Health & Fitness
Swear in public? Pay $20 fine
Duncan thinks public swearing is a problem and proposes borrowing a solution from a community in Massachusetts.
I'm an older sort, but not a stick in the mud; so it's not easy for me to suggest something that restricts others' actions/speech.
However, nearly every time I'm out shopping or just tootling around Smyrna, I'm subjected to someone's loud foul mouth, usually at very high decibels and it ruins what is otherwise a fine day. The cursing is often just part of 'casual' conversation and not even a result of anger...
This morning I came across an interesting article from Business Week concerning Middleborough, Massachusett's attempt to solve their own problem along these lines:
Find out what's happening in Smyrna-Viningswith free, real-time updates from Patch.
"Residents in Middleborough have voted to make the foul-mouthed among them pay fines for swearing in public.
At a town meeting Monday night, residents voted 183-50 to approve a proposal from the police chief to impose a $20 fine on public profanity.
Find out what's happening in Smyrna-Viningswith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Officials insist the proposal was not intended to censor casual or private conversations, but instead to crack down on loud, profanity-laden language used by teens and other young people in the downtown area and public parks."
Do you think public swearing is a problem in Smyrna-Vinings that should be fined? Sound off in the comments.