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"Where Are We Supposed to Hang Out? It's A Free Country Isn't It?"

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resonanteye
04/29/09

In reply to "Where Are We Supposed to Hang Out? It's A Free Country Isn't It?"
I'm 36 and I can hear these. The store across from my shop tried to use one, I had to go over and calmly explain that some of our paying customers are younger than I am, and I don't want them disturbed. Also, I CAN HEAR IT.
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Hana Maru, used up old slutbag on the pole
04/27/09

In reply to "Where Are We Supposed to Hang Out? It's A Free Country Isn't It?"
In the town I grew up in, a lot of teens would hang out downtown, particularly punks, goths, ravers and other oddballs. It was a place we could go and expect to meet each other; a social scene, like adults have with their bars and clubs.

The newspapers and the town council were always freaking out about it, like we were organized crime, even though there was very little drug use(marijuana, used in private) and no vandalism. Our very presence was threatening to them. The town hired some hugely expensive consultants to figure out why more people didn't shop downtown. The number 1 reason was "lack of parking", followed way down on the list by "loitering homeless and kids" So, of course they tried to get rid of the homeless people and kids.

I'm an adult now, and I can understand being annoyed by teens, but they're annoyed by us, too. That's part of living in a society with other humans. Somehow it's okay for us to act on that dislike only against them, because they don't have the power. No one would attempt to ban old people who walk around the mall for fitness and don't buy anything. They know what their rights are and they can vote.
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♥AntiSocialSocialite♥
04/27/09

In reply to "Where Are We Supposed to Hang Out? It's A Free Country Isn't It?"
at first I thought this was like the Emperor's New Clothes, but my little brother (15 years old) got this ring tone a few months ago - and I (22) and my sister (19) could DEFINITELY HEAR IT (as could my sister's dog) - but my mom couldn't.

So it's the truth. It exists.
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♥AntiSocialSocialite♥
04/27/09

@Anti-Social Socialite (formerly BeccaSaurus Rex): also - the sound isn't annoying as much as it's just SOMETHING YOU CAN HEAR. so good try stores, but it's probably not going to work.
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lisas
04/27/09

In reply to "Where Are We Supposed to Hang Out? It's A Free Country Isn't It?"
I'm in my early-mid 30s and can hear the fucking mosquito just fine. I plan to retaliate, as soon as I find something wicked annoying that only old curmudgeons can hear.
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applejuice
04/27/09

In reply to "Where Are We Supposed to Hang Out? It's A Free Country Isn't It?"
Ironically the kids around here actually just used that "mosquito" sound as a ringtone that teachers, parents etc can't hear. (I thought that was pretty funny.)
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greengrey
04/27/09

In reply to "Where Are We Supposed to Hang Out? It's A Free Country Isn't It?"
Good idea. I'm 21 and can hear it.

Now I'll know what stores not to give my money to. Hopefully the asshats who use this go out of business.
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kelsium
04/27/09

@greengrey: They are apparently unaware of the fact that that demographic has the largest ratio of expendable income. Maybe it's different in the Netherlands, but I doubt it.
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kelsium
04/27/09

In reply to "Where Are We Supposed to Hang Out? It's A Free Country Isn't It?"
We are essentially creating a culture of hazing, you know?
When laws are creating specifically aimed at limiting the freedoms of young people all they do is widen the generational gap, alienate teenagers from participating in society, and encourage them to perpetuate the same oppression on those that follow.
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hippichx sez PEACE PLEASE
04/27/09

In reply to "Where Are We Supposed to Hang Out? It's A Free Country Isn't It?"
i'll never get this... adults have places to go, but tweenagers don't. they want to go out and feel adult, so they hang around in random places. loitering, if you will... why isn't there somewhere for them to hang out? would literally keep them off the streets.
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Rooo sez BISH PLZ
04/27/09

@hippiechx is NOT A NUGGET: Stop nao with that common sense. That's just crazy talk.
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Flackette Goes Retro
04/27/09

In reply to "Where Are We Supposed to Hang Out? It's A Free Country Isn't It?"
Can they invent one that only drives away the parents of small children?
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Cimorene
04/27/09

In reply to "Where Are We Supposed to Hang Out? It's A Free Country Isn't It?"
I hate shit like this. They have video cameras up on the "problem corners" in my city, and there's one on the corner of my block. Does it make me feel safer at night? No. People's cars get broken into all the time on my block, just out of view of the camera. It's just that this is where all the homeless people hang out. Do I like it when random men come up too close to my personal space and ask me questions? No. But that's one of the things about living in a civilization--I have to deal with other people. It's why I got a dog. Now nobody bothers me.

