Public Displays of Affection (PDAs)
Public Displays of Affection (PDA)
This article was originally written in response to an editorial that appeared in the April 22 edition of The Daily Campus (http://www.smudailycampus.com), which is the website for the Southern Methodist University's student newspaper.
First, I'd like to begin by thanking the author for writing such an eloquent and articulate piece on this most annoying of topics. For what it's worth, I also agree with virtually every point made throughout the article - including that the lone exception should be airports, and even then there are limits as to what constitutes civilized and acceptable behavior. Kissing one's significant other goodbye as he or she prepares to depart in one thing, and that is totally acceptable in my book. However, too many people have a tendency to just go crazy and act as though there aren't hundreds of people in extremely close proximity trying not to vomit as they scurry past the love-fest.
Flattery aside, I feel obliged to issue the following warning to author Christina Geyer, as well as to anyone else who shares her sentiments regarding Public Displays of Affection: If PDA's bother you that much, please do yourself a HUGE favor and DO NOT EVER travel to Italy for any length of time or for any reason. Public display of affection is really a gross understatement for what goes on in that country. Seriously, if PDA's are one of your pet peeves, it's enough to drive an otherwide sane and rational person to suddenly become irritated and irrational without any warning and very little build-up.
If you think the distasteful acts described within the article referenced above are distasteful and perhaps even stomache-churning, you ain't seen nothing yet. Italian culture will undoubtedly come as a tremendous shock, and will more than likely prompt a number of awkward and uncomfortable situations involving some of the most vile, disgusting, intense and all-around heinous Public Displays of Affection one could ever be forced to endure. When I say that this is the stuff of nightmares, I'm guilty of only a very mild exaggeration.
Also worth adding is the fact that I'm not just another one of the haters that will find a reason to complain anytime someone else appears happy. This is a matter of good taste versus bad taste - nothing more and nothing less.
I recognize the fact that hugging, kissing and physical affection being exhibited in public places is likely not going to cause some mass herpes outbreak, and probably isn't going to spawn any other big venereal disease epidemic either. I also recognize that it's not really hurting me in any way, although I will not back down from my contention that such behavior is low-class and distasteful.
In any case, you've been given fair warning. God knows I sure wish someone had warned me of this most unfortunate cultural tradition prior to my own fateful journey. Please heed the advice of someone who had to learn this painful lesson the hard way and steer-clear of Italy at all costs if you're even remotely put off by public displays of affection. What goes on in public in Italy would be seen in many places throughout the world as bordering on obscenity.
If you're even slightly averse to other people's attention-seeking PDA stunts, you've got no one to blame but yourself if you so choose to travel to the world's epicenter of public distaste in the form of public displays of affection.
Please feel free to share any thoughts, comments, opinions and/or suggestions in the 'comments' space below.
Tags: humor
Comment on "Public Displays of Affection (PDAs)"
User Comments:
itsme on November 02, 2009
I'm Italia and extremely proud of the fact that we are not afraid of what seems to be extremely natural and innocuous... it's not like we have intercourse in public AND we don't cause anybody's death!
| Related News: |
