When I encounter loud singing at the gym, or anywhere else, I don’t like it. I make no bones about it. The gym is my sanctuary. I love going to the gym. It’s great for me physically and it clears my mind from the day’s events. When I encounter rudeness at the gym I’m not one to tolerate it. Today I met the enemy and faced it down.

Polite people don’t intrude on other people with loud singing. That’s the bottom line. I don’t care what you’re singing. When you are being noisy in someone else’s space you’re rude and inconsiderate.

My Experience

Monday is a weight workout day and I jump on the treadmill for a five-minute warm-up before lifting. Today I had companions to my right and left. The person to my left suddenly started singing loudly enough for me to hear it easily. I give that person a glance but am studiously ignored. The general behavior of someone being rude who knows it but refuses to acknowledge it.

It goes on for about thirty seconds and I lean over and politely express my desire that the singing stop. I get a dismissive wave, the singing stops for thirty seconds, but then begins again. I lean over and forcefully say that the singing is intruding on my space and it must stop. It stops but I am the recipient of an angry face. Tough.

Final Result

I have no doubt the intrusive singing started up again as soon as I headed off to the weight room and I feel for the poor person who took my spot. I feel for everyone who has to deal with such rudeness but don’t expect me to put up with it. I’m too old to allow that sort of thing to ruin my time at the oasis of my life.

Conclusion

I don’t care where you are and what you’re doing. You don’t have the right to start belting out a song in a public place when a bunch of other people are around. It intrudes on their space in an unwelcome manner. You’re selfishly putting your own interests in loud singing above anyone else who doesn’t want to hear it. Trust me, there are lots of people who don’t want to hear it. Did your parents forget to teach you manners?

Why am I telling you this story? Because I hope you’ll do the same when you encounter such behavior. If we all firmly but politely insist on better behavior from our fellow humans it’s much more likely that we’ll get it. If enough people tell the singer to stop singing eventually the message will penetrate the skull and the world will be better for it.

You’re welcome.

Tom Liberman