Tuesday, April 28, 2009

PDA...What's Acceptable? What's Not?

So my experiences over the past two nights have prompted me to write this blog about what I consider to be appropriate public displays of affection (PDA) and what crosses the line. Now, before you gather your pitchforks and attack me for being a single person who is just jealous of all those of you who are in relationships, please understand that this is not an attack on all forms of PDA, this is just a request that couples not cross the line of acceptable forms of PDA, so please put your pitchforks away and bare with me...
So two nights in a row, I have been walking across campus and have had my eyes scarred by couples who have gotten a little carried away, so here are my rules of what is acceptable and what is not:
Acceptable: Holding hands, placing your arm around your significant other and the like
NOT Acceptable: Placing your hands underneath your significant other's clothing...basic rule: if you're in public, the public should be able to see your hands
Acceptable: a kiss goodnight
NOT Acceptable: a make-out session...now, I know that when you are saying goodbye to your significant other, that you would like to kiss him or her goodnight or goodbye, whatever it be but unless your significant other is going off to war and you will not see him or her for an extended period of time then please just keep it at a nice tasteful kiss, and if you feel the need to make it last longer because you won't see each other for what seems like an enternity, then please go behind closed doors
Acceptable: sitting on the couch next to your significant other (and by couch, i mean any place for sitting in public)
NOT Acceptable: laying on top of your significant other on the couch...
Okay, this is really all I've got for now, I'm sure more will hit me later as I encounter them, but I'll just post these for now... Before you go on to say that my not acceptable behaviors are obvious and no one would do them in public, please know that I was prompted to write these b/c I have in fact witnessed these acts in public....so, it does indeed happen...I am by no means trying to accuse anyone, this has hopefully just been a friendly request from those of us who would like to be able to walk around without encountering these things, this is not an attack on all forms of affection, for I am a fan of affection, I just think there is a time and place for it and that time and place is not always in public. And for those of you who read this and say that it I and others like me should just look away and avoid watching these individuals, I say, believe me, I have tried, and unfortunately at times its just like a train wreck, you want to look away but can't. Also, let me relay to you what happened to me on Sunday night: I was walking back to my room and a affectionate couple was walking in front of me, so I changed my path so I wouldn't have to be subjected to it any longer and next thing I come across another affectionate couple...yeah...so, I do realize this is an extreme example, but hopefully illustrates my point: sometimes, try as we may, we can not just avoid the overly affectionate couples...One last thought in response to those who say I should just look away, well, anyone who knows me knows that this is dangerous, for instance, last night I decided to send a text message to avoid further subjection of my eyes to the affectionate couple, and well I almost plowed right into a tree because I wasn't watching where I was going....alright, I'm done for now :)

1 comment:

  1. At the last Ravens game Nick and I attended, an extremely inebriated couple must have been so elated that the Ravens won, they chose to make out...I mean...make out...like...I almost vomitted...so...it's not just "single" people who don't like extreme pda...it's all people who stand for a certain level of decorum and decency when in public...:)

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