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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Readers Speak Out: Knock Off Juicy Displays Of Affection

It wasn’t a scientific survey.

But one thing seems clear. A lot of people are down on doin’ it in public.

One woman put it this way: “The sloppy, icky stuff should be saved for when there’s nobody else around.”

Another reader, a man, blamed Hollywood for setting a bad example that too many people emulate in parks and at ballgames.

“In some movies, when they’re kissing, they look like they’re going to eat each other,” he said. “It’s sickening.”

Most of the 53 readers who responded to IN Life’s request for comments after a recent story on public displays of affection agreed.

A quick kiss and hand-holding are fine. Beyond that, well, read for yourself.

“It’s disgusting,” said one woman.

“It’s gross,” said another.

“Makes me want to puke,” said still another.

Readers used words including “rude,” “sinful” and “terrible.”

One man unwittingly came up with his own term. He labeled overly passionate public embraces “pugnent.”

One respondent said she had no problem with a hug and a smooch.

“I just don’t go for that rolling-around-on-the-ground stuff,” she said.

“No tongues,” said another.

A woman who described herself as “retired medical” had a warning for those who enjoy wet kisses - public or private.

“The human mouth harbors a lot of disease,” she said.

Still, there were those who voiced a more tolerant perspective on PDAs.

“As long as they’re not showing any private regions of their bodies, it’s just fine,” said one man.

“I have no problem with it,” said a woman.

“It’s better than crime,” said another.

And one reader offered this advice: “If you don’t like it, don’t look at it.”

Many who expressed displeasure with seeing people make out in public said teenagers and those in their 20s are the worst offenders. But one reader told of an older couple whose randy behavior she finds unprofessional and unappealing.

“They fondle each other and grope each other in staff meetings,” she complained.

One reader blamed MTV.

Another said he mostly objected to interracial couples.

A guy who volunteered that he is 38 years old said over-the-top PDAs reflect a lack of respect for one’s partner.

Said one woman: “To me, it implies a complete lack of breeding and manners.”

One man said PDAs were the unavoidable product of an overcrowded planet.

Another guy argued that society’s uptight attitudes about sex prompts people to overreact to something that shouldn’t be a big deal.

“Get a life,” he said.

A different caller suggested that people caught in flagrant PDAs be fined - “you know, like litterers.”

But one man noted that they sometimes get what they deserve already.

He described being at a late-summer Spokane Indians game and sitting behind a couple going at it hot and heavy. It was pretty annoying, he said.

But when a foul ball smacked the male half of the smooching couple in the head, there were those who felt justice had been served.

, DataTimes