My headphones are ludicrously oversized. They make me look very, very silly. I love them. As of yet, I find my headphones to be the most effective (non-violent) means of warding off the unwanted affections of all the solicitors on campus.
The various groups trying to hand me crap or get me to pay attention to their cause usually notice that I’m not at all interested in the outside world and write me off as a waste of time.
This is a mutually beneficial arrangement. It prevents me from having pieces of scrap paper shoved at me and it keeps them from being verbally assaulted to the point of tears. People mistake me for a nice person simply because I am silent at opportune moments.
Without my headphone and iPod combination I would have to tell the guys handing out Gideons that I have no desire to own yet another small green copy of their paper placebo. I would also be forced to ask the 15 some odd ‘vote for blah-de-blah’ groups on campus why I should vote for anyone.
Though I do not usually enjoy reducing old men and young girls to tears, I enjoy being expected to instantly care about someone’s cause simply because they have the ability to step in front of me and offer me printed propaganda even less.
The musical umbilical cord that I attach to my head nearly everyday also helps me maintain social niceties in the same way that a muzzle ‘helps’ a dog control the desire to bite people. In the course of my walk from my car to the Cave I invariably encounter three or four people that social norms require me to greet.
However, with my head-phones on, it is acceptable to simply smile and keep walking.
Again, this is a good thing for the people I am ignoring whether they know it or not. Some mornings, if one were to catch me before I get coffee, my response to a well meaning casual greeting may well be something to the tune of “Everything you believe is stupid and if you speak to me again, I’ll kill you and your whole family.”
That sort of answer would likely alter some people’s perception of me, especially with all the foam and gibberish that I would spout afterward.
I view my disconnected attitude as a public service. I intentionally keep my music loud enough so that no amount of screaming, bull-horning or honking your car’s horn at me will grab my attention. If you see me on campus and I don’t respond, I am in fact ignoring you, but don’t feel sad or scorned. Be thankful.

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