Books, Arts & Manners: What Killed Regional Difference?

LAST MONDAY I got out of my comfortable bed in England at what would have been midnight on the East Coast of the United States and drove, bleary-eyed, to Heathrow Airport, waited the ritual two hours, then got through the eight-hour flight to New York. British Airways was reliable as usual—the best—but someone should tell them not to show films in which the characters kiss. I was surrounded, as ill luck would have it, by YPs (Young People—under 27) of different nationalities. It has long been a point of controversy whether films and television have effects on YPs. Why it should be controversial I don’t know. The couples instantly started kissing and did so repeatedly, even competitively, every time the screen characters kissed. Not a pleasant flight.

That evening at the bar of the Algonquin, over tasteless Amstels (chosen because not quite as tasteless as Budweiser), a friendly soul said it was nice to see me back. “Nice to be back,” said I. “Always pleased to be back in America.”

DA

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Digby Anderson

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LAST MONDAY I got out of my comfortable bed in England at what would have been midnight on the East Coast of the United States and drove, bleary-eyed, to Heathrow Airport, waited the ritual two hours, then got through the eight-hour flight to New York. British Airways was reliable as usual—the best—but someone should tell them not to show films in which the characters kiss. I was surrounded, as ill luck would have it, by YPs (Young People—under 27) of different nationalities. It has long been a point of controversy whether films and television have effects on YPs. Why it should be controversial I don’t know. The couples instantly started kissing and did so repeatedly, even competitively, every time the screen characters kissed. Not a pleasant flight.

That evening at the bar of the Algonquin, over tasteless Amstels (chosen because not quite as tasteless as Budweiser), a friendly soul said it was nice to see me back. “Nice to be back,” said I. “Always pleased to be back in America.”