Yeah, like misinformed, alarmist, know-it-all wankers who tell me to ... oh, I dunno -- stop wearing headphones.

Blow. It. Out. Of. Your. Ass. M'kay?

You're not guaranteed to get tinnitus from working in the music industry. What utter nonsense. Hearing damage results from long-term exposure to constant exposure to excessive sound pressure levels, like industrial noise. Most music is dynamic. In fact, noise-cancelling headphones can actually protect your hearing in noisy environments like aircraft cabins, genius.

Headphone speakers are not "right up against your eardrum". More utter nonsense. Look at a basic anatomy text FFS.

Headphones can be rude, but like all tools, it depends entirely on how we choose to use them.

Music instantly brings me joy. It puts a smile on my face. Always has. That's not an addiction, jackass. It's how I'm wired and always have been. It's who I am, and as I air drum and dance through my long walks, people smile at me, and I pull the phones off and greet them. I make a special point of greeting elderly folks whether or not they acknowledge me, and I'll offer to let them listen to whatever's on.

Your one-size-fits-all conclusion is based on a lot of brain-dead assumptions.

I like most of what you write, but wow was this a disappointment.