Jiya Kohar Week 6: SOS (Sound of Suffering)
There is absolutely nothing worse than the iPhone alarm. If Dante were alive today, I’m sure he would’ve made a special level of hell specifically for it. Boy, oh boy, do I really hate “Radar.”
Now, while I am being a little dramatic, I would venture to say that the iPhone “Radar” is unintentionally one of the most recognizable, stress invoking sounds for millions of people in the United States. The national anthem that is “Radar” has become the voice of all things bad. While I’m sure there is a (minority) group of Americans that don’t care for it, imagine this: You’re an eagle with x-ray vision. At 6:30 a.m., you soar past the streets of San Francisco, or New York, or Miami, or Houston, or even Vineyard, Utah, only to see simultaneously see thousands of people, burst up with panic, hit snooze, and repeat the cycle a couple times. This identical routine of panic is everywhere you fly, in both rural and urban cities. Everywhere.
Good ol’ “Radar,” symbolizes the American dream and the cycle of mice in a maze. Do you think that Jeff Bezos or Bill Gates would feel the same dreadful adrenaline as a Bay Area high school student upon hearing the same sound? It’s a bit funny to think about it. While “Radar” doesn’t physically speak English, for many Americans, it slaps them in the face and barks at them “move,” “work,” “you’re late.” I would even go as far to argue it’s a little discriminatory. I don’t think it torments as loudly or zaps as powerfully to the retired 60 year old couple down the street; maybe it just patiently whispers. But to struggling teenagers and adults, “Radar” pays extra attention to make sure it can induce the most anxiety humanly possible.
If you don’t believe me, just scroll through a couple of the comments on the YouTube video. Besides the fact that it has 11 million views, all the comments are complaining about how “terrifying” it is or how it gives “an immense sense of dread and impending doom.” There is not a single comment saying “Hey, this ringtone actually isn’t that bad.” People from all walks of life, ages, and races, are united against this one ringtone.
“Radar” gives the same horrible gut feeling to millions of Americans, but it’s more of a symptom rather than a disease. Maybe if everyone wasn’t so panicked and anxious in their everyday life, “Radar” could actually be a really helpful guy. And maybe in ten years I can reconcile with him. But at least for now, boy, oh boy, do I really hate “Radar.”
Image Citation
Now, while I am being a little dramatic, I would venture to say that the iPhone “Radar” is unintentionally one of the most recognizable, stress invoking sounds for millions of people in the United States. The national anthem that is “Radar” has become the voice of all things bad. While I’m sure there is a (minority) group of Americans that don’t care for it, imagine this: You’re an eagle with x-ray vision. At 6:30 a.m., you soar past the streets of San Francisco, or New York, or Miami, or Houston, or even Vineyard, Utah, only to see simultaneously see thousands of people, burst up with panic, hit snooze, and repeat the cycle a couple times. This identical routine of panic is everywhere you fly, in both rural and urban cities. Everywhere.
Good ol’ “Radar,” symbolizes the American dream and the cycle of mice in a maze. Do you think that Jeff Bezos or Bill Gates would feel the same dreadful adrenaline as a Bay Area high school student upon hearing the same sound? It’s a bit funny to think about it. While “Radar” doesn’t physically speak English, for many Americans, it slaps them in the face and barks at them “move,” “work,” “you’re late.” I would even go as far to argue it’s a little discriminatory. I don’t think it torments as loudly or zaps as powerfully to the retired 60 year old couple down the street; maybe it just patiently whispers. But to struggling teenagers and adults, “Radar” pays extra attention to make sure it can induce the most anxiety humanly possible.
If you don’t believe me, just scroll through a couple of the comments on the YouTube video. Besides the fact that it has 11 million views, all the comments are complaining about how “terrifying” it is or how it gives “an immense sense of dread and impending doom.” There is not a single comment saying “Hey, this ringtone actually isn’t that bad.” People from all walks of life, ages, and races, are united against this one ringtone.
“Radar” gives the same horrible gut feeling to millions of Americans, but it’s more of a symptom rather than a disease. Maybe if everyone wasn’t so panicked and anxious in their everyday life, “Radar” could actually be a really helpful guy. And maybe in ten years I can reconcile with him. But at least for now, boy, oh boy, do I really hate “Radar.”
The "Radar" alarm is probably one of the most recognizable sounds for the people that own a phone. After experiencing the pain of hearing that every morning, I have been experimenting with other ringtones. Right after I get annoyed by one, I search for another that isn't piercing through my brain. It's been working so far, although the actual getting out of bed part is a whole other story, which I'm sure is the same for many other people. I honestly get quite lost when you mention that this alarm signifies the American dream or a cycle of mice in a maze. I think it is definitely possible that people like Jeff Bezos or Bill Gates might feel the same dreadful adrenaline as a student since an alarm still serves the same purpose: waking them up and forcing them to get out of bed. It is a reminder that they have either a job to do, places to be, or school or a meeting to attend. Of course, we can't determine this comparison for sure, but it is definitely debatable. There might be people who are less affected by this alarm, but for individuals that still have a job to do, they must get up in the morning and this alarm is the way that they go about it. Getting out of bed is hard for everyone to do, especially early in the morning. I agree that this sound causes pain and certain negative effects on individuals that have used it, but it definitely gets them up in the morning, that's for sure.
ReplyDeleteHi Jiya! The "radar" alarm is definitely one of the sounds that wakes me up. I don't know what it is about it, but if I were to use another alarm, such as the one on my Alexa, it just doesn't have the same effect. It could be the easy access I have to keep on clicking the snooze button, or that I don't have to yell for the Alexa to turn off the alarm and make sure I have multiple more set in place. I think the comparisons that you use are really interesting, especially when you mention the American Dream. When I think of the American dream, I think of something which is almost unachievable, and just an endless loop to try and chase it, especially for immigrants. And the way you describe it, saying that it is "cycle of mice in a maze," represents how I would think of it. I wouldn't, however, go so far as to say it's discriminatory, since it is just an alarm to remind someone to do something or wake them up. The alarm reminds me of classical conditioning, where we automatically feel a sense of dread the moment we hear the alarm–especially me, even when I listen to it when scrolling past a tiktok.
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