I mean, you can try talking behind my back, but it won't do you any good. For that matter, talking in front of my front will be a lot different too, going forward. I got myself some hearing aids.
First of all, they work. They don't necessarily work for all people in all situations, but for me, I've been missing a lot for a while, and all of a sudden, I'm not. I don't have to ask people to repeat themselves. Also, I now know that people on TV aren't mumbling incomprehensible gibberish most of the time; they're actually speaking quite clearly. Who knew? Walking through Manhattan? Hit the old mute button. Streaming podcasts and music through them? Okay in a pinch, but they are far from acoustically pleasant compared to even Apple earbuds. Normal everyday conversation? Vastly improved, especially with certain people whose voices are higher pitched (and not necessarily a male/female thing, btw).
I originally lost some hearing decades ago, as a result of a bout of flu. 20% in one swell foop. Since then, it's just been the steady deterioration of getting old and decrepit. Then again, I remember for the last twenty years of her life, my grandmother's number one response to anything said to her was, "What?" Pronounced waaaaaat, with a long series of short As.
Hearing loss sucks, and the sad part of it is, hearing aids cost a fortune, uncovered by most insurance plans, and therefore often out of reach of people who can use them. Fortunately our government is on top of this, doing everything they can to aid people when it comes to difficult medical expenses— Oh. Wait a minute. Wrong government.
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