]

Quote: "For the noobs, I gigged bars for some 35+ years, Rock, Southern Rock, Country Rock, Country and then Classic Rock. Fender Super Reverb, Peavey Deuce, Marshall JCM900 1/2 stack, Fender Prosonic, Mesa Blue Angel, and had other guitarist on stage with large rigs as well. Not to mention years of playing in living room "circles" putting together projects, etc, etc......"

 

"Over the years I seem to have lost certain frequencies in different ears"

 

 

 

 

People think that it is the loudness of the Sound you are exposed to that causes harm. This is quite understandable, and of course the loudness is involved.

 

However, in reality, it is the length of exposure to excessive loudness that is the decisive factor in ultimately determining whether a person encounters a lasting hearing deficiency as a result of loud noises.

 

Inside your Ear there are a lot of groups of Fine Hairs "Stereocilia" that respond to particular frequencies. When a loud sound is encountered, they move according to the frequencies involved, and this actuates a signal via the auditory nerve to the Brain.

 

People imagine these Fine Hairs, wave about moving in the flow of air, but because they are hidden deep within the inner ear, (the sound has been transferred to the inner ear via a physical mechanism), they are actually are held in an environment of something like a gel. Thats how it would feel to your hands between your fingers.

 

Perhaps a good analogy, would be the Brakes and Clutch Fluid in your Cars Hydraulic Systems. You place your foot on the Brakes and the Fluid is powerful enough to move, via a cylinder, your Braking Pads to locate them as hard as you like to the Braking Surface of your Wheels. So this Gel moves and pushes the Fine Hairs sideways, and hold them like that as long as the "Sound" continues.

 

If it's a short burst of Sound then the Hairs are pushed sideways quickly, but usually quickly recover their normal position fairly quickly, when it goes quiet again. If the Sound is very loud indeed or it goes on for a while, it may take the Hairs proportionally longer to recover.

 

 

 

In cases of bad and prolonged exposure the Ear tries to protect itself. One way it does this is like this.

 

All these groups of fine hairs (Stereocilia) are actually on a Large Membrane that is wide at one end and narrow at the other. The Wide End is dealing with Bass Frequencies and the Narrow End High Frequencies, and the in between the Middle Frequencies.

 

But when the Ear is faced with a prolonged Barrage of Noise, this whole Membrane will ultimately react, and move in position, so that the Ear is not so easily affected by the Sound the Ear Canal is encountering. The Ear Shifts the Threshold at Which it Responds to Sound. This is called "Temporary Threshold Shift".

 

Once this Temporary Loss of Hearing happens, it might take a day or two for your hearing to go back to normal or even longer. But basically your Ear is telling you that is doesn't like the environment that you are in, and it's trying to protect itself from the adverse effects of the environment. Wax in the Ear can also be another way the Ear tries to protect itself.

 

The thing is, people note the change in their hearing, think of it as simply an effect of the Concert they have been to, or the Factory they have been in, and as their hearing returns to normal believe that all is well. Or after their Ears have had the wax removed, believe all is ok and don't think more of it. However the truth is, your Ears are sending you a message, you need to understand and heed that message and enact change as a proper response to what you are being told by your Body.

 

If you continue to disregard what your Body is clearly telling you quite starkly. Ultimately you will do Damage to your Hearing from which it probably will not be able to ever fully recover.

 

 

 

Going back to the Fine Hairs in your Inner Ear.

 

Imagine them as stalks of wheat in a field, blowing about in the wind.

 

They move but remain upright, but if they encounter something or someone that pushes them over so hard for so long that they give, ultimately they lie flat on the floor and never get back to their original position.

 

Now remember the Brake and Clutch Hydraulic Fluid analogy, the power of this Gel pushing your Fine Inner Ear Hairs sideways, and keeping them there. It's when the ear is exposed to such a prolonged effect hour after hour, day after day, and week by week that the accumulative effect of this is to ultimately overwhelm all the Quite Wonderful, Natural Protective Mechanisms that the Ear has and uses to Protect Itself.

 

Try Driving every day at Normal Speed with your Hand Brake On and see how long your Brake Pads last. You will of course, short live them and that is what is going on with a lot of Music Industry Generated, Hearing Damage.

 

As Musicians are wholly dependent upon their Hearing, to properly function Professionally.

 

This seems to be the most serious abrogation of Responsible Behaviour.

 

 

 

 

Quote: For me I have always guarded my hearing over the years. Music never over 90db or so for very long. I'm worried about the massive hearing loss in the young-in's these days!! They used ear buds with devices that sealed and easily exceed Jimi Hendrix rock concerts as their daily listening habit. I've talked with some and they think the Dr's. will just implant something in their head & they'll hear better than normal. It really is pretty hard to sell 30 somethings really good sounding stereo or surround sound gear cuz they just can't hear that well. Sad, really sad."

"Ear plugs? Pleeeeeze. We were young and invincible."

 

 

 

 

America is a little behind Europe in its Safety Laws in regard to Hearing.

 

Partly this is because there are two bodies giving advice, one favored by Employers which recommends Higher Threshold Levels for the Legal Requirement of Personal Protection Equipment, and the more responsible Government Body, which recommends Lower Thresholds.

 

An Employer can save money by following the Higher Recommendations of the Body that represents their interests. Both are way behind European Legislation which in recent years has seen a reduction in the Threshold Levels for Personal Protection Equipment downward to 80 db (A weighted) from the previous 85dA.

 

Please appreciate the difference, from the over 90 dB that the poster mentioned which is a minimum of 10dBA. This may not seem much, however dependent upon how we measure it, every extra 6 db's in Sound Pressure Level actually represents a doubling of the level the Ear perceives. So from 80 to 86 DbA might not seem on paper to mean much, but in fact it's a Complete Doubling of the Level your Ear will Experience. 86 dBA to 92 dBA Over four times the actual Sound Pressure Level.

 

This is the Critical Point to Absorb.

 

 

 

A small difference in Number, may mean a big difference in Sound Level.

 

 

 

In Regard to Ear Protection.

 

Briefly. The main problems you will encounter with the technical information supplied, especially in America.

 

Is that different bodies like NIOSH & OSHA give different advice, which reflects the different interest groups and bodies they are related to as mentioned.

 

And few people realise, that whilst all the Health and Safety Experts tend to Measure Levels using A Weighted Measurements. Earplug Manufacturers usually give suppression ratings based upon C weighted readings.

