Question of the day: Should there be some sort of penalty for the violation of social laws?


The twenty-something year-old that doesn't offer his seat to a pregnant woman on a crowded CTA bus.... The girl with a high-pitched laugh that excitedly answers her cell phone in the library.... The stranger that doesn't thank you when you open a door for them... the friend that flirts with the girl that you like.... the list of social offenses goes on and on. But most common (and the very reason that I wrote this post) is the couple that finds no shame in extremely nauseating PDA [Public Displays of Affection].

Friday night I got off of work around 7:00 p.m. and hurried over to the Bourgeois Pig Cafe (the scene of the crime) to study. I was SO determined to get my work done... as was my study group. The night started off well. Those of you who frequent the Pig know it's a risk to go there in the evening because it tends to be too noisy. But not Friday night. Students were scattered on the whole upper floor with their noses buried in their books. CLEARLY, it was a study night at the cafe.

When my group left @ 9:30, I was delighted to discover that I was the only one left in the room. "Certainly I will have a distraction-free night," I thought to myself. My bubble bursted when a young couple (the perpetrators) walked into the room and sat at a table close-by. As soon as they sat down, they went to work ( on each other, that is). Their frequent touching and eye-gazing was distracting but tolerable. In fact, it was a little sweet. At first. But when their giggles got louder and their whispering turned into talking, I put on my headphones. "Maybe they will get the hint," I thought to myself.

BUT NO! They just got worse! THEY STARTED TO ESKIMO KISS!!!! AND I WAS THE ONLY OTHER PERSON IN THE ROOM!!! AND THEY WERE ONLY 4 FEET AWAY FROM ME!!! It was so cheesy.... and I was so not prepared to share their moment with them... I almost started to gag. But wait, it gets worse.

They held hands across the table and had a conversation nose-to-nose! NOSE TO NOSE. Who does that?! I've only seen that on t.v. .... when couples are in private.

And when they started to stroke each other under the table, I felt vomit rising in my throat.

I couldn't take it anymore. I rested my head against my hand, intentionally obstructing my peripheral vision. And I asked God to give me His grace. Lots of it. Because I know that there times when strangers might find me obnoxious... and yes, times when I've violated a social law.

I couldn't even study anymore. My study mode was broken. I was really upset. But I think that even if I had steam coming out of my head, they wouldn't have noticed. So I packed up my things and made my way out.

The last thought I had in that cafe was,
"I bet if I videotaped them acting like that, and made them watch it, it would be punishment for them."