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Christians Out, Swearing and Gambling In at Pub
LONDON, ENGLAND --
Imagine a bar in the heaven in which devout Protestants believe. Such a bright, shiny place, safe for children, full of family fun, the PG playground some think God intended us to have: no swearing, no gambling, no smoking, no fried food or alcohol or anything else someone else decided wasn't good for us.
A couple in the north London suburb of Islington took over the King's Head Pub, and decided to take several steps toward making the saloon more Godly. Smoking had already been recently banned in area bars and restaurants; John and Krista Fleming now barred gambling on horse races and swearing from the establishment.
The dart board was removed and religious calligraphy put up in its place. Fans of Arsenal, the local soccer team, were reminded to watch their language when watching matches against Manchester United.
Regulars who made the King's Head their home away from home were permanently barred the first time curse words left their mouths. The couple said their goal was to have ordinary people come in and feel comfortable.
But the Flemings soon learned their plan to reform the pub was more a long-shot gamble than any wager placed on soccer or horse racing in the bar. Business dropped drastically, and continued to drop until ownership stepped in and fired the couple.
Business quickly returned, and conditions at the King's Head were restored to their rightful state.
Yet the Flemings insist their methods were not the cause of lost income. It was, they say, due to problems with Satellite sports contracts, loss of credit card machines, and difficulty getting the drinks clientele wanted.
Several things can be observed: that people generally hate when others try to determine their behavior and vices, that religious fanatics and holier-than-thou crusaders never can absorb that lesson, and that pubs, bars, casinos, brothels, and smoking establishments are popular precisely because the customs there are desirable to many, and screwing with that will only drive those patrons elsewhere... and they will hunt til they find that elsewhere that suits them.
Meanwhile, a new sign advertises in front of the King's Head: swearing now allowed.
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