I would have to agree to a certain degree with C.S. Lewis in The Four Loves. He is discussing affection and it application in a public setting; he stated, "Affection would not be affection if it was loudly and frequently expressed; to produce it in public is like getting your household furniture out for a move. It did very well in its place, but it looks shabby or tawdry or grotesque in the sunshine."

Leading with this statement is for several reasons: (1) I am rereading this book and the subject is on my brain, (2) in a recent shopping expedition there was this couple that could do nothing but have their hands all over each other, and (3) I actually have some time to think outside of the realm of Ag Teaching (so now you reap the rewards of the this procrastination)

To elaborate upon the previous Lewis statement I would have to agree that bringing affection into a public setting is somewhat grotesque, but I would have to amend by putting a subordinate clause. In public affection it has its place in a social setting; from a married couple that looks at each other across a room or a dating couple that occasionally touches hands.

Where I draw the line between acceptable and grotesque is when a couple can do nothing but touch each other. I remember a time in history class when a couple could do nothing but constantly touch each other. They even sat in a manner in which the male wrote with his right hand and the female wrote with her left hand. And while taking notes in the history class they held hands. Everyone who made notice of this affection was appalled at the constant bombardment of public display of affection. (while this was an extreme case study... non the less interesting).

(sorry I post this in a fit of caffeinated rage...)