[try_the_bass]

The thought of intentionally deafening myself to the outside world, even partially, is unnerving, because I can't stand the thought of nerfing my own situational awareness to that degree. Especially in fast-paced environments, like city streets, where sounds can carry such important signal.

Even watching someone else walk around a city with headphones/earbuds in is something that makes me uncomfortable by proxy. It's like someone deciding that walking around with beer goggles is a good idea

[parodysbird]

I live in cities, and I usually walk around 15-20k steps every day for the last decade in cities. I listen to music or podcasts in my earbuds, and often I read stuff on chat on my phone as I walk. I have never run into anything, and never had any issue bumping into people or cyclists. It's perfectly possible for some people to navigate just fine in their environment while dealing with multiple stimuli, and in fact that's exactly why I love walking so much more than sitting. Having earbuds or using my phone at the same time for me is certainly nothing like being intoxicated while walking. It's important to not project one's experience as how it must also be for everyone else.

[try_the_bass]

But so you have a baseline to compare this against?

You don't know what you doing know, after all.

[basisword]

You think you do. You're just not aware of how many people are dodging you to prevent collisions :)

[parodysbird]

No I also dodge, because I glance around the entire time I do things. I have ADHD. I feel more comfortable having continual tasks and stimuli, so looking both way, glancing at who's around, pressing the button for crossing the street, these are part of the background pleasure.

You don't have to share my experience, but the difference is that you deny mine can exist, whereas I am perfectly fine understanding e.g. the autistic person who also posted about how they wear earbuds to use ANC because noise disturbs them. You are not granting the same consideration about how other people experience things differently.

[basisword]

It was intended as a lighthearted comment, hence the smiley face :)

[throwaway2037]

    > 15-20k steps every day

15k steps is 10 to 12km per day. How do you find the time? There is no way that I have enough time in my life to walk more than 10km per day everyday.

[wolvoleo]

You can turn most of them into transparency mode too. I do that sometimes when I'm in an area where I feel unsafe. So I can hear people sneaking up on me.

[try_the_bass]

Transparency mode is better, but it isn't perfect. The simple fact that you have something else producing noise in close proximity to your ears is enough to disrupt your ability to hear other things, even if they're also making it to your ears with high fidelity.

I mean, noise cancelling works by producing more noise, not less; and there will be plenty of times when what's outside with destructively interfere with what you're listening to, or vice versa.

This may be hard to do in a city, but a good test is to go outside on a quiet night, wearing only on one ear, and then turn your head back and forth to alternate ears while trying to listen to specific distant sounds. It'll really highlight just how many things are still being filtered out.

Or it'll demonstrate how much more deaf you might be in one ear :P

[number6]

They have a situational awarenes mode