[FC-discuss] limiting free speech in airports

[Crosbie Fitch]

I would agree that they could be a little clearer in their exhortation.
 
Compare it to a sign in a theatre that might say "You are reminded that
jokes about fires, guns or bombs may jeopardise lives if a panic is caused
through failure by several members of the audience to recognise your
levity".
 
Not insignificantly, anxiety is caused when people aren't sure whether what
they've overheard is a joke or not.
 
I would also agree that such an ethical reminder can deteriorate in
authoritarian hands until it becomes a repressive instruction. Half the
problem is that the people who write the warnings don't write from the
perspective of their audience (bordering upon contempt).
 
The best thing is to try and come up with a communication that both informs
and obtains the desired result (no humour misinterpreted as danger, and no
danger misinterpreted as humour).
 
 
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