How much screaming is too much screaming?
 

Certainly, if an individual stood in front of a performance stage and continuously screamed over the performers, that individual would be quickly ushered out of the venue. So, how many screams is acceptable? 200 per hour, 100 per hour? 50 per hour? Of course, out of respect for the band and the audience, the only acceptable and enforceable number is zero screams per hour.

We tried Spanish Springs again last night, unfortunately, the Screamer was there showing his disrespect worse than ever. If The Villages wants to revitalize Spanish Springs, perhaps they should begin by silencing the Screamer.

If you agree that zero screams per hour is the correct limit, please let the officials at the square know your feelings.

Who is the screamer?

I’m guessing the ‘baton guy’.

Go to Spanish Springs and it will be painfully obvious. I have also heard him called the conductor, and the village idiot.

Whatever the right answer is it also should apply to the number of barks per hour in the same venue.

His name is Mark. Have been told he has Aspergers. Gentle and kind person. Normally he moves about the square, not standing in one place. He brings his mother on occasion, pushing her in a wheelchair.

Asperger's Syndrome, a form of Autism Spectrum Disorder, is a developmental disorder. Young people with Asperger's Syndrome have a difficult time relating to others socially and their behavior and thinking patterns can be rigid and repetitive.

I have seen people complain to the staff. They would direct Mark to the area outside of the dance floor.

Yes, his name is Mark and yes, in person, he's a nice quiet gentle guy.

In fact, he's told me that he's been quite upset by the snarky looks, comments and actions of some people.

We are snowbirds and hang at Spanish Springs. This guy is part of the fun and ambience and certainly isn't harming anyone although he may be loud sometimes (vocally and visually)...sigh!

I would like to see that doctors diagnosis. He is in full control of his faculties. He used to stay near the fountain with no screaming. He just craves attention and has become much bolder over the years. Clearly, not Asperger's.

He can easily avoid the snarky looks and comments by not screaming at us. There are plenty of interesting and fun characters at the squares that don't scream.

Asperger's Syndrome: Symptoms, Diagnosis and Treatment.

Sounds like Mark has this disease. My mother was a Special Ed. teacher in Reno, Nevada and with some adults here in the Villages through a program at one of the local Catholic Churches.

I did meet a number of her students in Reno and also here in the Villages. One of them lives close by to us.

I've seen him walking back to his cart. After he leaves the square there is no screaming, no odd behavior. Perfectly normal. He can clearly turn it on and off at will.

He has grown much bolder over time. Just as would be expected from an attention seeker.

This seems to show that Mark has Asperger's.

I've seen him walking back to his cart. After he leaves the square there is no screaming, no odd behavior. Perfectly normal. He can clearly turn it on and off at will.

I’ve been smoking that controlled substance since I was a teenager ,I’m now 84 . I can tell you that screaming is not one of the byproducts of that controlled substance .

I have a kind of friend who used to come to the house for about 6 months for almost daily 7 hour stretches; she would smoke a few small cigars on the back porch. She seemed to need that fix. But she is one of the calmest people in every kind of situation. Nothing seemed to get her goat so to speak.

Go to Sumter Landing.

After he leaves the square, the degree of visual and auditory stimulation is greatly reduced. Possibly that is why his behavior changes.

Concluding he can turn it on and off at will is a naive conclusion.

Wonderful you have avoided the common long-term effects. Others have not been so lucky.

Long-Term Risks of Cannabis Use | Health | Province of Manitoba

Why should audience members who respect others desire to listen to the entertainment be chased away by one disrespectful person?

If the visual and auditory stimulation is so disturbing, why does he go to the square? Much more likely just seeking attention ... at others expense.

Interesting article. Reading carefully, it seems safer than cigarettes and alcohol with a possible effect on memory, concentration, and motivation which could result in poor grades or poor work performance. As a retired person who is not taking classes, there isn't much risk to me.

Not sure about safer than smoking, but I suspect you are right about alcohol. Definitely shouldn't be a controlled substance. But, that's a subject for a different thread. :laugh:

It seems that TV crack medical team has this figured out...

Wait, what? None of them are actual doctors?

https://media.tenor.com/N910WJzMADQA...-ignore-it.gif

hmmmm less dangerous then all the pizza and big steaks eaten by many here , everything in moderation , I was smart enough and quick enough to last 40 years in some of the worst places in the world and collecting a 6 figure pension for 24 years , so a little weed and little Miles , Coltrane and Ahmad Jamal makes Charlie a happy guy

"Mark" may seem a very nice, but his actions can be very startling and disrupting. Certainly he knows that his "antics" (for lack of a better word) are what brings him the looks and comments that upset him. Like an alcoholic or a drug addict who knows their triggers, if they want to avoid negative effects they need to find alternative activities and entertainment to the ones that trigger the negative behavior.
So, if "Mark" is at the square and acting out, he is fully aware that he is doing it (startling people and being disruptive).

I got the impression he was screaming because he is enjoying the music not to upset other people.

Good for you!

Now, back to our regularly scheduled discussion, "The Screamer".

He may be. But he does upset others and is obviously aware of the responses he receives. So?

So. We have to put up with the eccentricities of others in public places like the Villages' Squares.

just don’t blame it on the weed

No, we don't! We all can choose to get up and go elsewhere. Except, of course, the poor band that has to play for one person who is screaming at them.
It is said that music can sooth the savage breast. Maybe if the band played a lullaby.

Bands in the Villages are probably used to odd people being in their audiences as would most of the Villagers I have met. There are many people in the Villages with memory care problems of varying degrees of severity. Look up sundowning for instance in which a patient with dementia or some other mental problem starts yelling.

Weed? You mean dandelions, righr?

This is now a world without common sense. Allow some screaming screwball to disrupt the enjoyment of music by hundreds of law abiding folks, night after night; place a (silent) plastic flamingo in your front yard and the authorities are all over it like a bad rash.

Hey! Who you callin' odd people?

He is hardly a "screaming screwball". And the Squares are a public place. A flamingo on your yard is a violation of property agreements.

A note about sundowning by seniors. This is probably a lot more common problem for nightly entertainment than some man with Asperger's trying to enjoy himself in a public place.

How to Deal With Sundowners: Advice From Caregivers | CaringBridge

Sundowning and dementia | Alzheimer's Society

Its very generous of you to attribute his behavior to a medical condition. But, I believe your compassion is misguided. He does not scream off the square or at Walmart. More likely he is just an attention seeker gaining his attention at the expense of the band and everyone else trying to enjoy the music on the square.

So I could take an airhorn down to the square and start blasting it with impunity? There are limits. And zero screaming over the band is the only reasonable and enforceacble limit.

I'm sure no one would fault someone with dementia (and I suspect their caretakers would seat them towards the back). But, there is no excuse for an attention seeker getting their attention at the expense of the band and everyone else trying to enjoy the band.