Dear Tell All: I'm wondering why it's so difficult these days for many couples to keep private behavior private. I'm not referring to just kissing, hugging and handholding. I'm referring to such behavior as slobbering all over each other, "dirty embracing," French-kissing and other behavior bordering on lewd and lascivious conduct. Such inconsiderate couples, of a variety of ages, sizes, nationalities and sexual orientations, don't even have the patience to find a secluded area before engaging in such behavior that are expressions of lust, not love.
A few weeks ago, while I was at the end of Picnic Point, two men arrived and began French-kissing and dirty embracing, so I quickly left the area. Several times at my apartment's pool, I was turned off by a young couple engaging in indecent behavior who practically used their swimsuits as contraceptives in the water.
Decent people do not expect to witness live X-rated displays at parks, swimming pools and other outdoor venues.
Longing for the Past When Indecent Behavior Was Not Commonplace
Dear Longing: I agree that such X-rated public behavior can be obnoxious. Unlike you, however, I'm willing to put up with it as a necessary evil in an open society.
For example, a couple in the 1950s would have been much less likely to grope each other in front of everybody, but that's because the era's norms were so oppressive. You identify yourself as "longing for the past," but back then the two men you encountered at Picnic Point might have been jailed for openly expressing their affection. Do we really want to go back in that direction?
Think of it like free speech. To enjoy such a freedom, we have to put up with some forms of speech we don't like that are protected under the First Amendment. I'd say it's a good tradeoff.
So while public displays of lust are an annoying characteristic of our era, I'd much rather live in the tolerant 2010s than the repressive 1950s. The best course is just to grin and bear it.
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