 

Different Manufacturers, will give you Formulas, for working out these Apple and Orange differences, but in my experience, many untrained people completely miss all this, and Manufacturers give you information, that lends towards a picture, that enhances their Products.

 

The C-weighting scale was originally designed to be the best predictor of the ear’s sensitivity to tones at high noise levels. Why, then, are noise measurements for hearing conservation almost always measured in dBA? Because the ear’s loudness sensitivity for tones is not the same as the ears’ damage risk for noise.

 

Even though the low frequencies and high frequencies are perceived as being equally loud at high sound levels, much of the low frequency noise is actually being filtered out by the ear, making it less likely to cause damage. Therefore it is the case that the A-weighting scale in a sound level meter replicates this filtering process of the human ear.

 

 

 

 

Making proper sense of all this is important.

 

"ANSI S12.68 defines a method to estimate the performance of a protector in an a typical noise environment.

 

Building upon work from the U.S. Air Force and the ISO 4869-2 standard, the protector's attenuation as a function of the difference in C and A-weighted noise level is used to predict typical performance in that noise environment.

 

The derating may be quite severe (10 to 15 decibels) for protectors that have significant differences between low and high frequency attenuation. For "flat" attenuation protectors, the effect of C-A is less. This new system eliminates the need for calculators, relies on graphs and databases of empirical data, and is believed to be a more accurate system for determining NRRs."

 

"While the NRR and the SNR (Single Number Rating) are designed to be used with C weighted noise, which means that the lower frequencies are not de-emphasized, other ratings (NRR(SF) and NRSA) are determined for use with A weighted noise levels, which have lower frequencies de-emphasized.

 

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health recommended and the U.S. EPA mandated that 7-dB compensation between C and A weighting be applied when the NRR is used with A-weighted noise levels."

 

 

 

"OSHA has defined in their training manual for inspectors that the adequacy of hearing protection for use in a hazardous noise environment should be derated to account for how workers typically wear protection relative to how manufacturers test the protector's attenuation in the laboratory.

 

For all types of hearing protection, OSHA’s derating factor is 50%. If used with C-weighted noise, the derated NRR will become NRR/2. If used with A-weighted noise, OSHA applies the 7-dB adjustment for C-A weighting first then derates the remainder. For example, a protector with 33-dB attenuation would have this derating: Derated NRR = (33 – 7)/2

 

NIOSH has proposed a different method for derating based upon the type of protector. For earmuffs, the NRR should be derated by 25%, for slow-recovery foam earplugs the derating is 50% for all other protection, the derating is 70%. NIOSH applies the C-A spectral compensation differently than OSHA.

 

Where OSHA subtracts the 7-dB factor first and derates the result, NIOSH derates the NRR first and then compensates for the C-A difference. For example, to find the derated NRR for an earmuff by using the NIOSH derating system, the following equation would be used: Derated NRR = (Original NRR x (1-.25)) – 7"

 

 

 

 

Making proper sense of all this is difficult.

 

The essential thing to realize is that OSHA is linked to the Department of Labour.

 

However NIOSH has a different mandate altogether, being linked to different bodies, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and United States Department of Health and Human Services.

 

The easy way to understand and handle these anomalies and the safest formula to follow, is to base your technical judgments and purchasing decisions on the advice of NIOSH a body which is simply concerned with issues of Prevention and Health.

 

 

 

 

So for a Foam Earplug, for instance where the Manufacturer tells you it will give you 28 dB's of suppression.

 

You de-rate the Plug by 50% giving you 14 dB's of suppression. Then compensate for the difference between the C Rating the Manufacturers are quoting, and the A rating the Health and Safety people are using on their Measurement Meters, by de-rating the earplug by a further 7 dB's.

 

Giving you the most likely scenario of the true suppression you are benefitting from, which when it is compared directly with the A weighted measurement of the working environment is (according to the NIOSH) actually 7 dB.

 

 

 

 

Can you appreciate the full importance of all this?

 

Let's say you are working in an environment of 100 dBA, as measured by typical Health and Safety Experts, using a Typical Hand Held Meter.

 

The Manufacturer tells you (it has to by Law) on the product that by using their Wonderful Earplug you will benefit from 28 dB's of suppression. Thus you and those in charge both assume that the Earplug will bring the figure you are exposed to down to 72 dB's, a 'relatively safe' figure.

 

However, in reality because workers in the field are often untrained, or have simply not learnt how to fit their particular type of ear protective device, (some need to be pushed into the ear canal, others rolled and the ear pulled back and up using a specific technique during fitting, and many other different approaches etc.) or workers cannot be bothered and stupidly do not care anyway, the real figure of suppression they benefit from is likely to be just one half of what under ideal circumstances it should be, thus just 14 dB.

 

Now, you have to reduce that by a further 7 dB, to allow for the difference between the C weighted Measurement the Manufacturer is using to rate its Products, and the A weighted measurement the Health and Safety people, or indeed you yourself may have used to measure your working environment.

 

Thus (according to the NIOSH) the actual level you are likely to be experiencing at your ear canal, in a hostile environment of 100 dBA even when using ear protection is actually 93 dBA.

 

 

 

You are in an environment of 100 dBA.

 

The Earplug says you've 28 dB's of suppression.

 

So you think you are fully protected at a superb 72 dB's.

 

Whilst according to the NIOSH, your Ear is being Hit with 93 dBA

 

This is why I encourage folk to use good Earplugs and Fit Them Correctly.

 

 

 

I visited a Huge Factory a while back I have "an interest in" and while I was there told the Management that the Workers should have Ear Protection.

 

They told me they didn't require it because it was not a designated Ear Protection Area so they didn't need to. I told them it should be an Ear Protection Zone and that they should provide Protection.

 

They called in The Health and Safety Experts and along with the Managers used Sound Meters to Measure the Sound Levels in this part of the Factory, and then declared the Area "safe" and not requiring Ear Protection.

 

I told them their whole Methodology was completely wrong. They didn't have a clue what they were really doing, and that this is a Specialised Area that is very Complex to Understand. That they needed to Listen and not try to use faulty methods to Justify their Position.

 

I wrote a White Paper on the Subject to High Level Senior Managers at the Plant and they Hired an Independent Specialised Company that advises Large Corporations on Working Environment Issues. They came and spent a long time testing Workers for whole days with Highly Specialised Equipment that they Wore on their Person.

