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page four

The Other Press

Thursday, November 20, 1980.

 

 

   

Other Speak

 

Betty and Bill sit on the couch in Douglas College's
student lounge studying their economics textbooks. Bill
puts his book down and runs his hands through Betty’s
hair. Betty’s eyes leave the pages of her economics book
and settle on Bill’s eyes, returning their passion. Their
lips lock in an amorous embrace. Bill’s groping hands
glide along the supple curves of Betty’s body. Six
students, innocently studying in the lounge, get up and
run to the washroom with their hands over their mouths.

No, this is not an excerpt from an underground sex
book. This is a description of what really goes on in the
public lounges of Douglas College.

Some people don’t like it. The problem is that most of
them are too polite to say anything. Well, being overly-
polite is not one of this papers’ faults. Of course the
reaction by the smoochers to complaints against them
would-probably be along the lines of ‘‘if you don’t like it
why. don’t you stop staring at us, nosey?’’ Of course, we
realize that these people do have some claim to a
legitimate argument.

People. are permitted to show some affection in our
society. Only die-hard prudes could object to a couple
holding hands or sneaking a kiss now and then. generally
students, being young themselves (most of them), are
quite liberal towards public showings of affection. But
recently even students have been complaining about
gross public behaviour on our campuses.

Surely, intimacy between two people should be saved
for an intimate place.

What is suitable in the privacy of ones own home is not
always suitable for public viewing. You've got to save
something for private. Some people, probably the great
majority of people, find the flaunting og one’s feelings for
another person in public demeaning for both persons
involved. This is not to mention the effect this type of
behaviour has on the people who are forced to put up
with it.

If anyone remembers these days, there is a set of rules
that is supposed to be a guide for conduct. Every
mother’s child has heard of these rules, they are
commonly called manners. Believe it or not, manners are
not just something Mom thought up to give us a hard
time over. They tell us what type of actions society will
accept. They are a practical guide to not stepping on
peoples’ toes and not making them feel insulted. There is
a very definite rule about smooching in public. This rule
concerns couples who are engaged to be married so
possibly it should be applied even more stringently to
unmarried couples.
Emily Post’s Rules of Etiquette states: If young people
didn’t want to make love most of the time during the
period of their engagement it wouldn’t seem normal.
Everyone around them is concious of how they feel and,
to a certain point, touched by their ecstacy. But if this joy
becomes too tactile, onlookers become visually embarass::
ed. Good manners always dictate that men and women be
restrained about public demonstrations of their physical
feeling toward one another.

Visuallyembarassed may be an understatement. some
might say disgusted is a better description of their
attitude toward the ‘‘loving couple.’’ It might be a good
idea for the impassioned pair to consider the readtions of
other people to their fooling around in public, if not for
the sake of the people who must witness their wrestling
then at least for their own sake. We think it is safe to say
that this type of behaviour tends to cause people to form
rather negative impressions of the persons involved. Do
not expect that people are not talking behind your back
while you are engrossed with other things.

Protect your reputation and spare your friends
embarassment - loosen that clinch and save a little for
later.

newspaper published twelve times a semester during
the fall and spring terms under the auspices of The
Other Publications Society. The Other Press is a
member of Canadian University Press and a subscriber
to Youthstream Canada Limited.

The Other Press news office is located at the back of
the New Westminster campus cafeteria. Business
phone: 525-3542, news phone 525-3830.

Business Manager: Dave S. Hayer; Ad Manager: Andrea
Lloyd; Managing Editor: Dan Hilborn; News Editor: Tom
Schoenewolf; Surrey Reporter: Greg Heakes; Richmond
Reporter: Pat Burdett; Photo Tech: Clark Plett; Other
Staff: Ron Loveless and Jayne Akizuki. Typesetter: Dan
Hilborn.

 

The Other Press is a democratically-run, student