A website that describes the people of Kirkcaldy as “contorted and inbred psychopaths” has been branded highly offensive.
MSPs David Torrance and Claire Baker are disgusted by the depiction of the town on the Urban Dictionary site, which provides definitions of colloquial terms.
Similar to Wikipedia, posts are submitted by the public rather than the website itself, and many are highly irreverent and often downright crude, although many posts are believed to be tongue-in-cheek.
On it, Kirkcaldy is defined as “a community in the same way a prison island for the criminally insane is also a community.”
The post continues: “It is situated along the rusted trolley-ridden coastline of the county of Fife in the post-apocalyptic wasteland of Scotland.
“Local pastimes include heroin, alcoholism, pregnancy, begging and aggressive homophobia and racism.”
However, it is the description of the townsfolk that has caused the most offence.
It says: “For the most part, the people of Kirkcaldy are contorted and inbred psychopaths who sound like pirates and smell of cigars and damp socks.”
Mr Torrance said that even if the post was meant as a joke, it was unacceptable at a time when he and others were trying to promote Kirkcaldy as a place to live and create jobs.
“I’m absolutely disgusted by the comments on this website,” he said. “At the end of the day, people reading that will have in their minds an impression of what this town is and I’m really annoyed by what’s on there.
“It’s a town I’m passionate about and I would advise whoever wrote it to visit Kirkcaldy to see for themselves the areas of real natural beauty.”
Aside from the town’s “great community spirit”, the Kirkcaldy MSP listed some of its attractions, including a museum and art gallery and the Fife coastal path.
“We have a mixture of different types of housing, from social housing to affluent areas, a positive outlook for jobs thanks to the renewables sector and an excellent college.
“Obviously the person who wrote that doesn’t know Kirkcaldy very well.”
Mid Scotland and Fife MSP Claire Baker agreed, adding: “The website may claim this is a bit of fun, but it will be highly offensive to many people and is deeply unfair to the town and the people of Kirkcaldy.
“Kirkcaldy is a town which has much to offer, with a vibrant cultural scene, a first-class college and many businesses investing in the town.
“Of course, Kirkcaldy is feeling the impact of the economic downturn, but it has a positive future and websites such as this do not reflect the town.”
Other Fife towns have also been given the Urban Dictionary treatment, with Methil described as a home of drug addicts where it is not safe to walk to the local shop.
The people of Cupar are said to be predominantly friendly but a little dim, while Glenrothes is described as being full of neds.
The Urban Dictionary is known for its use of offensive language, and its terms of usage warns the website is not suitable for all audiences.
It says: “Its content is frequently presented in a coarse and direct manner that some may find offensive. If you do not consider yourself an appropriate user or are offended, please do not visit the website.”