Banning Pda at Schools

Banning PDA at school is a complicated matter

In the age of abbreviations the term 'PDA' is NOT a mystery to solve. PDA stands for Public Display of Affection, a phenomenon, which is widely spread around the world, but especially in the Western part, since you encounter PDAs even at a group of the young generation. It is not shocking anymore in the industrialized countries to see a couple snogging, not only in the corner of a street, but also openly in the middle of a street. Most people ignore such displays of affections and they look the other way to allow the happy couple a privacy, which is mostly not taken for granted in the public. Since Austria is a well-developed country, the young generation has no problem about displaying their affections in the public, but how do the elder people handle such kind of obstacles in front of them, obstacles, which deny the people's ability to pass without having an unpleasant, weird feeling in the stomach. The elder people's issues have been raised in a recent debate: should schools interdict PDA within their premises?

Not only elder people have issues with extreme PDA such as couples, who block the corridor by making out wildly, without a regard to their surroundings and environment, but also schoolmates feel uncomfortable at encountering such phenomena. Although most people look the other way to grant the couple of cloud 99, you still see how two people are showing their love to each other in the public. School premises are mainly intended for academical purposes, and although you should feel comfortable in school, some take this too far by getting carried away in the heat of a moment. The only question, though, is, why do some couples tend to display their love in public, and not enjoy their privacy? But how should the school react, if certain couples break the possible ban of PDA?

Austrian children go to school at least 9 years of their life. They start going to school in their prime heydays, at 6 or 7 they start elementary school. Certainly small kids don't have the desire of PDAs in a sexual sense yet, but when the small kids grow up and attend high school, or recently even in their last secondary school years, they start being interested in the other sex. My point is, that, if you want to graduate and have a complete educational report card, it becomes apparent that you have spent more than a half of your lifetime in the building called 'school'. The reason why banning PDA at schools is in my humble opinion a bad idea is, that you shouldn't take away the liberty of love even at schools, since students spent half of their life there studying. The idea of banning PDA at schools is a bit totalitarian as well, since the students ability of doing what they want except breaking some foundational morale rules, such as for example, killing someone or stealing, is taken from them. Certainly nobody wants to see a couple making out in the hallway, blocking a free way, but if schools in Austria enforce a restriction against PDA, students aren't even allowed to hug each other out of friendship. I'm already seeing pupils getting detention, which is, I believe, a very exaggerated measure, just because they hugged a friend. Public Display of Affection entails not only making out, but also kissing on the cheek, hugging, slow dancing and linking hands.

This is a very sensible subject that should benefit both parties, the elder generation of teachers, adults and the younger generation of pupils. Therefore I suggest a rule consisting of only a ban for making out in an extreme way. I don't think one should forbid people to express their feelings to each other in a subtle way, since these small gestures don't distract or disturb other people from studying or doing their work.