It’s 8 am on a Monday morning, a used condom circles the drain of the water fountain, and a gauntlet of horny high school teenagers already line the hallway, backs against the wall, pressing their oily faces against one another.   

“Sh*t is disgusting,” mutters B-CC senior, Mario Arovas. While not a particularly articulate description of his emotions, Arovas is not alone in his nausea. 

Much like Arovas, senior varsity athlete, Eva Hauf has been in a relationship for over a year. When asked to share her opinion on public displays of affection (PDA) she insisted that “there is a time and a place to show affection and [that she didn’t] think it’s at 8 am at a public high school, in the middle of the hallway.”  She described feeling “uncomfortable” witnessing PDA at B-CC and argued that students should be responsible for carrying themselves “with a certain level of professionalism,” at school.  

Even students not in the dating scene at B-CC have reported experiencing a similar sense of disgust at the sight of PDAs in the hallways. Senior Saba Ebrahim copes with these passionate displays by “actively changing her route” to class, in an attempt to avoid the discomforting images altogether.  

Ms. Jones, a B-CC math teacher, takes a more nuanced stance on the acceptability of PDA at B-CC. She recognizes that high school is a “spot where a lot of students spend the most time with their significant other.” She holds the belief that some levels of PDA are acceptable, but “anything past the understandable, holding hands, cuddling, etc.” crosses the line. 

The opinions of Ms. Jones, Arovas, Hauf, and Ebrahim, are hardly representative of the overall B-CC community’s opinion on PDA. Thoughts regarding the acceptability of PDA at B-CC, are truly a mixed bag, with a significant number of teachers and students surprisingly unconcerned with PDA.  

IB English teacher Ms. Fiore, stated matter of factly, “love who you love,” as she concluded her interview. Aside from conveying that she has no problem with PDA at B-CC, the teacher noted that the repulsed reaction that many students and teachers testify to having when witnessing PDA actually reveals an underlying societal issue: a possible misplaced sensitivity to various stigmatized behaviors.

Ms. Fiore uniquely criticizes the willingness of society to “watch people get murdered on television and be unphased. But witness people hold hands and kiss, and people are repulsed.” Her point of view is similar to the thoughts of many B-CC students, though perhaps student priorities differ from Ms. Fiore’s frustrations with society, and skew more towards just wanting to get it on. 

An anonymous B-CC couple, together for over a year, notedly divided by several breaks within their relationship, expressed their opinions on the topic. Both members of the relationship described PDA as being, “a part of their daily routine.” These students explained that they would meet in the hallway during a certain class period and engage in various affectionate acts, including kisses, long-lasting hugs, and playful handholding. When asked why they had developed such a unique routine, their response was simply, “Because we can. He’s my boyfriend. She’s my girlfriend.” 

PDA is considered a normal aspect of a relationship for a significant number of people. Many couples that we surveyed indicated that they don’t feel uncomfortable being so publicly affectionate because “they aren’t alone.” Just walk down any hallway and you can pick out arms slung around shoulders, fingers interlocked, and sloppy kisses being planted on cheeks and lips. Many feel that PDA is perfectly normal and that those who don’t appreciate it can “just look away.”

Out of a small sample size of 10 couples at B-CC, 5 of these relationships were long-term (over a year) and did not support or engage in PDA. Only 1 out of these 10 couples was in a long-term relationship and did support PDA. The remaining 4 couples were in short-term/inconsistent/unhealthy relationships and all of them supported PDA. The ballot seems pretty split on whether or not these exhibitions of love, (or just horniness depending on where you stand) are justifiable. 

Some couples may engage in PDA purely to enjoy the flaunting of hookup culture and voyeuristic aspects of such public activities. Or maybe it’s because they’re hopelessly in love. 

We here at the Tattler aren’t one to judge either way. If you want to kiss in the hallways, shout your partner’s name from rooftops, hey, don’t let us stop you.

Just, for the good of your fellow Barons… keep it PG at B-CC.