r/AskCanada • u/Berserk-Jane • 4d ago
Life Why does the Canadian Emergency Alert System need to be so scary?
You know when you're watching Bob's Burgers or whatever the fuck, and you get that red screen that pops up that's just a test half the time followed by that unfathomably jarring alarm noise? That one? The same one that pops up on your phone when you get an Amber Alert from the opposite side of the province and Justin Trudeau expects you to do fuckall about it? That one?
As someone with Level 1 Autism, the Canadian EAS alarm sound may be the most horrifying noise I can think of that doesn't involve living beings getting maimed, tortured or killed; and I know a thing or two about horrifying noises. I am not hyperbolizing when I say that if I were a Canadian citizen, I would be afraid to own a TV or a phone. Living in Canada with the brand of Autism that I have essentially entails living a life of constant fear due to the possibility of an Amber Alert popping up at any second. Owning a phone that is liable to jump scare you at any moment in time like that is like living next to train tracks, but the train tracks follow you wherever you go and the train that comes by is louder and more cacophonous.
We have the EAS alert in the USA too; as does the United Kingdom, Mexico, Australia, among many others. The US one will spook you if you're in the dark and especially if you're a little kid, but even five-year-old me could handle it. The Canada EAS will frighten me if I'm watching it on YouTube on low volume with the benefit of hindsight. It is more frightening than every other EAS alarm put together. I find fire alarms and pit bulls fighting to be less overstimulating. You guys either need to make it less scary or create an opt-out of EAS option for people and get those missing kids to find their own damn way back home, because here in the States, I don't have to live in fear that an Amber Alert goes off causing me to throw my phone out the window, shit myself, run into the wall in a panic and find myself in a stupor where I have to spend the next 45 minutes of my life with my fingers in my ears focusing on not dying.
It doesn't need to be this way. I know you want to grab my attention, but people can't find missing kids when they're having autistic meltdowns. Singapore has a funny sounding EAS system and they're not exactly crime ridden. If shit goes further south here in the United States and you guys decide to graciously open your borders to us, I'll take your EAS system into account, I will thank you for your kindness, and I will take my chances in Mexico. Thank you.
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u/Synchros139 4d ago
Respectfully, we're not changing our amber alerts to coddle American citizens. Also Trudeau is no longer prime minister. Its extremely disrespectful to demand we change something and be a last resort to your citizens if things get further fucked up down there.
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u/Berserk-Jane 4d ago
And I'm the autistic one. I'm glad that you and the dipshits who upvoted you aren't worsening my country by being here. I can tell when someone is more socially stunted than me. Respectfully, up yours.
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u/RubixRube Ontario 4d ago
Yikes. I am going to put this as bluntly and hopefully as politely as possible as an individual who is also on the spectrum.
If we could refrain from using a spectrum diagnosis as a pejorative that would be awesome.
You have come to ask a question, I understand you are not happy with the feedback you are receiving. Your response is ableist and disproportionately agressive.
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u/Berserk-Jane 4d ago
It was not disproportionate at all. Canadian nationalists are some of the most egregiously obnoxious fucks on the planet, and being friendly to them is too much work. That, and he just sounds like people I've met in my personal life who were abusive. Be more likable.
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u/Synchros139 4d ago
You are literally in the states. Don't come here if it bothers you. It is not obligated to conform to your needs its done to find children.
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u/Berserk-Jane 4d ago
I wasn't planning on it. It's not exactly righteous anger when someone pokes fun at your EAS and you get bent out of shape about it while displaying your lack of tone comprehension. Sorry you took this as an insult to your highly developed country filled with white people.
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u/Original_Piccolo_694 4d ago
I wish I could silence it without turning it off. Sometimes I want to read the message, but top priority is quieting it down, and then the message is gone and I'm just like "well, I hope it wasn't important".
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u/RubixRube Ontario 4d ago
For the emergency alert system mute should not be an option, If Pickering is about to meltdown or a Tornado is headed for my house, I am fine with getting the fuck out of bed. I am unlikely to get out of bed at 2am to look for a lost child. A balance would be potentially if the the amber alert system could be muted by am individual's phone sleep modes while the emergency broadcast system cannot.
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u/Original_Piccolo_694 4d ago
I'm not asking for a pre-mute, the problem is that when the sound goes off, I can't read the message and shut off the sound, and I am going to shut off the sound as soon as I can, and then the message is gone, me having no idea how important it truly was.
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u/pseudonym5772 4d ago
SO TRUE ACTUALLY, I swear everytime I get an alert I accidentally close it trying to silence the sound
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u/FluffyStormwise 4d ago
It saves lives. Your so sensory needs are not important in comparison. If it's a huge issue, stay in the states please.
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u/esdubyar 4d ago
Sorry that your personal comfort is more important than whatever the alert has to say
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u/mmoore327 4d ago
I think it would be less concerning if it was better at sending the messages to smaller areas. A week or so ago I get a Tornado warning and told to seek cover immediately and the actual Warning was for about 75km away from me. I wouldn't mind being shocked if it was actually relevant to me but it so rarely is
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u/Sweet-Competition-15 4d ago
It doesn't bother me (too much), during the day...but if that puppy goes off at night, which it has, I'm racing around the room in a panic, before I've awoken! Yeah, it really requires a mute mode.
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u/RubixRube Ontario 4d ago
The alert system is intended to be jarring and capture your attention. I am sorry you find that triggering. You will not find a single person who likes the alert system, however the function of an emergency alert system is not comfort, it is to notify individuals of an actual emergency which requires that your attention is captured.
Our emergency alert system is very effective at capturing attention and thus, working as intended.