Handhelds & PDA's

While I was having lunch with my teenage sons today, my younger one snuggled up to me in the booth and clasped my hand. The older son dramatically covered his eyes and said "too much PDA". I wondered what did my younger sons behavior have to do with a palmtop? Flattening down the corrugated skin between my eyebrows, my little one whispered. "Public Display of Affection, mom".

"ohhhhhh" thinking for a bit...
"so what's wrong with PDA?"
(see how quick I pick it up?!)
My older son explained how
PDA was bad manners, embarrassing to others and altogether "low class".

I was raised in England in the 70's where people walked to get places. People would walk with their arms linked, hand-in-hand, girls hand in boys' back pocket of Levis, they would kiss, gaze, smile, stop, hug. All manner of apparent offences to the eye!

I'm not sure if it's cultural, or a sign of the times, but I see very few occurrences of up-close-and-personal life in America, compared to the England I grew up in. I'm not advocating being outrageously drunk in public, or splitting up with your girlfriend outside of the fish and chip shop. There is something to be said for having a modicum of decorum and doing certain things "behind closed doors".

But to find the expressions of love "bad manners". That saddened me. When did hugging becomes offensive, kissing low class, touching someones hair beg the expression "get a room"? When did holding hands get replaced by handhelds, and the only D&M (deep and meaningful) way to express affection, become sending :-* on your iPhone?