 

Not only did the Independent Experts find this Area was an Ear Protection Zone, contrary to the Claims of Company Managers and Health and Safety Experts. But they also found many other similar areas around the Plant.

 

Now, everyone has the right equipment available, and is required to use it.

 

 

 

P

[Jerry K]

I never played in a high volume band and with the exception of one or two rock concerts I attended in the seventies have always kept the volume quite reasonable on stereos and headphones and played acoustic instruments without amplification. There are genetic factors at play in hearing loss and I can see family members experiencing similar things to varying degrees. I think as you get older it often happens that some frequencies gradually are attenuated so that you can still hear, but there is a bit more effort required in the interpretation and mental construction of what you are hearing. Much the same sort of thing appears to be happening to my vision; the input data that I have to work with is narrower band and less focused, so the software end in the brain has to work a bit more to construct the image and the resolution is lower.

[fumblefinger]

Anthony Buckeridge , thanks for the information. I too once wore one of those noise level testing devices for

four hours. I'm sure the technicians must hear some interesting things on them when you think of all the

silly things you speak and sing about when by yourself.

 

So, the bottom line to all those bullet proof young people is, when your hearing is gone, it's gone and it

ain''t comin' back.

[blindboygrunt]

Quote: "For the noobs, I gigged bars for some 35+ years, Rock, Southern Rock, Country Rock, Country and then Classic Rock. Fender Super Reverb, Peavey Deuce, Marshall JCM900 1/2 stack, Fender Prosonic, Mesa Blue Angel, and had other guitarist on stage with large rigs as well. Not to mention years of playing in living room "circles" putting together projects, etc, etc......"

 

"Over the years I seem to have lost certain frequencies in different ears"

 

 

 

 

People think that it is the loudness of the Sound you are exposed to that causes harm. This is quite understandable, and of course the loudness is involved.

 

However, in reality, it is the length of exposure to excessive loudness that is the decisive factor in ultimately determining whether a person encounters a lasting hearing deficiency as a result of loud noises.

 

Inside your Ear there are a lot of groups of Fine Hairs "Stereocilia" that respond to particular frequencies. When a loud sound is encountered, they move according to the frequencies involved, and this actuates a signal via the auditory nerve to the Brain.

 

People imagine these Fine Hairs, wave about moving in the flow of air, but because they are hidden deep within the inner ear, (the sound has been transferred to the inner ear via a physical mechanism), they are actually are held in an environment of something like a gel. Thats how it would feel to your hands between your fingers.

 

Perhaps a good analogy, would be the Brakes and Clutch Fluid in your Cars Hydraulic Systems. You place your foot on the Brakes and the Fluid is powerful enough to move, via a cylinder, your Braking Pads to locate them as hard as you like to the Braking Surface of your Wheels. So this Gel moves and pushes the Fine Hairs sideways, and hold them like that as long as the "Sound" continues.

 

If it's a short burst of Sound then the Hairs are pushed sideways quickly, but usually quickly recover their normal position fairly quickly, when it goes quiet again. If the Sound is very loud indeed or it goes on for a while, it may take the Hairs proportionally longer to recover.

 

 

 

In cases of bad and prolonged exposure the Ear tries to protect itself. One way it does this is like this.

 

All these groups of fine hairs (Stereocilia) are actually on a Large Membrane that is wide at one end and narrow at the other. The Wide End is dealing with Bass Frequencies and the Narrow End High Frequencies, and the in between the Middle Frequencies.

 

But when the Ear is faced with a prolonged Barrage of Noise, this whole Membrane will ultimately react, and move in position, so that the Ear is not so easily affected by the Sound the Ear Canal is encountering. The Ear Shifts the Threshold at Which it Responds to Sound. This is called "Temporary Threshold Shift".

 

Once this Temporary Loss of Hearing happens, it might take a day or two for your hearing to go back to normal or even longer. But basically your Ear is telling you that is doesn't like the environment that you are in, and it's trying to protect itself from the adverse effects of the environment. Wax in the Ear can also be another way the Ear tries to protect itself.

 

The thing is, people note the change in their hearing, think of it as simply an effect of the Concert they have been to, or the Factory they have been in, and as their hearing returns to normal believe that all is well. Or after their Ears have had the wax removed, believe all is ok and don't think more of it. However the truth is, your Ears are sending you a message, you need to understand and heed that message and enact change as a proper response to what you are being told by your Body.

 

If you continue to disregard what your Body is clearly telling you quite starkly. Ultimately you will do Damage to your Hearing from which it probably will not be able to ever fully recover.

 

 

 

Going back to the Fine Hairs in your Inner Ear.

 

Imagine them as stalks of wheat in a field, blowing about in the wind.

 

They move but remain upright, but if they encounter something or someone that pushes them over so hard for so long that they give, ultimately they lie flat on the floor and never get back to their original position.

 

Now remember the Brake and Clutch Hydraulic Fluid analogy, the power of this Gel pushing your Fine Inner Ear Hairs sideways, and keeping them there. It's when the ear is exposed to such a prolonged effect hour after hour, day after day, and week by week that the accumulative effect of this is to ultimately overwhelm all the Quite Wonderful, Natural Protective Mechanisms that the Ear has and uses to Protect Itself.

 

Try Driving every day at Normal Speed with your Hand Brake On and see how long your Brake Pads last. You will of course, short live them and that is what is going on with a lot of Music Industry Generated, Hearing Damage.

 

As Musicians are wholly dependent upon their Hearing, to properly function Professionally.

 

This seems to be the most serious abrogation of Responsible Behaviour.

 

 

 

 

Quote: For me I have always guarded my hearing over the years. Music never over 90db or so for very long. I'm worried about the massive hearing loss in the young-in's these days!! They used ear buds with devices that sealed and easily exceed Jimi Hendrix rock concerts as their daily listening habit. I've talked with some and they think the Dr's. will just implant something in their head & they'll hear better than normal. It really is pretty hard to sell 30 somethings really good sounding stereo or surround sound gear cuz they just can't hear that well. Sad, really sad."

"Ear plugs? Pleeeeeze. We were young and invincible."

 

 

 

 

America is a little behind Europe in its Safety Laws in regard to Hearing.

 

Partly this is because there are two bodies giving advice, one favored by Employers which recommends Higher Threshold Levels for the Legal Requirement of Personal Protection Equipment, and the more responsible Government Body, which recommends Lower Thresholds.

