TOW #17 - article: "The Argument Against Headphones"

         In the article “The Argument Against Headphones” by Virginia Heffernan, statistics and history of headphones is discussed in the means to inform and argue that the cons of headphones outweigh the pros. Heffernan, an author for The New York Times, begins her article with data. Teenagers in America are beginning to have hearing loss at an earlier age. Although, given the rise in technological devices with headphone inputs, this hearing loss in the current teenage generation will continue to prosper.

            This audience is mainly geared towards parents of teenagers who use headphones often. The last sentence of the article reads, “And protecting our kids’ hearing is not just as important as protecting their brains; it is protecting their brains” (Heffernan). Parents have a big say in what their kids and cannot do and are involved in maintaining their wellbeing. If parents know how serious the consequences could be by allowing their children to stimulate their ears with such high volumes, they may try and have them cut down on headphone usage.

            I agree with the author’s central claim. I think that her argument against headphones is valid and many teenagers are heading down the path towards early hearing loss, which can be stopped if more information were known about the subject. This leads to the purpose of the article, to argue against headphone usage and encourage a movement to stop excessive usage. Today, wireless headphones are becoming a very popular possession. I think the author would not like this new rise of headphone technology. It makes headphones all the more appealing and makes a wider audience of people vulnerable to the damage headphones can do.

            The purpose of the article was successfully achieved and the consequences of headphone usage were clearly laid out, creating an effective argument. I believe the argument of the article could have been stronger if there was less of a focus on the history.