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Why do Americans and foreigners alike describe the USA as prudish? Why do I see nothing prudish about the USA society? USA feels like one of the loosest countries although Americans claim to be very reserved.

10.06.2025 05:07

Why do Americans and foreigners alike describe the USA as prudish? Why do I see nothing prudish about the USA society? USA feels like one of the loosest countries although Americans claim to be very reserved.

nudity, or even suggestions of it (e.g. a silhouette)

couples in the same bed, even if married. (Laurel and Hardy came before the code)

toilets being shown

Rethinking Alzheimer’s Disease: New Research Reveals That It Affects the Entire Body, Not Just the Brain - SciTechDaily

lustful kissing is to be shown with care

any profanity to the Christian religion, e.g. hell, damn, God (unless used in a holy sense), or ridicule of the clergy.

Meanwhile, the rest of the world still sniggers at American prudishness.

What are some mind-blowing facts that sound unreal but are actually true?

disrespect of authority figures. Crooked judges are OK if they are also clearly portrayed as evil people

For 34 years, movie and TV studios censored themselves to appease the Puritanical whims of Will Hays.

sexual perversion, including homosexuality (naturally), and sexual relationships between the white and black races.

Why are German films often so formulaic even though Germany is a European culture? I love them but they follow formula very closely like Hollywood. What are the best German films?

Some ridiculous highlights of the code in effect banned or discouraged:

the display of bellybuttons

Remember the Hays Code?

Japan's 10,000-Year-Old Underwater 'Pyramid' Is Still One of the World’s Biggest Unsolved Mysteries—No One Knows Who Built It - The Daily Galaxy

The ridiculous 2004 Superbowl ‘Nipplegate’ was a more recent reminder of how US attitudes have not really advanced much since the Hays code.