It was almost 10:30 p.m.

Someone was singing in the night, their voice penetrating our windows, jolting my child awake. I got up to find whoever was singing karaoke while everyone else was trying to sleep, but I couldn't pinpoint the exact location.

I wondered what other people in our neighborhood were thinking at the time. I wished they had decided to knock on their neighbor's door and asked them to stop, or even called the police. But no.

Besides closing my doors and windows and plugging my ears, there was nothing I could do.

I've read many stories by other people about noise pollution, and 90% of them concluded by encouraging "tolerance". But why should we tolerate this? We can and should tolerate many things, but not things that are clearly violations of the law.

In my opinion, most of the people singing karaoke and making noise late at night don’t know they’re breaking the law. They’re not allowed to intrude upon others’ lives.

It's funny how people are unwilling to tolerate many mundane things in life, like lining up or stopping at red lights. But many are willing to put up with loud karaoke and noise pollution.

I believe there is strength in numbers. If I alone report on noise pollution, authorities might treat it as my own issue. But if many people speak up, it will mean that it’s a problem that affects entire communities. Maybe it’s time we speak up for our own interests.

After saying all this, I would like to affirm that I don’t believe everyone who sings karaoke is bad. I just have issues with those who sing karaoke without regarding anyone else.

You have your rights, so protect them. You can look up regulations about noise pollution, and you can report cases of noise pollution even if they happen before 10 p.m. If it affects you and your family, please speak up.

Source: VNE