ARTICLE AD BOX
“When did museums stop being quiet spaces?” complains a Reddito ....
"Some museums even encourage the din. They tell families to bring their children—and get as noisy as possible. ...
"I now miss ... shushing librarians. Libraries are no longer quiet places. They’re as noisy as the pub after a football match [at which the crowd are noisily exhorted to make noise whenever a game's pause might otherwise allow them to think]....
"People go to libraries to study and read—so it really ought to be a quiet place. ... Once inside, you had access to a sacred inner sanctum of knowledge and learning. Something like this is even better than the Batcave. ...
[Now however] books are removed, and replaced with coffee bars and spaces for socializing. In case people don’t get the message, librarians now put up signs discouraging quiet study. ...
"But... if we lose libraries as the last public space for quiet reading and reflection, what can replace it? ...
"Why is this happening. ... a theory: 'This all got worse after the pandemic. People spent months in isolation, and when they returned to public spaces, they had forgotten the basic rules of polite behaviour in these communal settings.'
"Why is this happening. ... a theory: 'This all got worse after the pandemic. People spent months in isolation, and when they returned to public spaces, they had forgotten the basic rules of polite behaviour in these communal settings.'
"This rudeness feeds on itself. ... So violations of quiet spaces after the pandemic quickly escalate. And once we enter on this vicious cycle, the silence never returns."
~ Ted Goia from his post 'Why Are Quiet Spaces Disappearing
English (US) ·