Bring back the Shh

By SHUCHI SARASWAT

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At some point, you've wanted that loud neighbor to keep quiet so badly that you considered lifting your finger to your lips and hissing a "Shh!"

But like me, you probably didn't.

Not long ago, I was studying in "The Quiet Room" at Emerson College. Two boys behind me seemed unaware of the room's moniker. Believe me: I tried everything. I picked up my cellphone, dialed a number and walked out of room to show that conversations were only appropriate in the hallway. I turned 90 degrees in my chair and narrowed my eyes. Nothing. I took my hands and covered each of my ears. Maybe they would take notice of the girl in the corner that used her palms as earmuffs. No such luck. I couldn't take it anymore.

"I'm sorry," I said as I leaned back in my chair, letting it rock on its back legs, so I'd look carefree and casual, despite the scolding words to come. "But do you guys mind keeping it down?" I felt my face flush. "It's just that this is The Quiet Room. And, there aren't really many places that are quiet at Emerson."

They stared, muttered a response. They quieted. Five minutes later they were speaking in whispers, the kind that hisses when pronouncing words with "s." Soon, their voices were slightly softer than the ones I'd scolded 15 minutes before. Fine, I thought. I'll deal.

You might be appalled at my actions. You might think I did the right thing. But no. What I did wasn't enough. Only shushing would've let them know how serious I was.

I concede—shushing is embarrassing. It infantilizes the perpetrator, forces them into submission. Shushing is considered so unhip that even librarians rebel against it. In 2003, librarian Nancy Pearl posed for a 5-inch action figure of herself for a line of novelty collectibles. Her mini-me librarian is advertised as coming with "amazing push-button shushing action." The feature caused Pearl's peers to blog about her being old-fashioned. Fellow librarians accused her of setting their profession back 30 years. But what's so bad about shushing?

Listen. You can try tapping the shoulder of the cellphoned woman on the T and ask her to be quiet. But the second you get off the train, she'll go back to her loud ways. Why not shush? The whole car will hear it, but chances are only those seated next to you will know you did it, and she'll get quiet out of humiliation. Chances are you'll win.

If librarians want to abandon their character trait then we, the people of Boston, should make shushing our own. Bostonians are known for being direct, no-nonsense folk. So let's use our bluntness to make this world a better place. Shush those on the T, in stores and at libraries who are intent on making their business yours. Together, we can bring back the shush.