It’s said that Americans are obsessed with sex. I’d say that’s a fair charge. Whether it be having it, or not having it, it seems to always be on our minds, televisions and computers.
A few weeks ago, my newest speaking partner was going through words she was having trouble pronouncing. Crocodile…rehearsal…masturbation. She was immediately warned by others at the table not to use that last one in daily conversation.
She was just going through words she’d heard on television, and assumed they were all suitable for general conversation. That reveals something confusing about American media. In some countries, the media clearly reflects national standards of behavior. That’s true to a certain extent here, but much less so than a few others. In general, it’s just not the best place to learn about social mores (or even proper English for that matter).
Solution: There’s a saying that you shouldn’t discuss religion and politics in “polite conversation”. I’d throw sex into that mix too. You never know where people stand, even about discussing it. That’s not to say it can’t or shouldn’t be discussed, but if you don’t want to risk offending someone, it’s best to follow their lead…and that can be tricky to find.
No comments:
Post a Comment