 

An Employer can save money by following the Higher Recommendations of the Body that represents their interests. Both are way behind European Legislation which in recent years has seen a reduction in the Threshold Levels for Personal Protection Equipment downward to 80 db (A weighted) from the previous 85dA.

 

Please appreciate the difference, from the over 90 dB that the poster mentioned which is a minimum of 10dBA. This may not seem much, however dependent upon how we measure it, every extra 6 db's in Sound Pressure Level actually represents a doubling of the level the Ear perceives. So from 80 to 86 DbA might not seem on paper to mean much, but in fact it's a Complete Doubling of the Level your Ear will Experience. 86 dBA to 92 dBA Over four times the actual Sound Pressure Level.

 

This is the Critical Point to Absorb.

 

 

 

A small difference in Number, may mean a big difference in Sound Level.

 

 

 

In Regard to Ear Protection.

 

Briefly. The main problems you will encounter with the technical information supplied, especially in America.

 

Is that different bodies like NIOSH & OSHA give different advice, which reflects the different interest groups and bodies they are related to as mentioned.

 

And few people realise, that whilst all the Health and Safety Experts tend to Measure Levels using A Weighted Measurements. Earplug Manufacturers usually give suppression ratings based upon C weighted readings.

 

Different Manufacturers, will give you Formulas, for working out these Apple and Orange differences, but in my experience, many untrained people completely miss all this, and Manufacturers give you information, that lends towards a picture, that enhances their Products.

 

The C-weighting scale was originally designed to be the best predictor of the ear’s sensitivity to tones at high noise levels. Why, then, are noise measurements for hearing conservation almost always measured in dBA? Because the ear’s loudness sensitivity for tones is not the same as the ears’ damage risk for noise.

 

Even though the low frequencies and high frequencies are perceived as being equally loud at high sound levels, much of the low frequency noise is actually being filtered out by the ear, making it less likely to cause damage. Therefore it is the case that the A-weighting scale in a sound level meter replicates this filtering process of the human ear.

 

 

 

 

Making proper sense of all this is important.

 

"ANSI S12.68 defines a method to estimate the performance of a protector in an a typical noise environment.

 

Building upon work from the U.S. Air Force and the ISO 4869-2 standard, the protector's attenuation as a function of the difference in C and A-weighted noise level is used to predict typical performance in that noise environment.

 

The derating may be quite severe (10 to 15 decibels) for protectors that have significant differences between low and high frequency attenuation. For "flat" attenuation protectors, the effect of C-A is less. This new system eliminates the need for calculators, relies on graphs and databases of empirical data, and is believed to be a more accurate system for determining NRRs."

 

"While the NRR and the SNR (Single Number Rating) are designed to be used with C weighted noise, which means that the lower frequencies are not de-emphasized, other ratings (NRR(SF) and NRSA) are determined for use with A weighted noise levels, which have lower frequencies de-emphasized.

 

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health recommended and the U.S. EPA mandated that 7-dB compensation between C and A weighting be applied when the NRR is used with A-weighted noise levels."

 

 

 

"OSHA has defined in their training manual for inspectors that the adequacy of hearing protection for use in a hazardous noise environment should be derated to account for how workers typically wear protection relative to how manufacturers test the protector's attenuation in the laboratory.

 

For all types of hearing protection, OSHA’s derating factor is 50%. If used with C-weighted noise, the derated NRR will become NRR/2. If used with A-weighted noise, OSHA applies the 7-dB adjustment for C-A weighting first then derates the remainder. For example, a protector with 33-dB attenuation would have this derating: Derated NRR = (33 – 7)/2

 

NIOSH has proposed a different method for derating based upon the type of protector. For earmuffs, the NRR should be derated by 25%, for slow-recovery foam earplugs the derating is 50% for all other protection, the derating is 70%. NIOSH applies the C-A spectral compensation differently than OSHA.

 

Where OSHA subtracts the 7-dB factor first and derates the result, NIOSH derates the NRR first and then compensates for the C-A difference. For example, to find the derated NRR for an earmuff by using the NIOSH derating system, the following equation would be used: Derated NRR = (Original NRR x (1-.25)) – 7"

 

 

 

 

Making proper sense of all this is difficult.

 

The essential thing to realize is that OSHA is linked to the Department of Labour.

 

However NIOSH has a different mandate altogether, being linked to different bodies, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and United States Department of Health and Human Services.

 

The easy way to understand and handle these anomalies and the safest formula to follow, is to base your technical judgments and purchasing decisions on the advice of NIOSH a body which is simply concerned with issues of Prevention and Health.

 

 

 

 

So for a Foam Earplug, for instance where the Manufacturer tells you it will give you 28 dB's of suppression.

 

You de-rate the Plug by 50% giving you 14 dB's of suppression. Then compensate for the difference between the C Rating the Manufacturers are quoting, and the A rating the Health and Safety people are using on their Measurement Meters, by de-rating the earplug by a further 7 dB's.

 

Giving you the most likely scenario of the true suppression you are benefitting from, which when it is compared directly with the A weighted measurement of the working environment is (according to the NIOSH) actually 7 dB.

 

 

 

 

Can you appreciate the full importance of all this?

 

Let's say you are working in an environment of 100 dBA, as measured by typical Health and Safety Experts, using a Typical Hand Held Meter.

 

The Manufacturer tells you (it has to by Law) on the product that by using their Wonderful Earplug you will benefit from 28 dB's of suppression. Thus you and those in charge both assume that the Earplug will bring the figure you are exposed to down to 72 dB's, a 'relatively safe' figure.

 

However, in reality because workers in the field are often untrained, or have simply not learnt how to fit their particular type of ear protective device, (some need to be pushed into the ear canal, others rolled and the ear pulled back and up using a specific technique during fitting, and many other different approaches etc.) or workers cannot be bothered and stupidly do not care anyway, the real figure of suppression they benefit from is likely to be just one half of what under ideal circumstances it should be, thus just 14 dB.

 

Now, you have to reduce that by a further 7 dB, to allow for the difference between the C weighted Measurement the Manufacturer is using to rate its Products, and the A weighted measurement the Health and Safety people, or indeed you yourself may have used to measure your working environment.

 

Thus (according to the NIOSH) the actual level you are likely to be experiencing at your ear canal, in a hostile environment of 100 dBA even when using ear protection is actually 93 dBA.

