2. Acoustic Harassment
It isn't just popular, or even classical, music that is used to make people behave in certain ways. Often, pure noise has been exploited by governments and soldiers in the knowledge that its oft-unbearable nature can yield devastating results. During the Troubles in Northern Ireland, there are reports that captured IRA members were thrown in cells that were bombarded with non-stop amplified static noise. The US air force has famously flown jets over the Gaza Strip with the aim of creating deafening sonic booms, often in the middle of the night. These booms can cause severe hearing problems, as well as frequently doing physical damage to the landscape below. The Long Range Acoustic Device employed in Iraq is a sonic cannon that fires noises at encampments that are so loud they supposedly feel like they are coming from inside the victims' heads. Director Woody Norris notes that the sound of screaming babies is one of the most frequently utilised examples of the LRAD's sonic ammunition. Finally, there is also so-called "acoustic harassment", which is most often a method of keeping people away from certain areas by using technology that broadcasts sounds that can only be picked up by certain audiences. The most famous example of this is The Mosquito, which uses sonic frequencies that can only be heard by younger people to discourage these youths from loitering in specific locations.