Cops Use Ice Cream Truck Music to Combat Crime

Before I get into the main story, Youtube has added - what I assume to be - a temporary feature on all videos. It's being introduced over a few hours, so it might not work on all vids, but from the looks of it, it seems to be heading towards universalization of.... the vuvuzela button.

If you go to any youtube video right now, you'll see a small soccer ball button in the bottom right corner. As most of you probably know, the vuvuzela is the instrument? noise maker? that has become ubiquitous on World Cup matches in this year's tournament. If you've watched any games, you'll know what I'm talking about. This button is hilarious, because it plays the Vuvuzela drone over the video you are watching, and it doesn't stop even if you mute the video (you have to press the vuvuzela button to stop it). It's a funny way to poke fun at the fact that people around the world are complaining about the noise. I won't get into whether we should interfere with cultural traditions or not... but what I will say is this: it's really neat how a simple sound can embody/signify an entire event and an entire sport. Justified or not, when you hear that noise, you can't help but remember the world cup. In fact, I found it difficult not to feel like I'm watching a football/soccer match regardless of the youtube video I was watching - such is the power of sound, and the power of association.

Now moving on..

The news article I want to talk about is some what related, in that it's about the power of sound and association. In a nutshell, a Belfast police officer was out patrolling one night, and came across a rowdy group teenagers who began attacking the car with bottles. So what did he do? He started blasting ...ice cream truck music at them. And it worked. They dispersed.

I find it amusing, but it really does speak to the psychological weight that music can have. I personally would probably have a hard time picking a fight with anyone... with ice cream music being blasted. It completely saps the tension in the situation.

Now as neat as it is to reflect on the power of music to define the emotional content of any given situation... there's a dark side to it as well. I think our assumptions and associations about different types/genres of music play an incredible role in defining our own musical tastes. It's really unfortunate that those who listen to classical might not enjoy jazz, and those who enjoy death metal won't listen to electronica etc...

I would like to think that this blog is playing a small part in reversing people's conceptions about what is "acceptable" as music. So thanks for sticking around and reading this blog!

If you want to check out the actual article about the Belfast cop using the ice cream music, go here