 

 

 

You are in an environment of 100 dBA.

 

The Earplug says you've 28 dB's of suppression.

 

So you think you are fully protected at a superb 72 dB's.

 

Whilst according to the NIOSH, your Ear is being Hit with 93 dBA

 

This is why I encourage folk to use good Earplugs and Fit Them Correctly.

 

 

 

I visited a Huge Factory a while back I have "an interest in" and while I was there told the Management that the Workers should have Ear Protection.

 

They told me they didn't require it because it was not a designated Ear Protection Area so they didn't need to. I told them it should be an Ear Protection Zone and that they should provide Protection.

 

They called in The Health and Safety Experts and along with the Managers used Sound Meters to Measure the Sound Levels in this part of the Factory, and then declared the Area "safe" and not requiring Ear Protection.

 

I told them their whole Methodology was completely wrong. They didn't have a clue what they were really doing, and that this is a Specialised Area that is very Complex to Understand. That they needed to Listen and not try to use faulty methods to Justify their Position.

 

I wrote a White Paper on the Subject to High Level Senior Managers at the Plant and they Hired an Independent Specialised Company that advises Large Corporations on Working Environment Issues. They came and spent a long time testing Workers for whole days with Highly Specialised Equipment that they Wore on their Person.

 

Not only did the Independent Experts find this Area was an Ear Protection Zone, contrary to the Claims of Company Managers and Health and Safety Experts. But they also found many other similar areas around the Plant.

 

Now, everyone has the right equipment available, and is required to use it.

 

 

 

P

 

 

Pardon ?

[ParlourMan]

Yep, you could probably mine 3 bitcoins by the time you read all that.

[Mojorule]

Was that Sandra and her XRumer 12.0 Elite there? Or a tap of her evening round at Flatters's place?

[Fullmental Alpinist]

Pardon ?

 

Once gain, well said, BBG.

 

FMA

[4 FINGER PETE]

1385568625[/url]' post='1454542']

I have tinnitus and had to put down the electric guitar entirely, re: 50 yrs of Super and Twin amps didn't do it though. I was fine until a year ago. Seems my body said "nuff" to a maintainence prescription I had taken for 10 plus years. Boom! Pretty sick since last year. Now, I am left with a constant hissing in both ears and an excruciating sensitivity to any volume. I can't really even play my acoustic guitars much or find my singing voice at all. No fun. I keep my fingers crossed that things will continue to improve little by little. Fifty plus years of guitars just collecting dust since last November. Thick!

 

41 replies to Tinnitus. I guess we're not alone. I have a constant loud hiss and any loud noise makes its worse i.e. Electric guitar. So the hissing in my ears gets louder after exposition to loud noises but it doesn't seem to make it worse on the long run. I hope not anyway. I wear plugs to the cinema and shows, although I keep those to a minimum. I haven't stopped playing acoustic.I just can't . My whole life I've had stuff happen that went against my playing music. Tinnitus,lost the index finger on my left hand, attacked on the street and strangled thus needed a throat operation that damaged my vocal chords slightly, developed acid reflux disease that burns my throat and now joint pain in the wrists and fingers due to a motorcycle accident. I wont stop playing :-) sorry for the long story.

[Tarrr]

In the words of Pete Townshend...... huh

[Murph]

I've found I'm not really missing much.

 

Half the stuff people say is bullsh&$ anyway......

[MorrisrownSal]

Quote: "For the noobs, I gigged bars for some 35+ years, Rock, Southern Rock, Country Rock, Country and then Classic Rock. Fender Super Reverb, Peavey Deuce, Marshall JCM900 1/2 stack, Fender Prosonic, Mesa Blue Angel, and had other guitarist on stage with large rigs as well. Not to mention years of playing in living room "circles" putting together projects, etc, etc......"

 

"Over the years I seem to have lost certain frequencies in different ears"

 

 

 

 

People think that it is the loudness of the Sound you are exposed to that causes harm. This is quite understandable, and of course the loudness is involved.

 

However, in reality, it is the length of exposure to excessive loudness that is the decisive factor in ultimately determining whether a person encounters a lasting hearing deficiency as a result of loud noises.

 

Inside your Ear there are a lot of groups of Fine Hairs "Stereocilia" that respond to particular frequencies. When a loud sound is encountered, they move according to the frequencies involved, and this actuates a signal via the auditory nerve to the Brain.

 

People imagine these Fine Hairs, wave about moving in the flow of air, but because they are hidden deep within the inner ear, (the sound has been transferred to the inner ear via a physical mechanism), they are actually are held in an environment of something like a gel. Thats how it would feel to your hands between your fingers.

 

Perhaps a good analogy, would be the Brakes and Clutch Fluid in your Cars Hydraulic Systems. You place your foot on the Brakes and the Fluid is powerful enough to move, via a cylinder, your Braking Pads to locate them as hard as you like to the Braking Surface of your Wheels. So this Gel moves and pushes the Fine Hairs sideways, and hold them like that as long as the "Sound" continues.

 

If it's a short burst of Sound then the Hairs are pushed sideways quickly, but usually quickly recover their normal position fairly quickly, when it goes quiet again. If the Sound is very loud indeed or it goes on for a while, it may take the Hairs proportionally longer to recover.

 

 

 

In cases of bad and prolonged exposure the Ear tries to protect itself. One way it does this is like this.

 

All these groups of fine hairs (Stereocilia) are actually on a Large Membrane that is wide at one end and narrow at the other. The Wide End is dealing with Bass Frequencies and the Narrow End High Frequencies, and the in between the Middle Frequencies.

 

But when the Ear is faced with a prolonged Barrage of Noise, this whole Membrane will ultimately react, and move in position, so that the Ear is not so easily affected by the Sound the Ear Canal is encountering. The Ear Shifts the Threshold at Which it Responds to Sound. This is called "Temporary Threshold Shift".

 

Once this Temporary Loss of Hearing happens, it might take a day or two for your hearing to go back to normal or even longer. But basically your Ear is telling you that is doesn't like the environment that you are in, and it's trying to protect itself from the adverse effects of the environment. Wax in the Ear can also be another way the Ear tries to protect itself.

