Not only have we become hypersensitive to whatever sounds remain - we've also become estranged from the people who make them.

BBC: The dark side of silence

Not particularly smart, not especially articulate, and an emotional wreck, Jeremy Renner's Aaron Cross shows what happens to even the most dedicated federal employees when they are mollycoddled and pampered to the point that they become estranged from the private sector.

WSJ: Joe Queenan on Big Government and The Bourne Legacy | Moving Targets

It's clear by now that Tamerlan felt estranged from American society and had become a devout Muslim before he returned to Dagestan.

CNN: Boston bombing suspects: The Dagestan connection