by Willy Leung PDA stands for Personal Digital Assistant as well as Parental Drug Association and Progressive Democrats of America, but in this article PDA means Public Display of Affection, which can be best described as a show of affection between two people who care for or love each other in a public place. For example, giving a hug, holding hands, or kissing in public are commonly defined as public displays of affection, and it can be as simple as a father hugging his daughter or two friends holding hands. There are a variety of views on public displays of affection, depending on the personalities of the people involved. Some people are more conservative and don’t like to show their affection in public, while others are very extroverted and enjoy expressing themselves wherever they are. Cheek-kissing (air kissing), holding hands, and giving a hug may also be greeting habits that can offend people, depending on their culture, background, ethnic differences, customs, and traditions. As I was born and raised in Latin America, I would like to describe some of the differences between how people in Taiwan and Latin America demonstrate their physical affection in public, since these two cultures differ a lot in this regard. In Taiwan, public displays of affection in public are rare. People tend to hide their true feelings, especially their complaints or negative feelings, and some of them only reveal or discuss them with close friends and family members. Exceptions are younger generations who are more open about their feelings and emotions. Generally speaking, Taiwanese society is not a touch-oriented society, but it is possible to see people of the same sex walking together hand-in-hand (usually Taiwanese girls), which is simply a gesture of friendship. In Latin America, public displays of affection are widely accepted, and cheek kissing is an ordinary example. Cheek kissing is very common and natural in order to indicate friendship, perform a greeting, to give congratulations, or just simply to show respect. It is considered a universal form of greeting between two persons (usually between a man and a woman or two women). It is not necessary to know a person well or be intimate with them to kiss them on the cheek, and at the same time, it doesn’t necessarily indicate sexual or romantic interest. When is PDA too much? Many of you have probably seen couples sitting together in front of the library or by the lake making out, cuddling, caressing, hugging, or simply doing “God knows what.” These are some of the public displays of affection happening on the NTU campus. You may think they’re being sneaky, but just because it’s dark doesn’t mean it’s a good place to engage in heavy petting sessions. When is PDA too much? This will depend on how much people can tolerate it. For some people, making out in public is a real no-no. In fact, some believe that it’s not acceptable behavior that children and teenagers need to see. This explains why the phrase “get a room” was created. Whatever you define as PDA, be sure you acknowledge that your actions may get you into trouble. This can include being escorted out of a restaurant or even getting in trouble for your naughty acts in public. So the next time you kiss your boyfriend or girlfriend, try to remember where you are and think about whether your actions are appropriate in front of others. Use your sense and above all else, please have respect for others around you. Remember that while you’re happily in love with your partner, not everyone needs to see it. a
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May 2024
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