Commuting in London every day it is obvious that there"s a lot of people who don"t care about anyone else, in so many ways. In our society it"s almost encouraged as part of our "freedom", there's certainly very little to discourage antisocial behaviour.
When I go to sleep at night I have to listen to screaming engines and car stereos outside that sound like concerts. It would be nice if they would keep it down after 10pm, or at least at midnight but they just rev and blast away.
It seems pointless to me to single out the iPod when the fundamental problem is that we are all so self-centred.
I really don't understand for instance why it is legal to disturb entire neighbourhoods with your car stereo. Anyone?

It's not just a UK thing, to be sure. It seems like western culture in general is being steered by some unseen hand into a self-centered insensitive world. Aren't we supposed to be leading the world, setting a good example?

Be careful what you expose yourself to... much of the media outlets and programming are designed for something other than simply entertainment and spreading "news".

Many of you may disagree. Just be careful what you let yourself think.

Isn't dominant western culture based on being self-centred? I mean, colonialism and capitalism are based on elevating oneself by keeping others down. It is okay to disrespect other people (their feelings, needs, and desires), as long as we profit from it in the end. I mean, we live in economies that call for slave labour and unfair trade policies, which perpetuate Third World poverty. In light of this, why should I be concerned with my music annoting my neighbour. If I can stomach people being chained to machines for 15 hours a day to make my clothes, and paid mere pennies for their efforts, then an annoyed neighbour is hardly a concern.

I agree with the johnf, we need to examine the cause for such behaviour--why is it so acceptable to be completely self-absorbed?