Music: all of us love it in some form or another.

Who doesn’t enjoy turning up the stereo so they can sing while they’re sweeping and dusting? Who doesn’t love putting their playlist on shuffle while they’re surfing the Internet? And most of all, who doesn’t get an incredible rush from singing as loud as they can along with a great song while driving down the highway?

I know I indulge in these treats whenever possible.

I wonder, however, how it could be at all pleasurable when the bass is cranked up so loud one can hardly even hear the music.

We’re lucky if we go a day without being exposed to it: window-shattering, wall-rattling, ear-drum-bursting, ridiculously-loud bass from car and home stereos.

I wonder, and I know for a fact I am not alone, what the appeal could possibly be.

Why would one want to listen to something that can be compared to a jackhammer running rampant right beside one’s ear? Yes, I understand a jackhammer’s rhythm is nothing compared to a booming subwoofer. However, the impact is the same – the listener is hearing the same thumping sound over and over.

Furthermore, why do those who are listening to the aforementioned music insist on turning up the bass so much that everyone within at least a one-mile radius can hear the bass pattern perfectly?

Odds are the majority of those within the mile radius do not want to listen to the brain-rattling bass. Why can’t the listener confine the bass to his or her own personal listening radius?

I understand the desire to listen to particular music at louder volumes. I often do it myself. Most music is better that way. However, when I listen to music at such volumes, the rest of the town can’t hear it.

The major problem with loud bass is hearing loss. There are articles and statistics everywhere, such as that from www.american-hearing.org and www.Gnutella.com, detailing the causes of hearing loss. Loud bass is a major contributor.

Hearing loss is permanent folks. Once you lose it, you can’t get it back without surgery.

The last time I checked, surgery isn’t something the average person is jumping out of his or her seats to do.

Why would anyone subject oneself willingly to something that is known to cause hearing loss?

A danger of loud music, in general, is it can cause accidents if listened to in a car. The driver’s reaction time is slower, and he or she is typically unable to hear sirens or other goings-on on the road.

Here’s something else that puzzles me: if one is listening to music and has his or her bass cranked, usually the sound of the bass takes over. What used to be a song with lyrics and other interesting sounds has turned into a bass riff that thunders above the singer’s voice and drowns out everything.

What is the point of listening to a song if you’re only going to be hearing the loud and constant booming bass?

If this is the case, then artists should just save themselves the trouble of writing lyrics, guitar parts and other instrumental tracks, and start producing songs that consist of only bass. Why should artists spend time on these other things if they’re not going to be heard?

The only problem with this solution is innocent passersby will still have to suffer the earsplitting sound of thumping bass.

Can’t we just find a happy medium?

Columns reflect the opinion of the author and not necessarily that of the Northern Star staff.