iPod Etiquette for the Urban Dweller: Two Easy Rules

"iKnow You Know Better."

People, we need to discuss iPod etiquette for a few minutes.

Ahead of me in queue at the drug store today was a cubicle-style thirtysomething drone sporting a blue dress shirt, iron-free pants, and white ear buds connected to the iPod nano attached to his belt. Whatever he was listening to - old Dave Matthews would be my guess - he left both ear buds in his ears while engaging in a complete retail transaction. I watched as the clerk greeted him and he said nothing in reply, just swiping his debit card, taking his bag, and not even nodding.

About ten minutes later, I copped a seat on a downtown train next to a girl engrossed in her iPod. She graciously decided that I, and the other nearby passengers, should be treated to the extra sounds that spilled forth from her loud iPod: an unrecognizable rap song, something by the Killers, and finally a dreadfully annoying track called "London Bridge." I assure you that, had the real bridge been nearby, I would've contemplated snatching her iPod and tossing it into the Thames.

These indiscretions are daily occurrences here in Chicago, where, as in other cities, people drown themselves in technology like the iPod as a way of avoiding human interaction and building a self-prescribed bubble. While the sheer population density can cause an urban dweller to seek makeshift solitude in public spaces, the breaches of good behavior above are a sad sign.

A little iPod etiquette would go a long way if only city folk followed these two easy rules: