Music players a scapegoat for deafness by stupidity?

Here is yet another article on iPods and hearing loss. Listening to too many loud rock concerts, having the TV on too loud, or listening to a number of music devices including the iPod can all have negative affects on hearing. I wonder why it always has to be iPods being targeted... it can be almost any sound device with the capacity to cause ear damage! Especially those with headphones (duh). Suing Apple for hearing loss is worse than suing McDonald's for weight gain. To stick with that example, McDonald's has — any reasonable person can admit — unhealthy food and markets much of it as being healthy, false advertising and misleading; Apple does not market people listing to iPods all day on high volumes nor does it promote listing to audio too loud. Apple has made statements about listening too loud (even if in the fine print) and has released a volume limit iPod software update earlier this year. McDonald's, on the other hand, would hurt themselves by advertising their potential or actual customers about the nature of their food — even the FDA and other governmental administrations cannot do that (largely from the food industry's mass lobbying effects on politicians). Lastly, unlike with food people know how loud their music is (I mean, they are hearing it!), whereas if I eat a burger, I may be one of the many who have know knowledge and have a hard time accessing and acquiring such knowledge on what I am eating, what it contains, and how it may affect me. No sane person could say that the didn't know that listing to music insanely bad is not their choice and a factor under their control for they are experiencing its negative affects; but some can say that they did not know eating that extra order of super-sized French frys was bad for them. Without prior knowledge, they may not know those fry's negative effects until they are already in a not-so-good physical state. There is a difference between consumer safety for those who are ignorant (fast food example) and those who are just dumb ('you mean listing to my iPod on max volume is bad for me?'). It's consumer safety versus consumer stupidity. Gun control and health/advert requirements (i.e. no totally misleading food porno) for food vendors I understand and support (especially the former), but iPod control? Come on... that's like blaming your stove for burning you when you touch the flame (voluntarily) — you sense it and know it is bad from what you feel.

Good article though.

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