Comments on: Whistling Dixie http://www.alphadictionary.com/blog/?p=162 A Blog about Words and Language(s) from alphaDictionary.com Tue, 16 Apr 2013 09:00:36 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.6 By: Chels http://www.alphadictionary.com/blog/?p=162&cpage=1#comment-203674 Chels Wed, 17 Nov 2010 16:29:22 +0000 http://www.alphadictionary.com/blog/?p=162#comment-203674 I have to disagree with the OP in suggesting that "music these days" is unwhistlable, and that's why the practise is no longer in vogue. Many young artists incorporate whistling directly into their music such as Andrew Bird or Peter, Bjorn and John. I'm sorry, but when I hear someone start to talk about "the rappin' and the hip hoppin'" music, I have to roll my eyes. Hahaha. Youth culture is far more than just terrible top 40 garbage. As much as I love the above whistlers, people who whistle in public spaces like offices and elevators to me are absolutely rude. I will be the first to admit, they probably don't realize it's rude, but it totally is. The sound is high pitched, loud, and frankly often off-key or just random sounds. I can't leave my desk. I can't escape the sound, I just have to sit there feeling like someone is sticking pins under my fingernails. I want to punch babies. I want to drive an ice pick through my temporal lobe. I want to throw my keyboard at him as he walks by. I want to scream "Don't you realize you're driving people MAD?!" I'm normally purely pacifist. So no, I don't think whistling in general is gone or waning: many artists still utilize the art and are very proficient at it. However, I do think people are starting to come to terms with the fact that whistling by people in confined spaces can drive otherwise normal people to the brink of sanity. It's pure torture to inflict others with off-key, high pitched emissions of "joy and happiness". I have to disagree with the OP in suggesting that “music these days” is unwhistlable, and that’s why the practise is no longer in vogue. Many young artists incorporate whistling directly into their music such as Andrew Bird or Peter, Bjorn and John.

I’m sorry, but when I hear someone start to talk about “the rappin’ and the hip hoppin’” music, I have to roll my eyes. Hahaha. Youth culture is far more than just terrible top 40 garbage.

As much as I love the above whistlers, people who whistle in public spaces like offices and elevators to me are absolutely rude. I will be the first to admit, they probably don’t realize it’s rude, but it totally is.

The sound is high pitched, loud, and frankly often off-key or just random sounds. I can’t leave my desk. I can’t escape the sound, I just have to sit there feeling like someone is sticking pins under my fingernails. I want to punch babies. I want to drive an ice pick through my temporal lobe. I want to throw my keyboard at him as he walks by. I want to scream “Don’t you realize you’re driving people MAD?!”

I’m normally purely pacifist.

So no, I don’t think whistling in general is gone or waning: many artists still utilize the art and are very proficient at it. However, I do think people are starting to come to terms with the fact that whistling by people in confined spaces can drive otherwise normal people to the brink of sanity. It’s pure torture to inflict others with off-key, high pitched emissions of “joy and happiness”.

]]> By: Trina http://www.alphadictionary.com/blog/?p=162&cpage=1#comment-164916 Trina Mon, 12 Jul 2010 14:44:13 +0000 http://www.alphadictionary.com/blog/?p=162#comment-164916 Robert is obviously one of those oblivious types mentioned above. The unhappiness is caused by the torture of the whistling. No one here is complaining about anything BUT whistling. Speaking for myself, I am not an unhappy person--quite the contrary. Perhaps you feel that these whistlers job is to bring me down. Robert is obviously one of those oblivious types mentioned above. The unhappiness is caused by the torture of the whistling. No one here is complaining about anything BUT whistling. Speaking for myself, I am not an unhappy person–quite the contrary. Perhaps you feel that these whistlers job is to bring me down.

]]> By: Robert Beard http://www.alphadictionary.com/blog/?p=162&cpage=1#comment-162779 Robert Beard Thu, 01 Jul 2010 01:35:47 +0000 http://www.alphadictionary.com/blog/?p=162#comment-162779 You seem to oppose happiness in general. I can understand why expressions of it would irk you. You seem to oppose happiness in general. I can understand why expressions of it would irk you.

