Emotional hijacking: hearts held hostage

      
By Andrea Schiers
    Columnist

      
Only one place can bring us both unimaginable
      joy and excruciating despair. 

      


      It can take us high above the clouds, sending us soaring with
      elation; or it can hurl our hearts onto the ground and stomp
      them with razor sharp stiletto heels. The road to this place
      is one of glee and terror. 

      


      We have all been there, and we will all be there again. We have
      all suffered the agony and basked in the gloriousness of it;
      glimpsed inside the heart of darkness and lived to see the soul
      of goodness. There is only one place such as this.

      


      It is the airport.

      


      The source of this two-sidedness is in the music played throughout
      the airport. It is inescapable. 

      


      It is played outside the building, in all terminals, not even
      the restrooms are void of melodies. 

      
Melodies which heighten the emotions of
      the airport patrons, whatever those emotions may be.

      


      If you are dropping off a friend, or your soul-mate, you cannot
      help but listen to "Kiss From a Rose" by Seal, or the
      '80s classic "Time After Time." I don't know about
      you, but I don't need to hear a love song when saying goodbye
      to a loved one. 

      


      The situation is gut-wrenching enough without the addition of
      "Unchained Melody" from the infamous "Ghost"
      scene. 

      


      Likewise, listening to Bette Midler belt out "Wind Beneath
      My Wings" upon the arrival of a loved one is just plain
      tacky. Yet it is the specialty in airports across the world.
      

      


      We've all seen the classic airport scenes in our favorite films,
      with the signature farewell song blaring from the theater speakers.
      I tell you the film makers did not insert that song into the
      scene; they simply waited for the airport to play it and shot
      the scene accordingly.

      


      We don't need this kind of toying with our emotions! They belong
      to us and us alone! An end must be put to our airports' power.
      

      


      Rather than accentuate our intense feelings brought on by the
      situation, the establishment should seek to sooth. With relaxing,
      calming music, airports would be doing us a service, rather than
      manipulating us to the point of tears.

      


      At last, a place for Yanni and Kenny G has been found! Gone from
      the elevators and "on hold" buttons of the world, and
      into the baggage claims. 

      


      Perhaps even an occasional playing of Ricky's "Shake Your
      Bon Bon" just to break the monotony; Queen's "Another
      One Bites the Dust" for April Fool's Day would be a welcome
      change from the emotionally charged chords of Tim and Faith.
      

      


      This is not to say Berlin's "Take My Breath Away" or
      Celine's "My Heart Will Go On" don't have their place,
      they do. It's just not in an airport. 

      


      The titles mentioned above, as well as countless others, are
      all fine pieces of artistic talent and should be enjoyed regularly,
      but they should not be used as pawns to toy with the hearts of
      the innocent.

      


      Whoever plays DJ to the airports of the world needs to renovate
      the CD case. Throw the ballads of Barbara Streisand and Vanessa
      Williams aside; make room for Enya and John Tesh.
 

      
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