 

The thing is, people note the change in their hearing, think of it as simply an effect of the Concert they have been to, or the Factory they have been in, and as their hearing returns to normal believe that all is well. Or after their Ears have had the wax removed, believe all is ok and don't think more of it. However the truth is, your Ears are sending you a message, you need to understand and heed that message and enact change as a proper response to what you are being told by your Body.

 

If you continue to disregard what your Body is clearly telling you quite starkly. Ultimately you will do Damage to your Hearing from which it probably will not be able to ever fully recover.

 

 

 

Going back to the Fine Hairs in your Inner Ear.

 

Imagine them as stalks of wheat in a field, blowing about in the wind.

 

They move but remain upright, but if they encounter something or someone that pushes them over so hard for so long that they give, ultimately they lie flat on the floor and never get back to their original position.

 

Now remember the Brake and Clutch Hydraulic Fluid analogy, the power of this Gel pushing your Fine Inner Ear Hairs sideways, and keeping them there. It's when the ear is exposed to such a prolonged effect hour after hour, day after day, and week by week that the accumulative effect of this is to ultimately overwhelm all the Quite Wonderful, Natural Protective Mechanisms that the Ear has and uses to Protect Itself.

 

Try Driving every day at Normal Speed with your Hand Brake On and see how long your Brake Pads last. You will of course, short live them and that is what is going on with a lot of Music Industry Generated, Hearing Damage.

 

As Musicians are wholly dependent upon their Hearing, to properly function Professionally.

 

This seems to be the most serious abrogation of Responsible Behaviour.

 

 

 

 

Quote: For me I have always guarded my hearing over the years. Music never over 90db or so for very long. I'm worried about the massive hearing loss in the young-in's these days!! They used ear buds with devices that sealed and easily exceed Jimi Hendrix rock concerts as their daily listening habit. I've talked with some and they think the Dr's. will just implant something in their head & they'll hear better than normal. It really is pretty hard to sell 30 somethings really good sounding stereo or surround sound gear cuz they just can't hear that well. Sad, really sad."

"Ear plugs? Pleeeeeze. We were young and invincible."

 

 

 

 

America is a little behind Europe in its Safety Laws in regard to Hearing.

 

Partly this is because there are two bodies giving advice, one favored by Employers which recommends Higher Threshold Levels for the Legal Requirement of Personal Protection Equipment, and the more responsible Government Body, which recommends Lower Thresholds.

 

An Employer can save money by following the Higher Recommendations of the Body that represents their interests. Both are way behind European Legislation which in recent years has seen a reduction in the Threshold Levels for Personal Protection Equipment downward to 80 db (A weighted) from the previous 85dA.

 

Please appreciate the difference, from the over 90 dB that the poster mentioned which is a minimum of 10dBA. This may not seem much, however dependent upon how we measure it, every extra 6 db's in Sound Pressure Level actually represents a doubling of the level the Ear perceives. So from 80 to 86 DbA might not seem on paper to mean much, but in fact it's a Complete Doubling of the Level your Ear will Experience. 86 dBA to 92 dBA Over four times the actual Sound Pressure Level.

 

This is the Critical Point to Absorb.

 

 

 

A small difference in Number, may mean a big difference in Sound Level.

 

 

 

In Regard to Ear Protection.

 

Briefly. The main problems you will encounter with the technical information supplied, especially in America.

 

Is that different bodies like NIOSH & OSHA give different advice, which reflects the different interest groups and bodies they are related to as mentioned.

 

And few people realise, that whilst all the Health and Safety Experts tend to Measure Levels using A Weighted Measurements. Earplug Manufacturers usually give suppression ratings based upon C weighted readings.

 

Different Manufacturers, will give you Formulas, for working out these Apple and Orange differences, but in my experience, many untrained people completely miss all this, and Manufacturers give you information, that lends towards a picture, that enhances their Products.

 

The C-weighting scale was originally designed to be the best predictor of the ear’s sensitivity to tones at high noise levels. Why, then, are noise measurements for hearing conservation almost always measured in dBA? Because the ear’s loudness sensitivity for tones is not the same as the ears’ damage risk for noise.

 

Even though the low frequencies and high frequencies are perceived as being equally loud at high sound levels, much of the low frequency noise is actually being filtered out by the ear, making it less likely to cause damage. Therefore it is the case that the A-weighting scale in a sound level meter replicates this filtering process of the human ear.

 

 

 

 

Making proper sense of all this is important.

 

"ANSI S12.68 defines a method to estimate the performance of a protector in an a typical noise environment.

 

Building upon work from the U.S. Air Force and the ISO 4869-2 standard, the protector's attenuation as a function of the difference in C and A-weighted noise level is used to predict typical performance in that noise environment.

 

The derating may be quite severe (10 to 15 decibels) for protectors that have significant differences between low and high frequency attenuation. For "flat" attenuation protectors, the effect of C-A is less. This new system eliminates the need for calculators, relies on graphs and databases of empirical data, and is believed to be a more accurate system for determining NRRs."

 

"While the NRR and the SNR (Single Number Rating) are designed to be used with C weighted noise, which means that the lower frequencies are not de-emphasized, other ratings (NRR(SF) and NRSA) are determined for use with A weighted noise levels, which have lower frequencies de-emphasized.

 

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health recommended and the U.S. EPA mandated that 7-dB compensation between C and A weighting be applied when the NRR is used with A-weighted noise levels."

 

 

 

"OSHA has defined in their training manual for inspectors that the adequacy of hearing protection for use in a hazardous noise environment should be derated to account for how workers typically wear protection relative to how manufacturers test the protector's attenuation in the laboratory.

 

For all types of hearing protection, OSHA’s derating factor is 50%. If used with C-weighted noise, the derated NRR will become NRR/2. If used with A-weighted noise, OSHA applies the 7-dB adjustment for C-A weighting first then derates the remainder. For example, a protector with 33-dB attenuation would have this derating: Derated NRR = (33 – 7)/2

 

NIOSH has proposed a different method for derating based upon the type of protector. For earmuffs, the NRR should be derated by 25%, for slow-recovery foam earplugs the derating is 50% for all other protection, the derating is 70%. NIOSH applies the C-A spectral compensation differently than OSHA.

 

Where OSHA subtracts the 7-dB factor first and derates the result, NIOSH derates the NRR first and then compensates for the C-A difference. For example, to find the derated NRR for an earmuff by using the NIOSH derating system, the following equation would be used: Derated NRR = (Original NRR x (1-.25)) – 7"

 

 

 

 

Making proper sense of all this is difficult.

