Public Displays of Affection Essay

Have you ever walked down the hallways of our school and seen so momentous that all public displays of affection should be banned? As a student I walk through these halls every day and the gravest thing I have seen is a kiss that lasted a bit too long. That doesn’t seem enough to grant banning all forms of public displays of affection (PDA). I believe that it should not be banned. Hugging is not just a way to show affection, high school is supposed to get us ready for our life beyond BHHS, and finally PDA keeps people in line, no fights etc., and banning it would lead to student’s unhappiness and therefore our enthusiasm to work would diminish. First, hugging is not just a way to show affection but also a form of greeting. Hugging is a way of greeting much like how the French kiss your cheek when meeting you. In America we often shake hands to greet someone but in France they kiss you on your cheek. This is not a way of showing how you love that person but more like saying hello. Just the other day a friend and I were at the mall and I happened upon an old friend that I hadn’t seen a long time. When we recognized each other we said hello and also gave each other a hug. It was a short hug and just served the purpose of a greeting between to friends. I have no feeling of love toward her so although it was public it was not an affectionate hug. Not all hugs are used to show affection toward a loved one. Second, high school is supposed to get us ready for our life beyond BHHS; in that life I hope to have a girlfriend but how am I supposed learn to keep that girl if I cannot show affection toward her? For starters I would like to learn how to hold a girls hand. By holding her hand I am telling her that I don’t want to be away from her. Unfortunately holding hands is a form of PDA and so I could not do that. Also it is said that a first kiss is very important. By kissing her it shows that I have feeling for her. I do not want to get out of high school and, because I had never done it before, mess up the first kiss with someone I liked and lose her. Learning these things in high school is central to you living a good and happy life outside of BHHS. PDA keeps people in line, no fights etc., and banning it would lead to student’s unhappiness and therefore our enthusiasm  to work would diminish. If you want to kiss your girlfriend during lunch then you must be at lunch. Getting detention would keep you from being there. If PDA was allowed kids would not do anything that might lead to detention. Furthermore, PDA ties almost directly into having a girlfriend. Everyone wants to have the one they like think that they are worthy to go out with, put simply they want to impress them. Getting good grades is a way to impress and show that you are smart. By banning PDA grades would be expected to drop and such things as fights may occur. In conclusion, Hugging is not just a way to show affection, high school is supposed to get us ready for our life beyond BHHS, and finally PDA keeps people in line, no fights etc., and banning it would lead to student’s unhappiness and therefore our enthusiasm to work would diminish. This is why I say that public displays of affection should not be banned. It would do more harm than good and not all of it is even relevant to showing that you love someone.