]]> By: C http://www.alphadictionary.com/blog/?p=162&cpage=1#comment-162740 C Wed, 30 Jun 2010 19:06:46 +0000 http://www.alphadictionary.com/blog/?p=162#comment-162740 Whistling is noise pollution, pure and simple. I don't want to hear it at work, in the supermarket or anywhere else unless it is associated with a concert or show that I paid to see. I don't want to hear your whistling, your singing, your humming, your side of a phone conversation or any other sound the human body is capable of producing. What makes you think I would want to hear your whistling? Get over yourself - you are not the center of the universe. It is an invasion of my personal space as much as much as when pushing people stand 3 inches behind you in line or a fellow diner reaches across you to grab the salt shaker. Whistling is an annoying habit that should only be done when you are alone. Whistling is noise pollution, pure and simple. I don’t want to hear it at work, in the supermarket or anywhere else unless it is associated with a concert or show that I paid to see. I don’t want to hear your whistling, your singing, your humming, your side of a phone conversation or any other sound the human body is capable of producing.
What makes you think I would want to hear your whistling? Get over yourself – you are not the center of the universe.
It is an invasion of my personal space as much as much as when pushing people stand 3 inches behind you in line or a fellow diner reaches across you to grab the salt shaker.
Whistling is an annoying habit that should only be done when you are alone.

]]> By: Amy http://www.alphadictionary.com/blog/?p=162&cpage=1#comment-161113 Amy Mon, 14 Jun 2010 16:42:04 +0000 http://www.alphadictionary.com/blog/?p=162#comment-161113 My problem is that the whistler is the owner of the company I work for and no matter how many people tell him that it is disruptive, the more he does it. His (grown) children who run the company also do it but when brought to their attention they stop (the youngest is 42). I think that it is a generational thing and he truly does not understand how rude and annoying it is. It is one of the contributing factors to my looking for employment elsewhere. While not the only issue I have with the company, it is a good indicator of the lack of respect the people who work for him receive. Times change, people change and learning to respect and stop what others find offensive, even though you do not, is what makes progress happen. Back when he was my age there were no cell phones, computers, and all of the other information overloading devices that compounded with whistling can push some people to madness. All I can say is that if I was doing something that upset someone as much as whistling upsets me I would be apologetic and make a valiant effort to curb the offensive behavior. This is my plea to all of the whistlers: be aware of your surroundings and whistle responsibly! My problem is that the whistler is the owner of the company I work for and no matter how many people tell him that it is disruptive, the more he does it. His (grown) children who run the company also do it but when brought to their attention they stop (the youngest is 42). I think that it is a generational thing and he truly does not understand how rude and annoying it is. It is one of the contributing factors to my looking for employment elsewhere. While not the only issue I have with the company, it is a good indicator of the lack of respect the people who work for him receive. Times change, people change and learning to respect and stop what others find offensive, even though you do not, is what makes progress happen. Back when he was my age there were no cell phones, computers, and all of the other information overloading devices that compounded with whistling can push some people to madness. All I can say is that if I was doing something that upset someone as much as whistling upsets me I would be apologetic and make a valiant effort to curb the offensive behavior. This is my plea to all of the whistlers: be aware of your surroundings and whistle responsibly!

]]> By: Trina http://www.alphadictionary.com/blog/?p=162&cpage=1#comment-158851 Trina Wed, 19 May 2010 16:14:43 +0000 http://www.alphadictionary.com/blog/?p=162#comment-158851 I have 5...count them FIVE whistlers in my office. I tried to talk to the most annoying one about it. He told me that where he used to work, someone threatened to throw things at him. So he knows, and yet he STILL whistles...especially when he's walking by my cubicle. I told him it's like nails on a chalk board, but obviously he doesn't care. He actually told the other whistlers and they support him. Apparently it's OK to drive someone mad. I should just burst out in showtunes, Ethel Merman style, whenever I feel like it. Earphones, music, whatever do not work, because nothing blocks out the high pitches. I don't know why someone would ever think that it's OK to randomly make annoying high-pitched sounds. It's just not right! I have 5…count them FIVE whistlers in my office. I tried to talk to the most annoying one about it. He told me that where he used to work, someone threatened to throw things at him. So he knows, and yet he STILL whistles…especially when he’s walking by my cubicle. I told him it’s like nails on a chalk board, but obviously he doesn’t care. He actually told the other whistlers and they support him. Apparently it’s OK to drive someone mad. I should just burst out in showtunes, Ethel Merman style, whenever I feel like it. Earphones, music, whatever do not work, because nothing blocks out the high pitches. I don’t know why someone would ever think that it’s OK to randomly make annoying high-pitched sounds. It’s just not right!

