CONSTANCE RIVERA | Grievances | CONTACT
After a long day at the auto repair shop, local Betoota Heights dad Paul Drummond (61) has perfected his post-work wind-down routine: sprawling out on the couch like a king on his throne, blasting mindless Facebook Reels on his phone at ear-splitting volume.
At precisely 6:30 PM, Paul’s nightly viewing marathon begins, featuring an eclectic mix of dashcam crashes, woodworking hacks he’ll never try, and, for reasons unknown, monkeys dressed up and dancing. Each clip earns a hearty chuckle from Paul, regardless of whether it’s actually funny.
“It’s just background noise,” he insists, holding his phone close to his face as the speakers unleash a cacophony of outdated TikTok sounds and laugh track audio.
Paul’s teenage daughter Mila, however, is less than thrilled. “He’ll sit there for hours, wheezing like a maniac at videos that are proper brain rot,” she groans. “If I tell him to turn it down, he just says I need to chill out.”
“I’m so over that obnoxious wheezy laugh sound!” she exclaims, rolling her eyes as yet another absurd video blares on.”
Any attempts to lower the volume are met with resistance; Paul insists his phone “doesn’t sound right” unless it’s cranked all the way up. “It’s not bothering anyone,” he says mid-scroll, oblivious to Mila’s mounting frustration. “Besides, you’ve got to see this one—a guy drops Mentos in a Coke bottle. Absolutely wild!”
