Some of you may be old enough to remember a time when most people were born with something called a moral compass. It helped guide them through life by sounding an internal alarm whenever they were about to do anything incredibly stupid.
Apparently such a nifty device no longer exists. Nowadays, people have to be told, in writing and in no uncertain terms, what types of activities are prohibited in public, because they can’t figure that out for themselves.
I mention this because my wife Liz and I made one of our very rare trips to the mall last weekend. No sooner did I approach the entrance when I spotted a new “code of conduct” sign on the door. (At least it was “new” since our last visit, back during the Eisenhower Administration.)
This sad substitute for common sense listed six “general activities” that are prohibited at the mall, including “violations of the law.” (Good to know.) It went on to identify six examples of “specific activities” that are prohibited there as well. That second category included, among other things, “operating unauthorized recreational and/or personal transportation devices in the shopping center,” and “disruptive profanity, vulgar or threatening language.”
So there you have it, boys and girls. If you were planning to unleash an obscenity-laden tirade while tearing around the mall on your ATV in your skivvies and flipping the bird at shoppers, think again. It’s against the rules, even if it isn’t against your nonexistent sense of right and wrong.
Apparently such a nifty device no longer exists. Nowadays, people have to be told, in writing and in no uncertain terms, what types of activities are prohibited in public, because they can’t figure that out for themselves.
I mention this because my wife Liz and I made one of our very rare trips to the mall last weekend. No sooner did I approach the entrance when I spotted a new “code of conduct” sign on the door. (At least it was “new” since our last visit, back during the Eisenhower Administration.)
This sad substitute for common sense listed six “general activities” that are prohibited at the mall, including “violations of the law.” (Good to know.) It went on to identify six examples of “specific activities” that are prohibited there as well. That second category included, among other things, “operating unauthorized recreational and/or personal transportation devices in the shopping center,” and “disruptive profanity, vulgar or threatening language.”
So there you have it, boys and girls. If you were planning to unleash an obscenity-laden tirade while tearing around the mall on your ATV in your skivvies and flipping the bird at shoppers, think again. It’s against the rules, even if it isn’t against your nonexistent sense of right and wrong.
No comments:
Post a Comment