Bar tells customers they can’t say one word – and people are fuming
A sign in a bar warning customers they will be kicked out of the premises for using a particular word has been shared on social media – and people are torn over whether they’re right or wrong.
The Continental, an iconic bar in New York‘s East Village, famed for its rocker past and cheap drinks, implemented a ban against patrons from using the word “literally”, or as it mildly put, “the most overused, annoying word in the English language”.
Originally posted six years ago, an image of the sign taped on the front door has been shared again on social media. It says: “Sorry but if you say the word ‘literally’ inside Continental you have 5 minutes to finish your drink and then you must leave.
“If you start a sentence with ‘I literally’ you must leave immediately!!! This is the most overused, annoying word in the English language and we will not tolerate it. Stop Kardashianism now!”
Sharing the image, the poster wrote: “Found my new favourite bar.” However, not everyone was in agreement.
One user replied: “Why is any public establishment policing free speech? I literally would never go in there…”
Another person penned: “Literally f*** you and your bar.” And a third wrote: “’Kardashianism?’ They do know that Charles Dickens and F. Scott Fitzgerald, among other notable literary greats, used ‘literally’ in the exact same manner we do today, right?”
However, other people were fully behind it. Someone penned: “Amen to this! It’s LITERALLY the most annoying thing ever.”
Continental, once a hangout for Guns N’ Roses, Iggy Pop, and Joey Ramone, closed its doors for good in December 2018 after 27 years. Its owner Trigger Smith was believed to have been particular about a lot of things, like wearing “saggy jeans” and hating phrases like “It’s all good,” “You know what I’m saying?” and “My bad.”
When asked about the sign in 2018, he admitted the new “literally” policy is mostly tongue-in-cheek. “What’s annoying is people aren’t even aware they’re saying it,” he told Grub Street. “How could you be so unaware of your words that it’s coming out every couple minutes?”
