[thechat] King Preaches Abstinence to Parading Maidens

[Bob Davis]

At 1:54 PM -0700 9/11/02, Erika Meyer wrote:
>Okay, back to Karnival (I've not been to Mardi Gras): I recall
>reading an article in a German women's magazine exploring the topic
>of whether it was okay to "cheat" on your partner during Karnival
>time.

Actually, having lived in Bonn (Rheinland is the heart of Karnival in
Germany), I would have to say that this would not be at all
surprising to read.


>IOW, the assumption was that it is not okay at other times....
>but Karnival was some kind of special situation where you could
>consider "deviating."

Yes. That's true. I think it boils down to this - you can not destroy
property (I mean really destroy it - like breaking windows, smashing
stuff, etc. - cutting neckties does not count, it is actually
expected.), drive drunk, or physically harm a person (badly - minor
brawling just gets you sent to your corner).

Other than that, pretty much anything goes.

I had fun.

It's five days of drunken debauchery, and everyone understands that.
The expectations are totally different during Karnival. The number of
successful flirtations was much better for me during Karnival than at
any other time in my life. It's expected, it's looked for, and there
are no strings attached.


>I thought that was weird.  But clearly that's just my cultural perception.

Yeah, well, if you had a fake ducks beak on your face, face paint, a
belly full of beer and slivovitz and you were dancing on a table, you
mightn't think so.


>What I meant was that in a rigid culture, there is this backlash that
>comes in one form or another.

Bing!

Anything goes - which is far from the norm in every day life there.


>The early American Puritans were a
>good example of a rigid culture with a very seamy (and scary)
>underside.  From what I've heard, fundamentalist Islam has some
>similar issues.  And Catholic clergy.

Wink, wink, nudge, nudge, know what I mean?

bob

--
bob davis
bob at bobdavis.org
http://www.bobdavis.org/