Lovin' in public -- yea or nay?

Deirdre: On a plane trip last week the fortysomething couple sitting next to me was ALL OVER each other. They couldn't stop touching and stroking and murmuring and kissing. The public display of affection was overpowering. How do you feel about stuff like that? I'm so over it.
Alisha: We really disagree on this; I'm all about some PDA! It screams love. It shows happiness. And, well, I guess it does spell out horniness, too. There are certain times and places PDAs are not appropriate.
Deirdre: But why do people have to scream love and happiness by pawing all over each other in public?
Alisha: We want to put on display for others what we have and how we're feeling.
Deirdre: Why is it important that other people see what you have? Why isn't it enough that the two of you know? Why rub it in other people's faces?
Alisha: I never said it's important people rub it in. It's just when we are gettin' some lovin', it's natural to let others know. Is it boastful? Yes.
Deirdre: I'm not saying that when couples are in public they should never touch each other. Touch is a natural way of showing affection. But this business of making out in public, or groping someone else's private parts is taking it too far. It strikes me as immature and is a sign of insecurity. It also shows a lack of respect for others.
Alisha: If you're at an outdoor concert, for example, and there are thousands of people; why is not OK for two folks to give some PDA? Our society has so many other limitations as is. Why put a leash on kissing?
Deirdre: Because you're in public? Because there are thousands of people around you? Look, I'm not saying it's not cool to kiss in public. I'm saying it's not cool to play tonsil hockey in public. I don't see it as limiting yourself, or leashing yourself. I see it as exercising a little self control. What's wrong with saving the good stuff until you get home?
Alisha: Maybe because the stuff that's shown in public only gets hotter when the two people get home? View it as pre-game entertainment. The "Super Bowl of PDA" hasn't even been played yet.
Alisha: Honestly, if you don't want to see PDAs, then don't look.
Deirdre: I think some responsibility has to be taken by the couples doing the PDAing. That couple on the plane was sitting right next to me. The plane was full and it wasn't like a bus that I could get off at the next stop.
Alisha: But, this is groping and kissing. This isn't like smoking, where one person's actions is directly affecting you. Right?
Deirdre: It's not physically harmful, like smoking can be, but there are certain things we do as a culture to show respect for each other as fellow humans. A big one is not just killing each other for the sport of it. (Well, most of us don't.) On a smaller scale it's not making strangers witness something intimate between you and your mate. As my plane example illustrates, it's often not as easy as "don't look."
Deirdre: PDA behavior is another indication of us as a culture losing our manners. It's like screeching on cell phones and displaying other people's business on the Internet. Get my point?
Alisha: I get your point, I just don't agree with it. There are always going to be people who are rude and choose to give PDAs in the wrong place and at the wrong time. Seems to me there have always been "exhibitionists" in this world.
Deirdre: But do you think that even the people who do the PDA thing at the wrong place and time should still do so?
Alisha: No, I don't. There definitely needs to be an awareness for what is appropriate. I just think there shouldn't be a stringent regulation on when, where and how.
Deirdre: There is no stringent regulation. There's only common courtesy and common sense -- and some couples often utilize neither.