Indoor voice vs outdoor voice. Which do you use primarily?

[GoneOffShore]

So, after being back in the States for a month after a couple of weeks in France, I've noticed something: People here persist in using their "outside voices" (you know, the loud one you use to talk over the buses passing by) ALL THE TIME.

We stayed in Paris, in a working class area, public housing and in the morning would only hear the sound of peoples shoes clacking across the courtyard and occasionally a quiet "Bonjour". Late at night, police sirens - not too often, but no one having a loud conversation. Sitting in a restaurant or on a bus you will see two people talking to each other, but it's not possible to hear what they're saying. Sit in a cafe, have a coffee and you won't hear the conversation except as a low murmur. Cell phone conversations - one hand hold the phone the other covers the mouth and the voice is low.

Philadelphia is a different story. Four pm outside my window in a residential area I hear three girls going on about their dates for the night and they are adults. Sitting in a restaurant I'm treated to a loud discussion on why "sweet wine is the only thing I drink and meat is disgusting". Cell phone conversations - hear one side of them all the time.

So, how about you?

Are you a "Loud voices/loud pipes save lives" kind of person or "Silence is golden"?

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	Silence is golden - use your indoor voice.
	1 (100%)
	I CAN'T HEAR YOU!! SPEAK UP!
	0 (0%)
	Polls are fun.
	0 (0%)
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[bluesbassman]

1. I go to ELEVEN!

Actually I have a pretty deep voice, so the volume has to be up a little or it sounds like I'm mumbling. 'Course, sometimes I am mumbling.

[NightWatcher]

2. Remember, silence is golden but duct tape is silver

I miss being around civilized people who know how to conduct themselves in public.

[Kali]

5. ha!

I will have to remember that.

I tend to be pretty loud, I know my laugh is obnoxious, but I do live in the sticks and try not to inflict myself on people too much.

[GoneOffShore]

9. I may put that sign in the window of my house.

We live in Northern Liberties in Philadelphia and have had a developer develop around us. He builds tar paper Taras and then rents them out to Temple students who party like they're going to Penn State.

It can get pretty noisy around here.

[rainbow4321]

3. INdoor voices...people using outdoor voices is one of my pet peeves

I work in a hospital setting with co workers who ONLY know how to use OUTdoor voices. As they sit 6 feet (or stand 3 feet) from each other. They all talk over each other. I've decided their "conversations" are not to really engage in meaningful communication with each other...it is solely to hear their own voices. And heaven forbid you shut a door in the nursing station to have just a little quiet, they give you dirty looks and start making snide comments.
And this is an environment where patient rooms are nearby and visitors are walking by.
And every frigging sentence (**every**) is prefaced with one of following words "GIRL...." or "Baby....".
Listening to that for 8 hours often has me driving home in complete golden silence. No radio, no nothing. Even the 30 minute lunch break I take I avoid people just so I can have silence.

If they talk that way in a work place, I can only imagine what their households sound like.

[Populist_Prole]

4. Big pet peeve for me as well. "Outgoing" is a euphemism for obnoxious

Full disclosure: I'm a "Type-B" that can't stand loudmouths and never seek to draw attention to myself unless it's necessary.

I get irritated at the deli counter of a big food store because the usual clerk, after seeing I'm there expects me to yell out my order so he can inexplicably remain 7, 8 feet from the counter. I'll say my request and he's like "huh?" as I flip up my hand up in a display of annoyed futility and lean forward and say "I'm not going to raise my voice, you're going to have to come to the counter". It's a regular thing. I think he's just tying to piss me off.

My neighbors too, are quiet and respectful. One of my sisters and mother and father are loud and animated. Whenever they visit I quickly usher them into the house because they just can't STFU and loudly attract so much attention just walking from the driveway to the house. I usually enjoy grilling out on my patio, but not with them. They embarrass the shit out of me. I'm constantly shushing them and they get annoyed at this. They have no idea how obnoxious they are.

[GoneOffShore]

10. Outgoing as euphemism for obnoxious!

[HopeHoops]

6. My wife teaches kindergarten during the day and karate at night.

I'm constantly telling her to bring the volume down when she gets home and yet everyone at both schools says she talks too softly. It's a weird dynamic.

As for cell phones, I really don't need to hear about somebody's gout in the produce section of the grocery store.

[GoneOffShore]

8. You're not in Philadelphia are you?

Because I must admit I was talking about my gout the other day. On my cell phone. In Reading Terminal Market. But I thought I was pretty quiet.

[HopeHoops]

11. No, Harrisburg area. I was just using that as an example. Anal warts would be another.

It's just amazing what people blather about on their cell phones, especially when they have one of those flashing cyborg Bluetooth ear thingies on. I call it SWY (shopping while yacking) and that's mostly because I've had my cart run into way too many times by someone who was too caught up in their conversation to look in front of them. I call bullshit on anyone who says hands-free is less distracting than hand-held. A hand-held is no different than a cup of coffee other than the coffee usually doesn't turn off your brain and hands-free is just as distracting.

[GoneOffShore]

12. Ah, Harrisburg - You're in the heart of Pennsyltucky.

[HopeHoops]

13. Yep. That's just what I call it.

[pipi_k]

7. I'm often guilty

of using my outdoor voice, but it's because I have some hearing loss in my left ear, and have trouble hearing others, so I figure if that's the case, they probably can't hear me, either.