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Devil Lu Linvega

In anchorages, there's this social phenomenon that I haven't given a name to just yet, but it goes like this:

Anchorages are usually quiet places, in which any sound will be noticed by anyone sharing that echoing space. So, if you start your engine, all eyes will be on you. So people tend to be quiet, use their oars to get around.

But you need just one vessel obnoxious enough to use their engine, to raise the volume enough that a second vessel will start their generator, and a third, ..

14 comments
Devil Lu Linvega

Soon enough, someone is using a belt sander.

You sit there like, how the fuck did that happen. And then you walk it back, these guys started their outboat, then it gave the signal to this one to start their gas generator, and so here we are.

Devil Lu Linvega

@cancel AAAH excellent, it's great to finally have a name for this.

Kira, cozy autumn fox 🦊

@neauoire Gosh, I see strong parallels of this in capitalism. It's like a normalizing effect, kinda like the Overton Window.

nomand

@neauoire some long compound german word that roughly translates to "sonic social contract fragility"

amorris

@neauoire It's like a tragedy of the commons of silence, haha

"Well if they an fire up their engine, I will too"

su

@amorris @neauoire reminds me of this excellent essay by Illich, “Silence is a Commons” davidtinapple.com/illich/1983_ :)

> Silence now ceased to be in the commons; it became a resource for which loudspeakers compete.

RoyGreenhilt

@neauoire When I was on a mooring down in the BVI's, we'd run our generator at night, because damned if I was going to sweat through a night with small children aboard.

We shut it all down when everyone got up for breakfast, but I did feel a slight twinge of guilt through the night. It didnt' last long. I sleep hard.

Devil Lu Linvega

@RoyGreenhilt here it's illegal to run generators after sunset at least.

wrack

@neauoire [shakes head] It makes you wonder why they cruise at all if they're so insensitive to the environment/isolation they've made such an effort to reach.

Devil Lu Linvega

@ccohanlon I think they were sold the idea of being here, but they don't understand the place at all.

Most arrive in a hurry, drops their anchor, and leave the next day, and we've been watching them come and go for days now. I suppose, they work hard, then they relax hard. They don't take anything in, they're consuming leisure.

wrack

@neauoire Which describes, more generally, how they 'do' seagoing, 'do' the sea. Without deep curiosity, commitment, or (heaven forbid) love.

S/Y Perelandra

@neauoire @ccohanlon I talk about this all the time with my family. In southern New England it's become pretty commonplace to run a generator on deck. It's brutal. I don't like to be haughty or unfriendly, but the people that cruise like that aren't there for the same reasons as I am, and we hold very little in common as mariners.

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