Brussels Plans to Battle Offensive Language With Hefty Fines
Brussels, Belgium, has unleashed a sonic street sweeper into the city, hoping to curb the verbal cesspool coming from the mouths of its citizens and, in turn, make the city a more habitable community for its residents.
According to a spokesperson for Brussels mayor Freddy Thieleman, any form of insult, be it racist or homophobic, offensive language or words used to sexually harass someone in public is now punishable with fines anywhere from $95 to $315.
Mayor Thieleman believes this action will persuade law-enforcement officers to crack down on offensive conduct that often takes place in public but is rarely addressed simply because these types of infractions typically do not make it to court.
Brussels is not the only place looking to impose fines on people who cannot seem to keep their questionable comments to themselves. Recently, the town of Middleborough, Massachusetts, started handing out fines of $20 to anyone caught using naughty language in public.
Residents there say the fine is really only implemented when someone verbally assaults another person or displays actions beneath what is considered acceptable behavior.
[Yahoo]