Talk:Public display of affection

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Illegal in Illinois?

User:Tclaw, who seems to have a history of crap and dubious edits, claims that all forms of PDA are illegal in Illinois and are punishable by prison sentences. He has yet to provide a citation for this ridiculous assertion and has accused me of vandalism for removing it. I have searched the internet and consulted a roommate who just moved from Chicago recently and this law doesn't seem to exist. Please be on the lookout for Tclaw trying to add this back w/o a cite. 24.2.50.40 (talk) 00:44, 18 April 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Surprisingly good article

I didn't even expect a Wikipedia article on this, but I looked it up and was pleasantly surprised. This is really becoming a good encyclopedia transcending the limited space of paper! Nickptar 03:02, 14 May 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Please add examples for countries all over the world. vaceituno 00:00, 23 Aug 2005 (UTC)

I'm not to sure about the article - and most of all the term. As http://www.cariboo.bc.ca/news/Past02Oct7/DigestsOCT7/PublicDisplayAffection/Display.htm shows, the term itself need not refer to anything sexual. Where did the term evolve? When? Who uses it? For what purpose? If there are laws against kissing in public, do they use the term? Or are they specific? For me, as a German living in Germany, the idea of schools outlawing holding hands sounds definitely out of the 19th century. CJ de

I think the term is USA specific, but there is an unwritten code of acceptable public display of affection all over the world. vaceituno 00:00, 24 Aug 2005 (UTC)

Now, what would really be interesting would be a section on changing attitudes to PDA in Western history. During some periods it was viewed as quite outrageous. Minivet 22:17, 22 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Origin of term?

When did this term come about? Because I never heard it growing up ( in the USA ) but a few years ago I saw some forum about "banning PDA's in schools" and I thought they were talking about handheld computers being used to cheat on tests. But apparently everybody in the discussion was familiar with the other usage. Is it a regional thing? Squidfryerchef 06:09, 7 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Homosexual Hijacking?

This article, while fascinating, contains an excessive amount of homosexual activist agenda. A "kiss in" Is not a communication of affection, exhibitionism, indifference or tolerance. Affection is merely the pretense of a "kiss in". The purpose of the ironically counter productive "kiss in" is to shock, disrupt and offend. It is a public display of contempt and disaffection toward the target audience.

I intend to research the topic of "PDA" and it taboos, and I hope to add some usefull/interesting material to the article.

Meinshad 13:31, 14 August 2007 (UTC)meinshad[reply]

Agreed... The homosexuality references have no place here. 'Affection' knows no gender, and same sex references should not be included here. Ghengis Kant (talk) 23:58, 7 December 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Totally disagree. There is affection between genders, and there are issues about same gender affection in many countries. If PDA plays a role in the way these issues are handled by the affected groups, it does have a place. It seem to me an homophobic bias to remove that content. vaceituno (talk) 12:12, 9 December 2007 (UTC)[reply]

The purpose of this kiss-in is obviously to send a message to people like you who feel homosexuality should be invisible. You people need to learn that homosexual relationships happen, and that nobody should be forced to keep their displays of affection private to avoid harrassment or violence.--holizz (talk) 10:56, 18 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Vaceituno raises a valid point, whereas as Holizz makes evident the very problem with the original objection. The function of an encyclopedic entry is to provide reasonably unbiased opinion - not to alienate or embrace a particular group or mindset. Inclusion of it here is questionable; and the fiery responses suggest that it's about an agenda, as opposed to describing phenomena. I stand by my assertion in which I agree with the original objection - Holizz, is the suggestion somehow that same sex PDA is different than opposite sex PDA? If it warrants inclusion here, perhaps a distinct entry for 'homosexual public displays of affection'. Ghengis Kant (talk) 22:02, 13 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]

I think your radically changing what he meant. He even said that affection has no gender, so I don't think he's someone whos trying to make homosexuality invisible. I think what he meant was that this is an article on PDA, not homophobia, which the kiss-ins are against, not merely PDA. The kissathons in South Africa are, however relevant. I agree that saying that homosexual PDA is more looked down upon, but it seems to overdo it a little. 72.220.125.86 (talk) 11:19, 1 January 2010 (UTC)[reply]

To me the reference about homosexuality is and should be part of a discussion of the relative acceptability of PDAs in different cultures. This article is lacking a general discussion of acceptability in an international context, as it seems to only reference Europe and the Americas, with little attention paid to the Middle East, Africa and Asia. Gymnophoria (talk) 17:26, 4 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Heavy petting in parks?!

Heavy petting is common in parks around Europe? Heck, I need to visit parks more often. Seriously though, things that are common in parks around Europe are joggers, old ladies and turks with bbqs. No petting, sorry.

Come to the south man, come to the south ;). vaceituno (talk) 14:50, 15 November 2007 (UTC) —Preceding unsigned comment added by Vaceituno (talk • contribs)

Latin america

Of course PDA is accepted and has not been banned ever. Not even in Argentina (or other countries recently under a dictatorship). It was, maybe, seen socially as a bad conduct, but not "banned". There were no sanctions or fines applied. Also, even if it can bee seen as a display of the newly gained freedom (perhaps the music video "Zoom" by Soda Stereo can be an example), it cannot be considered a "patriotic" act, particularly in Argentina were it was the Junta who used terms such as "patriotism", "nation" and even race to promote their values.That section needs revision.

In Chile, another country "recently" under a dictartorship, there has been a large amount of discussion in the mainstream media regarding "emo kids" (just teenagers i'd say) virtually "taking hold" of public parks in the capital city where they involve in drinking, smoking and many forms of PDA. Even though the practice is widely accepted, the debate shows that the subject is not so pacific. See news here http://diario.elmercurio.cl/detalle/index.asp?id={4c9be9f2-b7aa-4195-8a0c-dc9a6a07a107} http://diario.elmercurio.cl/detalle/index.asp?id={d3f27799-987f-45a8-b37c-6711e3f5e586}--190.22.46.126 (talk) 02:51, 6 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

References

I've removed two whole paragraphs relating to the Middle East. They were unreferenced and very much against my experience as a decade-long resident in Saudi Arabia and other parts of the region.

The rest of the article looks like the work of a 15 year old as well. And what is it with that silly three-letter acronym repeated all over the article? Anyone bothered enough may want to do a search and replace on it. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 79.144.83.243 (talk) 23:11, 22 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Latin america vs. the United states

Very important to mention that PDAs in latin america are completely different. They're simply something for the couple to enjoy, not meant to attract attention or carry a social / political message; while in the US PDAs actually occur on a much lower rate, among couples whom the mainstream society might perceive as "odd", they are meant to sexually disturb the public, attract attention and hence strengthen the bond between the couple.

79.175.191.160 (talk) 07:30, 3 April 2010 (UTC)Goshtaasp[reply]

On a psychological level.

Public displays of affection can be seen as a way of marking ones territory. Just saying. -AC