Normative Signs: The Poetry of "Ought"

Taxis are (increasingly?) an example of what I like to call a “normatively rich” or “normatively dense” environment. In other words, they have lots of rules, and lots of signs to make you aware of those rules. This is perhaps not surprising. Taxis are semi-public spaces, often owned by a company, driven by a driver under contract, and ridden in by a constant stream of random strangers. You’re going to need some rules. Uber, of course, may disagree.

The picture here was taken inside a taxi in Palm Beach, FL.

I do love the range of normative injunctions, here. Buckle up (presumably for safety). No eating (presumably to keep the cab clean). And no drugs (presumably a question of law).