But I do feel less safe knowing that my government has cameras set up all over the city, wherever they think there's a "problem." Like with people asking other people to buy them food. Oh noes! Someone wants to ask me to buy them a sandwich! Call the cops! They're about to start putting cameras on all the lights in the city, so people will stop running red lights. Except that it will only work in the poor areas, because in the rich areas the lawyers will just get their tickets disappeared and do the same for their rich clients. And so the cameras are useless, unless somebody wants to watch what's happening on the corner.

It's like a slow creep towards some distopian society of voyeurism. It's also treating the symptom and not the disease. If kids are attacking women, children, and queer folk, why not figure out why they're doing it and stop it? Why not get the kids who are offending and do something about them? Like education or, depending, jail time? This will just push them to areas where there aren't any silent noise makers, and then the problems will follow them. It's not going to make a difference, big picture.
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Ipomoea
04/27/09

@Cimorene: People are asking you to buy them a sandwich? Shit, if someone who spanged (spare-changed) me asked for a sandwich instead of "oh, my car broke down, and I need some cash for gas-- no, no, the station only takes cash and it's real far from here, you should just give me the cash", I would buy them half a dozen sandwiches. People who spange me with the truth are always more likely to get money. Or dogs. If you have a pet, I'll be back with pet food.
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Brigit
04/27/09

@Cimorene: Friended. I couldn't agree more.

@Ipomoea: There was a teen heroin addict with his pet dog on a light asking for food for either him or the dog. Me and the Mr. (then undergrads) went and got him some Burger King and some dog food. Funny thing? He was *so much more* excited about his doggie getting food than him getting something to eat.
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Eric Northman is mine
04/27/09

In reply to "Where Are We Supposed to Hang Out? It's A Free Country Isn't It?"
I can hear it so I'm guessing i'm still considered young. Thanks i guess....
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hfree
04/27/09

In reply to "Where Are We Supposed to Hang Out? It's A Free Country Isn't It?"
I find this funny because as I recall, the downtown shopping area of Rotterdam is essentially an outdoor mall. That really only encourages the kids to hang out and skateboard and what not. Where else are they supposed to go?
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truckasaurus
04/27/09

@hfree: To the library to do their homework, of course! It's not like kids - or the rest of us, for that matter - have a biological need for socialization or anything.
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Ratinski
04/27/09

@truckasaurus is jackie jormp-jomp: Oh, but wait! They can't go to the library. It's so upsetting to have to deal with teenagers being in the vicinity of my free internet access!
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gold_gato
04/27/09

In reply to "Where Are We Supposed to Hang Out? It's A Free Country Isn't It?"
I heard it; thought it was a new wave of techno.
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howdybeep (runs with monkey wrenches)
04/27/09

In reply to "Where Are We Supposed to Hang Out? It's A Free Country Isn't It?"
I will cop to using a mosquito mp3 on the last batch of awful neighbors. It worked on the small, nasty boys* and their barely-out-of-adolescence parents. Cut down on the parties something fierce and restored peace to the neighborhood, all without me having to scream "GET OFF MY LAWN!" once.

*I really shouldn't blame the boys -- fetal alcohol, both of them -- but they were holy terrors who couldn't grasp the concepts of not throwing rocks at people going for walks, not playing in yards not their own and whose parents didn't mind letting them scream in the yard at 11 p.m. on weeknights. The mosquito was the only way we found to have peace without involving CYFD or the cops. (The one time we did call the cops on the neighbors, the mother's boyfriend showed up on our door mean drunk and threatened to kill us for "interfering.")
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ellaesther
04/27/09

In reply to "Where Are We Supposed to Hang Out? It's A Free Country Isn't It?"
Awesome!

'Cause hanging out is literally my best skill, and certainly the one from which I get the most enjoyment. But I'm OLD! So this totally wouldn't work on my and my friends.
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