May 1, 2003
Noise Free America
For immediate release
Contact:
Ted Rueter
877-NOISE-NO
[email protected]
Madison: Alpine Audio and MTX have jointly won this month’s Noisy Dozen award from Noise Free America for marketing dangerous car stereo equipment and promoting their use to intimidate, harass, and harm human beings.
SUPER STREET magazine, part of the noise-industrial complex, offered these words of admiration for Alpine’s car stereo amplifiers: “Alpine’s amplifiers are so tough that some people use them as weapons of mass destruction. With 1,800 watts of power, this thing can ruin a whole city block.”
The Car Audio and Electronics Directory for 2003 has a full-page ad announcing the June 15th debut of MTX’s new “HEAD-SPLITTING, HEART-STOPPING, EAR SHATTERING, MIND NUMBING, RETINA DETACHING MX AUDIO THUNDER 9500 SUBWOOFER.” The introduction of the THUNDER 9500 coincides with the release of Universal Studio’s thunderous “Fast and Furious” this June 6th.
Mark Huber commented that “Alpine Audio and MTX are part of the ‘community disturbance sector’ of America’s economy, which grew out of the convergence of the car audio and automotive exhaust industries. Over the last decade, the growth of these industries into the mainstream economy has severely weakened the United States. The proliferation of loud ‘boom cars’ and noisy ‘performance exhausts’ have created a constant booming rumble in many communities. This madness must stop.”
According to Patrice Thomas, a registered nurse in Savannah, Georgia, “Stereo companies sell their wares by promoting delinquency, bragging about damaging other people’s health, exploiting women, and preying on young males who have turned against their communities. I wonder if stereo companies consider what happens to innocent people when they are subject to audio terrorism from their dangerous subwoofer speakers and bass amplifiers.”
Ted Rueter, Noise Free America’s director, stated that “for MTX to take pride in ‘splitting heads, stopping hearts, numbing minds, and detaching retinas’ is simply detestable For a car stereo writer to boast that MTX’s products can ruin an entire city block is reprehensible. It’s as if gun companies advertised, ‘Use our products to kill your mother-in-law,’ or tobacco companies said, ‘Use our products to get cancer.’ These stereo companies are exploiting the immaturity and aggressiveness of young men, all in the name of huge profits.”
One virtue of MTX’s new marketing campaign is that it represents truth in advertising. “Noise is physically dangerous,” commented Nurse Thomas. “High noise levels contribute to depression. Noise causes hearing loss. Noise deprives millions of people of sleep. Noise makes people tired. Noise makes people more aggressive. I find it amazing that companies like MTX and Alpine seem proud of the fact that their products are dangerous.”
The aggressive, violent, anti-social, in-your face attitude of the car stereo industry was perfectly expressed by Amy Thornburg, the Operations Manager of the Mobile Enhancement Retailers Association (MERA). She stated recently that “while you have the right to pursue your ‘noise free world’ agenda, the customers of MERA members have the right to turn up their high performance audio systems to drown you out.”
Ted Rueter stated, “The United States doesn’t need any more ‘audio thunder.’ The United States doesn’t need any more audio ‘weapons of mass destruction.’ The United States doesn’t need any more entire city blocks being ruined. The United States doesn’t need adolescents of all ages ‘drowning out’ the public’s right to peace and quiet. What we need are tough anti-noise ordinances that are strictly enforced.”
Noise Free America is a national citizens organization dedicated to reducing noise pollution and improving the quality of American life. Previous winners of the Noisy Dozen award include Flowmaster, Congressman Darrell Issa, and Governor Gray Davis. Noise Free America’s web site is at http://noisefree.org.