]]> By: Veronica http://www.alphadictionary.com/blog/?p=162&cpage=1#comment-158370 Veronica Sat, 15 May 2010 00:34:48 +0000 http://www.alphadictionary.com/blog/?p=162#comment-158370 I write this as I sit in my office with the door closed listening to the faint sound of the whistler across the hall. Like someone else said, the sound is like fingernails on a blackboard to me. I've tried dropping the line from "It's A Wonderful Life" when old man Gower said to George Bailey, "GEORGE! YOU'RE NOT PAID TO BE A CANARY!" But, he just smiled at me with a goofy grin. The man,in his 60's,is a happy-go-lucky fellow who is oblivious to office etiquette. He is the same man who plays his stereo loud enough to be heard up and down the halls. I've come to the conclusion that whistlers are simply people who lack an empathic connection to others. They're not bad people, selfish people or even people who are trying to draw attention to themselves because they think they're "cool"... they're simply clueless, ADHD types who need houses to fall on them to get a message. If I said point blank to this fellow, "I'm really annoyed by your whistling...could you please stop?" I'm sure he would do it immediately and would likely be shocked to know that it bothered someone, and possibly more self-conscious about it the next time he unconsciously engaged in the behavior. Learning to be "aware of others" is a skill that some people pick up more readily than others, but for some, must be learned through negative reinforcement by letting them know that they are annoying people--most people want to be liked, so would likely change a behavior if they thought it meant that no one would like them because of it. I write this as I sit in my office with the door closed listening to the faint sound of the whistler across the hall. Like someone else said, the sound is like fingernails on a blackboard to me. I’ve tried dropping the line from “It’s A Wonderful Life” when old man Gower said to George Bailey, “GEORGE! YOU’RE NOT PAID TO BE A CANARY!” But, he just smiled at me with a goofy grin. The man,in his 60′s,is a happy-go-lucky fellow who is oblivious to office etiquette. He is the same man who plays his stereo loud enough to be heard up and down the halls. I’ve come to the conclusion that whistlers are simply people who lack an empathic connection to others. They’re not bad people, selfish people or even people who are trying to draw attention to themselves because they think they’re “cool”… they’re simply clueless, ADHD types who need houses to fall on them to get a message. If I said point blank to this fellow, “I’m really annoyed by your whistling…could you please stop?” I’m sure he would do it immediately and would likely be shocked to know that it bothered someone, and possibly more self-conscious about it the next time he unconsciously engaged in the behavior. Learning to be “aware of others” is a skill that some people pick up more readily than others, but for some, must be learned through negative reinforcement by letting them know that they are annoying people–most people want to be liked, so would likely change a behavior if they thought it meant that no one would like them because of it.

]]> By: Simphonie http://www.alphadictionary.com/blog/?p=162&cpage=1#comment-154012 Simphonie Tue, 30 Mar 2010 15:26:22 +0000 http://www.alphadictionary.com/blog/?p=162#comment-154012 « Whoever said anything about whistling when other people are around? » Well, it is obvious that if you are alone, then you can whistle, sing, go around naked, smoke, shout, etc. as much as you want, as there is no one to bother. This whole discussion makes no sense if you assume that you're alone. « When whistlers see other people, they stop whistling. » You probably mean "some whistlers". Many whistlers whistle because they want to look cool, so why would they stop when somebody arrives? You will probably say that most whistlers don't whistle to look "cool". So why did whistling became so popular the last few years? It's all about semiotics. As sociologists says, the modern era is characterized by the sign taking precedence over reality. We used to whistle because we liked it, now we tend to focus on the sign that it represents. It makes you look cool. That's why some people whistle so loud that they can be heard from very far. I have always been bothered by whistlers. A few years ago, I was bothered maybe once a week. Now it's more like 10 or 15 times a day, and I still live in the same place. It's not a coincidence that many people decided to whistle at the same time, it's just that when sign took precedence over the reality of whistling, then people learned from each other that when doing that, they look cool. Which is one of the most important thing for people, nowadays. But all this could be false that my previous comment still applies. « Whoever said anything about whistling when other people are around? »
Well, it is obvious that if you are alone, then you can whistle, sing, go around naked, smoke, shout, etc. as much as you want, as there is no one to bother. This whole discussion makes no sense if you assume that you’re alone.

« When whistlers see other people, they stop whistling. »
You probably mean “some whistlers”. Many whistlers whistle because they want to look cool, so why would they stop when somebody arrives?

You will probably say that most whistlers don’t whistle to look “cool”. So why did whistling became so popular the last few years? It’s all about semiotics. As sociologists says, the modern era is characterized by the sign taking precedence over reality. We used to whistle because we liked it, now we tend to focus on the sign that it represents. It makes you look cool. That’s why some people whistle so loud that they can be heard from very far.

