I mean, they could use one. They're clearly not doing well.

I'm Salvadoran-American, I grew up in the diaspora with a bunch of immigrant families from all over latino america and later on the Texas/Mexico border.

Most everywhere I've lived, people just play music on speakers. Whenever they're at. Work, bus, &c. They're usually familiar jams that you might hear at a party or in a bar. Cumbia, Corridas, Bachata, sometimes hip hop. Its part of being alive to me I guess.

That said, its pretty anti social to do things like watch porn with speakers on the bus or just watch tiktok or listen to noise. Even having competing tracks together is just not a good vibe.

To me its like, do i want to listen to the engine roar and loud AC or do I want to listen to this random guys bachata playlist? I'm gonna pick bachata every time because the alternative isnt silence, its just plain noise. In cases like this, playing music makes the ride nicer and I might actually be inclined to talk to someone instead of trying to tune out the noise for the duration of my commute. Same goes for house parties, it makes my night hearing familiar cumbia songs and latino pop. Reminds me of my childhood.

I would hope that people with sensitivity to sound aren't raw dogging public transit. Even if everyone was individually quiet that sounds like a sensory nightmare, at least for the kind of transit I'm familiar with.

I do think there's a big cultural component. Its not like latinos are any less prone to being sensitive than anyone else. You just grow up around a certain way of life and it becomes cozy.