Despite the broad range of fundamental rights that Americans hold dear, we have, as a group, some very definite taboos. Perhaps they hearken back to our Puritan ancestry. Whatever the reason, here are a few of our most vehement prohibitions.

We don’t eat horses, dogs, or cats. In many parts of the world, especially where meat is expensive and harder to obtain, any type of meat is fair game, so to speak. Americans simply do not see it that way. We spend extraordinary amounts of money on our pets, indulging their wants, caring for their illnesses, providing luxurious comfort for them. While one doesn’t actually think of most horses as pets, they are certainly regarded as something more than food supply. They are transportation on farms and ranches and potential money winners in racing. The idea of these treasured creatures as menu items is horrifying to the average American.

We rarely speak directly about death. We use euphemisms like “he passed away” or “we lost him last year.” The bald statement that “he died” is just too blatant for our sensitivities. Although most Americans profess a belief in an afterlife, we are very reluctant to dwell on the fact of death.

We have little tolerance for public nudity. Media images in print and film are showing bodies with less and less clothing, but we have not gotten beyond being shocked by full nudity in public. We spend millions on pornography, but it is only viewed in private. We look askance at women breastfeeding in public. Parents have even been arrested for taking naked photographs of their own small children, due to the fear that these photos are somehow exploiting the child.

This brings us to the next item - pedophilia. Popular culture will tell you that child molesters are treated very harshly by other prison inmates, even those who are jailed for murder or other violent crimes. Whether or not this is true, it reflects the American opinion that those who abuse children are the lowest of the low.

Americans are generally more reserved about personal space and touching than many other cultures. When we greet a stranger, we shake hands, which keeps that person at a distance of two to four feet. The only persons we allow closer without discomfort are family members and close friends or medical professionals when required, though even that often causes anxiety. The growing number of Hispanic citizens in America may begin to change this attitude, since Hispanic societies are typically more comfortable with less personal space and more body contact, such as kissing on the cheeks.

All societies are in a state of change, as world events and changing perceptions shift collective thinking into new avenues. A hundred years from now, it’s possible that these taboos that are an integral part of our culture today will have faded away, to be replaced by new ideas about what is and is not acceptable behavior.