I have always been bothered by whistlers. A few years ago, I was bothered maybe once a week. Now it’s more like 10 or 15 times a day, and I still live in the same place. It’s not a coincidence that many people decided to whistle at the same time, it’s just that when sign took precedence over the reality of whistling, then people learned from each other that when doing that, they look cool. Which is one of the most important thing for people, nowadays.

But all this could be false that my previous comment still applies.

]]> By: DRX http://www.alphadictionary.com/blog/?p=162&cpage=1#comment-145569 DRX Thu, 10 Dec 2009 20:32:01 +0000 http://www.alphadictionary.com/blog/?p=162#comment-145569 Whistlers rarely, if ever, stop for other people. There are several people where I work that whistle all day long. Some days it's literally nonstop - when one stops, another starts. Some of them are louder than others, but no matter how quietly they do it, it still cuts through the walls like a hot knife through butter. I've looked it up and it actually fits the definition of torture. Maybe not for everyone, but for at least a sizable minority, it is. Why would you torture someone day after day and expect to have a good working relationship with them? If someone tortured you every day at work with loud music, cigarette smoke, name your nuisance, etc..., would you want to be nice and friendly to them? Why do people think it's okay to get on someone's last nerve and just keep jumping on it? Do you think it's some kind of right? I do volunteer work with children that seem to be more mature than many of the adults I come into contact with (work or otherwise). My gosh, it's really not that complicated - LEAVE PEOPLE ALONE! Also, for the record, while I have regrets, I'm fairly content with my life. I'm not constantly depressed, contentious, etc... I do not, however, understand why people engage in a behavior that is so obnoxious that it can drive perfectly sane people to violence. Whistlers rarely, if ever, stop for other people. There are several people where I work that whistle all day long. Some days it’s literally nonstop – when one stops, another starts. Some of them are louder than others, but no matter how quietly they do it, it still cuts through the walls like a hot knife through butter. I’ve looked it up and it actually fits the definition of torture. Maybe not for everyone, but for at least a sizable minority, it is. Why would you torture someone day after day and expect to have a good working relationship with them? If someone tortured you every day at work with loud music, cigarette smoke, name your nuisance, etc…, would you want to be nice and friendly to them? Why do people think it’s okay to get on someone’s last nerve and just keep jumping on it? Do you think it’s some kind of right? I do volunteer work with children that seem to be more mature than many of the adults I come into contact with (work or otherwise). My gosh, it’s really not that complicated – LEAVE PEOPLE ALONE! Also, for the record, while I have regrets, I’m fairly content with my life. I’m not constantly depressed, contentious, etc… I do not, however, understand why people engage in a behavior that is so obnoxious that it can drive perfectly sane people to violence.

]]> By: Robert Beard http://www.alphadictionary.com/blog/?p=162&cpage=1#comment-145358 Robert Beard Sat, 05 Dec 2009 18:02:55 +0000 http://www.alphadictionary.com/blog/?p=162#comment-145358 Whoever said anything about whistling when other people are around? When whistlers see other people, they stop whistling. Anyway, back to my point--why are our radio stations afloat in rap crap and we can only find music on satellites? (I love my Siriusly Sinatra on Sirius). Susan Boyle is currently selling more records at Amazon.com than any recording artist. I wouldn't be surprised that this is not a worldwide phenomenon. In addition to her golden voice, she is surfing on the rising tide of desire for music, songs with words and memorable tunes and chords. We are adrift in a sea of frauds--in the recording business, televions networks with the "reality" shows about fraudulent people and real numbskulls, CEOs who legally defraud their companies out of astonishing compensation packages they could not earn in a lifetime, and on and on and on. Many of us have turned out lives over to radio shout shows and TV jabber shows and the superficiality they propagate. But the ageing majority have not. Hopefully the Web can keep a few lines open to sanity. Whoever said anything about whistling when other people are around? When whistlers see other people, they stop whistling.

Anyway, back to my point–why are our radio stations afloat in rap crap and we can only find music on satellites? (I love my Siriusly Sinatra on Sirius). Susan Boyle is currently selling more records at Amazon.com than any recording artist.

I wouldn’t be surprised that this is not a worldwide phenomenon. In addition to her golden voice, she is surfing on the rising tide of desire for music, songs with words and memorable tunes and chords.

We are adrift in a sea of frauds–in the recording business, televions networks with the “reality” shows about fraudulent people and real numbskulls, CEOs who legally defraud their companies out of astonishing compensation packages they could not earn in a lifetime, and on and on and on.

Many of us have turned out lives over to radio shout shows and TV jabber shows and the superficiality they propagate. But the ageing majority have not. Hopefully the Web can keep a few lines open to sanity.

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