There are two types of people who listen to music in public: those who wear headphones and those who … are a word I probably can’t use here. “Loudcasting” – playing audio, watching videos or talking on speakerphone in public spaces – is a form of antisocial behaviour that drives eight in 10 of people in the UK crazy, and I’m glad Andy Burnham is one of those eight. But while I welcome his policy to fine “headphone dodgers”, I’m not convinced it will solve the problem.

This behaviour isn’t only a nuisance, but a grave indicator of a deeper societal issue: the erosion of empathy. You can’t legislate civic pride into an individualistic culture where feelings of social disconnection are widespread.

From 2019 to 2021 I lived in Japan, where keeping the peace is paramount and you can be reprimanded just for talking on the bus. When I returned to England, I felt shock and shame at how we treat one another and our public spaces. I still do. We watch our dogs defecate in the street and walk away. We use public bathrooms as if we’re feral two-year-olds. We inflict the soundtrack of our mindless social-media scrolling on an entire train carriage.

Japanese society is not without its flaws; I often chafed at the level of deference I........

© The Guardian