Sacred and Profane

What happened to civil conversation? What happened to not saying whatever explitive came into mind? What happened to having some personal restraint? Are we as individuals so out of control that we have to blurt out whatever pops into our heads no matter how foul, no matter how offensive? It used to be said that good manners were the oil that made society function smoothly. But instead it seems that in too many segments of our society, it's not only acceptable, it's expected that you will converse using the foulest language, the most suggestive behavior and the most provocative content in public. And that ties into a great deal of the problem we are having in society. What happened to boundaries between your public persona and your private life? I know there were gay people before 1980-so why then did it become so paramount for everyone to tell every single sordid detail of their personal lives at work, at school or in public. Some things are simply not meant for sharing. STD's are one, and gruesome graphic gross details about someone else's personal life just isn't my cup of tea. I am not a prude. I can discuss and view Greek nudes or paintings with aplomb, but I really really really don't want to know about the personal lives of friends and co-workers on a graphic and self-serving scale. Some things were simply better left unsaid.