Blog/2025-09-21/Dog Whistles
I read this tweet that talked about the politics term "dog whistle" that made me rather curious.
TracingWoodgrains @tracewoodgrains If you’re hearing a whistle, consider whether you may be the dog.
Jul 15, 2025[1]
Fine, it's a natural joke with the phrase. But is it true for dog whistles? In TV shows and the like they show dog whistles as pretty quiet but they also show a guy with a silencer on a gun shooting someone next to someone else. So what's the common reality like?
| Test | LAeq | Max. Level | LCPeak |
|---|---|---|---|
| Normal Computer Room | 39.3 dB | 40.0 dB | 64.6 dB |
| Whistle in Computer Room | 92.6 dB | 97.7 dB | 102.0 dB |
The high noise levels in my computer room are because this website is hosted there. Don't worry, I am appropriately embarrassed by how loud it is. But the upshot is now we know what the real world version of the tweet is: If you're hearing a whistle, consider whether someone bought the "Best Seller" dog whistle on Amazon.
I had to make this blog post now because Julie got sick of those dog whistles lying there and threatened to throw them away, so I had to run the experiment in the short time I had before she got hold of them. They are gone now and will no longer assault any dogs (of which we have none) or humans (who were subjected to a 15 second blast in response to threatening to throw away valuable experimental equipment).
Notes[edit]
- ↑ TracingWoodgrains [@tracewoodgrains] (Jul 15, 2025). "If you're hearing a whistle, consider whether you may be the dog" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
