Ever since it launched, Las Vegas’ tourism slogan for leisure travelers, “What happens here, stays here,” has been polarizing. Some think its celebration of risqué behavior is “repulsive.” Others say it hurts the city’s image among business travelers (although convention figures seem to refute this). Lately, the criticism has become more pointed, with some claiming the slogan actually makes the city less safe, as local police are forced to confront rowdy tourists who believe, essentially, that Vegas is a place where the typical rules don’t apply. On the other hand, you could argue that the slogan’s ubiquity has actually sapped it of some of its original power to shock. Can it really be that offensive anymore when Nickelodeon is spoofing it to advertise a children’s movie?

—Posted by Tim Nudd