 

The essential thing to realize is that OSHA is linked to the Department of Labour.

 

However NIOSH has a different mandate altogether, being linked to different bodies, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and United States Department of Health and Human Services.

 

The easy way to understand and handle these anomalies and the safest formula to follow, is to base your technical judgments and purchasing decisions on the advice of NIOSH a body which is simply concerned with issues of Prevention and Health.

 

 

 

 

So for a Foam Earplug, for instance where the Manufacturer tells you it will give you 28 dB's of suppression.

 

You de-rate the Plug by 50% giving you 14 dB's of suppression. Then compensate for the difference between the C Rating the Manufacturers are quoting, and the A rating the Health and Safety people are using on their Measurement Meters, by de-rating the earplug by a further 7 dB's.

 

Giving you the most likely scenario of the true suppression you are benefitting from, which when it is compared directly with the A weighted measurement of the working environment is (according to the NIOSH) actually 7 dB.

 

 

 

 

Can you appreciate the full importance of all this?

 

Let's say you are working in an environment of 100 dBA, as measured by typical Health and Safety Experts, using a Typical Hand Held Meter.

 

The Manufacturer tells you (it has to by Law) on the product that by using their Wonderful Earplug you will benefit from 28 dB's of suppression. Thus you and those in charge both assume that the Earplug will bring the figure you are exposed to down to 72 dB's, a 'relatively safe' figure.

 

However, in reality because workers in the field are often untrained, or have simply not learnt how to fit their particular type of ear protective device, (some need to be pushed into the ear canal, others rolled and the ear pulled back and up using a specific technique during fitting, and many other different approaches etc.) or workers cannot be bothered and stupidly do not care anyway, the real figure of suppression they benefit from is likely to be just one half of what under ideal circumstances it should be, thus just 14 dB.

 

Now, you have to reduce that by a further 7 dB, to allow for the difference between the C weighted Measurement the Manufacturer is using to rate its Products, and the A weighted measurement the Health and Safety people, or indeed you yourself may have used to measure your working environment.

 

Thus (according to the NIOSH) the actual level you are likely to be experiencing at your ear canal, in a hostile environment of 100 dBA even when using ear protection is actually 93 dBA.

 

 

 

You are in an environment of 100 dBA.

 

The Earplug says you've 28 dB's of suppression.

 

So you think you are fully protected at a superb 72 dB's.

 

Whilst according to the NIOSH, your Ear is being Hit with 93 dBA

 

This is why I encourage folk to use good Earplugs and Fit Them Correctly.

 

 

 

I visited a Huge Factory a while back I have "an interest in" and while I was there told the Management that the Workers should have Ear Protection.

 

They told me they didn't require it because it was not a designated Ear Protection Area so they didn't need to. I told them it should be an Ear Protection Zone and that they should provide Protection.

 

They called in The Health and Safety Experts and along with the Managers used Sound Meters to Measure the Sound Levels in this part of the Factory, and then declared the Area "safe" and not requiring Ear Protection.

 

I told them their whole Methodology was completely wrong. They didn't have a clue what they were really doing, and that this is a Specialised Area that is very Complex to Understand. That they needed to Listen and not try to use faulty methods to Justify their Position.

 

I wrote a White Paper on the Subject to High Level Senior Managers at the Plant and they Hired an Independent Specialised Company that advises Large Corporations on Working Environment Issues. They came and spent a long time testing Workers for whole days with Highly Specialised Equipment that they Wore on their Person.

 

Not only did the Independent Experts find this Area was an Ear Protection Zone, contrary to the Claims of Company Managers and Health and Safety Experts. But they also found many other similar areas around the Plant.

 

Now, everyone has the right equipment available, and is required to use it.

 

 

 

P

 

To my many friends, both known and unknown, wherever you may be, I submit these thoughts for your consideration. Permit me this forum to rant. Tinnitus expects us to behave like passive sheep. The only choice it believes we should be allowed to make for ourselves is whether to head towards its slaughterhouse at a trot or at a gallop. Tinnitus clearly doesn't want us choosing to expose its malversation.

 

Apparently, I maintain I know why Tinnitus has been diminishing society's inducements to good behavior. It considers it an interesting sociological experiment for determining whether people can be influenced to implant within the government a set of fifth columnists who are devoted to its dream of taking us all back to the Stone Age. Given this context, we need to return to the idea that motivated this letter: Tinnitus always puts a fugleman in charge of perpetuating harmful stereotypes. That way, Tinnitus can feign innocence, as it wasn't the one who did anything wrong. In fact, it can easily deny that when I say that its hatchet jobs are undiplomatic, I mean it. I don't mean that they remind me of something undiplomatic or that they have one or two undiplomatic characteristics. I mean that they are undiplomatic. In fact, the most undiplomatic thing about them is the way that they prevent people from seeing that Tinnitus is like a giant octopus sprawling its slimy length over city, state, and nation. Like the octopus of real life, it operates under cover of self-created screen. Tinnitus seizes in its long and powerful tentacles our executive officers, our legislative bodies, our schools, our courts, our newspapers, and every agency created for the public protection.

 

Some day, in the far, far future, Tinnitus will realize that it is morally debased and has no convictions of right or wrong. This realization will sink in slowly but surely and will be accompanied by a comprehension of how Machiavellianism is a plague upon us all, a pox that will likely not be erased in the lifetime of any reader of this letter. To Tinnitus, however, it's merely a convenient mechanism for utilizing questionable and illegal fund-raising techniques. Tinnitus's attitude is, "I know I'm right, and therefore all evidence to the contrary must be wrong". If, after hearing facts like that, you still believe that women are crazed Pavlovian sex-dogs who will salivate at any object even remotely phallic in shape, then there is surely no hope for you. I am worried about a new physiognomy of servitude, a compliant citizenry relieved of its burdens by a "compassionate" Tinnitus. It's hard to spot the compassion when you notice that the time has come to choose between freedom or slavery, revolt or submission, and liberty or Tinnitus's particularly sadistic form of materialism. It's clear what Tinnitus wants us to choose, but a free and open society should be able to tolerate a diversity of beliefs and practices, even when they are at odds with its pestiferous warnings—perhaps especially when they are at odds with its pestiferous warnings.

