Why Should Profanity Be Illegal in Public?

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Recommended: Limitations to freedom of speech

Freedom of speech is one of the most necessary and most commonly exercised rights allowed to the people of the United States. It is also, sadly, one of the most abused. I believe strongly that more should be done to stop our citizens from bringing filthy language into our streets and businesses. I believe this for 3 reasons: 1.) Works of media or art are diminished by the use of profanity. 2.) Children exposed to profanity in a public setting may come to believe that profanity is an acceptable form of language, rather than the gruff set of exclamations and insults that they are. 3.) It makes the American people appear less intelligent and, to be put simply, crude and uncivilized.
The first point I’d like to make is that profanity is far too prominent in the television and movies we watch and the music we listen to. Lyrics with “swear words” are no stronger, nor any more passionate than lyrics with other strong, emotionally charged words. Some may argue that a character who swears on television may be “properly portraying the average American usage of profanity,” but let me ...

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