Regulation

Brickbat: Now, Hear This

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A new ordinance passed by the Minneapolis City Council requires night clubs and other businesses featuring loud music to provide ear plugs to patrons. Council members say they want to help people protect their hearing.

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Charles Oliver is a contributing editor at Reason.

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  1. Rev Match

    I have a crazy Idea. If you don’t like loud music, bring your own damn ear plugs or don’t go to a freaking night club.

    1. Brian D

      According to the article, some affected businesses are opposed because they sell earplugs already.

    2. Think of all of the deprived 99.99% who cannot afford ear plugs (but who can still afford the cover charge).

    3. JW

      Hey man, keep your second-hand noise out of my body!

  2. invisible furry hand

    Sorry, what did you say?

    1. db

      He said, “the Sheriff requires you to plug your” *BONNNGGGG*

  3. Someone’s in the pocket of Big Plug.

  4. Notorious G.K.C.

    “I mean, young people are *going* to go to nightclubs, that’s just a given, so we should make sure their experience is as safe as possible by protecting them from hearing the music they went to hear.”

    Comprehensive night-club education!

    1. RightofCenter

      Comprehensive Common Sense night-club education legislation!

      For You, I Fixed it?

    2. RightofCenter

      Comprehensive Common Sense night-club education legislation!

      For You, I Fixed it?

      1. RightofCenter

        Squirrelz!!!

  5. Brian D

    Maybe they can make strip clubs provide free blindfolds.

  6. Rufus J. Firefly

    I’m telling you, they even made me go see many doctors, but I’m telling you, we’re not far from being mandated to wear helmets during sex.

    1. sarcasmic

      These people could have used helmets.

      Obese virgin who accidentally smashed his girlfriend’s head through a wall the first time they had sex now a ‘hit with the ladies’ after shedding 16 stone

      Gregg Casarona was 31 stone when he had sex with Jennifer Gerakaris
      He was so heavy he smashed her head through a wall
      Miss Gerakaris suffered no lasting damage but she ended the relationship
      The incident convinced Mr Casarona he needed to lose weight
      He is now getting a lot more female attention and is an extra in movies

      http://www.dailymail.co.uk/new…..stone.html

  7. wareagle

    wait…there’s music in nightclubs? Next thing you’ll tell me that bars allow smoking.

    1. Rufus J. Firefly

      They do? I thought they were banned from allowing smoking.

      I’m surprised they’re not forced to hand out contraception and condoms.

      1. JD the elder

        In NYC, a great number of bars and clubs do give away the free “NYC condoms”, although I don’t think they’re forced to.

  8. waffles

    When I go to certain shows I always bring plugs. They aren’t always necessary but they’re great to have when you need them. However, this ridiculous nanny-state bullshit is just a symptom of a city council with fucked priorities. This must mean everything else is perfect in Minneapolis, right?

    1. Whenever I’m at the 40 Watt, I like to stand at the side of the stage past the end of the bar, so I’m both behind the house mains and I can hear the monitor mix. I still enjoy good hearing despite many years of making industrial music.

    2. NewWorldDan

      The big controversy isn’t the availability of ear plugs. It’s that they’re apparently supposed to be complimentary now. A lot of clubs made a bit of money by selling them for a dollar a pair. Some clubs did offer them for free. They should be available on site, that’s a reasonable requirement. I don’t care if they cost a dollar.

      I’ve only been to one show where I felt the need to pop in some ear plugs (Queensryche – they were the opening act, I took the plugs back out when Iron Maiden took the stage), and fortunately they were available for free from concert security.

  9. JW

    The notion of personal agency has to stomped out, for the good of the collective.

  10. Here in Athens, venues are voluntarily providing free earplugs because it’s good business, and sometimes you just don’t know how loud a show will get if you’ve just been in there for happy hour or whatever, so that helps placate customers that might have been lost otherwise. It’s not something that the county has tried to coerce businesses into doing.

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