 

Clearly, I'm not very conversant with Tinnitus's background. To be quite frank, I don't care to be. I already know enough to state with confidence that one of Tinnitus's favorite tricks is to create a problem, then offer the solution. Naturally, it's always its solutions that grant it the freedom to unleash carnage and barbarity, never the original problem. If anyone should propose a practical scheme for addressing the continued social injustice shown by complacent gadflies, I should be quite disposed to incur almost any degree of expense to accomplish that object. In the meantime, let me point out that in these days of political correctness and the changing of how history is taught in schools to fulfill a particular agenda, for many people, Tinnitus's sneaky, wishy-washy ploys have caused substantial pain and suffering, mental anguish, emotional distress, post-traumatic stress, sleeplessness, indignities and embarrassment, degradation, injury to reputation, and restrictions on personal freedom. Whew! The only thing they haven't yet caused, surprisingly, is a greater realization that if Tinnitus were paying attention—which it would seem it is not, as I've already gone over this—it'd see that its doolally claims are in full flower, and their poisonous petals of Jacobinism are blooming all around us.

 

Did Tinnitus cancel its plans to take us all on an utterly reckless ride into the unknown because it had a change of heart, or is it continuing the same battle on another front? It would appear to be the latter. My long-term goal is to think outside the box. Unfortunately, much remains to be done. As you may have noticed, now that I've been exposed to Tinnitus's insults I must admit that I don't completely understand them. Perhaps I need to get out more. Or perhaps I, hardheaded cynic that I am, allege that we should let Tinnitus prattle on about how the more strepitant the communication, the more perspicuous the message. At this point, such exsufflicate jibber jabber is harmless enough, albeit a little unsettling. Nevertheless, it does demonstrate how it is axiomatic that Tinnitus sees priggism as its benevolent guardian angel. It follows from this that it claims that Man's eternal search for Truth is a challenge to be avoided at all costs. I would say that that claim is 70% folderol, 20% twaddle, and 10% another impudent attempt to set the wolf to mind the sheep.

 

Whenever Tinnitus gives a speech, it is always careful to sidestep the issue of how justice and humanity are entirely on our side and nothing but illegality and barbarity are on its. That much is crystal clear. But did you know that some gruesome hypochondriacs are hopelessly scummy? That's why I'm telling you that Tinnitus acts as if it were King of the World. This hauteur is astonishing, staggering, and mind-boggling.

 

Tinnitus has warned us that in a matter of days, gin-swilling dopeheads will pit the haves against the have-nots. If you think about it, you'll realize that Tinnitus's warning is a self-fulfilling prophecy in the sense that this makes me fearful that I might someday find myself in the crosshairs of Tinnitus's uncompanionable ideologies. (To be honest, though, it wouldn't be the first time.) Yes, Tinnitus is the éminence grise behind every plot to introduce, cultivate, and encourage moral rot, but here is the point that is worth considering: Tinnitus's list of sins is long and each one deserves more space than I have here. Therefore, rather than describe each one individually, I'll summarize by stating that its henchmen have recently enjoyed some success at substituting pap for art. Tinnitus considers this a reason to kvell. In contrast, I consider it a reason to end Tinnitus's control over the minds and souls of countless people. I do not wish to evaluate conformism here, though I believe that some people think I'm exaggerating when I say that a common thread runs through most of Tinnitus's bons mots, a thread so neurotic that it disgusts me nearly to the point of physical illness. But I'm not exaggerating; if anything, I'm understating the situation.

 

Tinnitus insists that I and others who think it's an empty-headed, prissy sybarite are secretly using etheric attachment cords to drain people's karmic energy. That lie is a transparent and strained effort to keep us from noticing that I want to raise several issues about its benighted, nocuous casus belli that are frequently missing from the drivel that masquerades for discourse on this topic. I want to do this not because I need to tack another line onto my résumé but because I like to say that I am quite certain that it is out of control and must be stopped. Tinnitus never directly acknowledges such truisms but instead tries to turn them around to make it sound like I'm saying that its endeavors are our final line of defense against tyrrany. I guess that version better fits its style—or should I say, "agenda"? It is more than a purely historical question to ask, "How did Tinnitus's reign of terror start?" or even the more urgent question, "How might it end?". No, we must ask, "Whatever happened to community standards?" It's an interesting question and its examination will help us understand how Tinnitus's policies work. Let me start by providing evidence that Tinnitus is an organization utterly without honor, without principles, without a shred of genuine patriotism. That's why I say that it twists every argument into some sort of "struggle" between two parties. Tinnitus unvaryingly constitutes the underdog party, which is what it claims gives it the right to provide the pretext for police-state measures.

 

I want to unify our community. Tinnitus, in contrast, wants to drive divisive ideological wedges through it. We must overcome the fears that beset us every day of our lives. We must overcome the fear that Tinnitus will ignite a maelstrom of warlordism. And to overcome these fears, we must shatter the illusion that we should abandon the institutionalized and revered concept of democracy. Tinnitus somehow manages to get away with spreading lies (we're supposed to shut up and smile when it says yellow-bellied things), distortions (our country's security, prestige, and financial interests are best served by war and the ever-present threat of war), and misplaced idealism (everyone who scrambles aboard the Tinnitus bandwagon is guaranteed a smooth ride). However, when I try to respond in kind, I get censored faster than you can say "intercommunicability".

 

Tinnitus says that arriving at a true state of comprehension is too difficult and/or time-consuming. Should we care that large numbers of snooty evildoers actually believe such immature things? Should we try to convince them otherwise? I don't think so. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that if we let it tap into the national resurgence of overt phallocentrism, all we'll have to look forward to in the future is a public realm devoid of culture and a narrow and routinized professional life untouched by the highest creations of civilization. The first lies that Tinnitus told us were relatively benign. Still, they have been progressing. And they will continue to progress until there is no more truth; its lies will grow until they blot out the sun. Now that you've read my entire letter, I hope you've concluded that my plan to deal with the relevant facts is deserving of serious consideration.

 

(PS I generated this post using this: http://www.pakin.org/complaint?firstname=Tinnitus&pgraphs=10&gender=c

[blindboygrunt]

Couldnt have put it better myself.

[Murph]

[ParlourMan]

Dunno, I would have liked more detail... only took 5 scrolls to get past that.... 8 scrolls is 'boss level', 5 is a Monica Lewinsky... close but no cigar

[Hall]

Sounds <(pun) a lot like one of my reports to District Court.