I don't think "puritanical" is the right word in this case. Unless you are implying that smoking being considered unhealthy is something based on Puritan or other religious values.

> In America we tend to assume that it's ok for children to eat food but not ok to smoke

"Americans eating in front of their children". Does not mention food.

That is the point

Just because the taboo changed does not mean that the Puritan-inside(tm) hardware most Americans have is not there (self-evident on conservatives and very rabid omg-living-in-denial in liberals)

The main point is, in Puritanism, thinking the wrong thing is a sin, so even writing it down is seen as bad. Other cultures can discuss without dirtying their souls/minds/egos.

The issue isn't that "writing it down is bad" its that certain descriptions of a character are going to cause readers to judge that character differently depending on the culture the reader is used to. People who think smoking around children is a bad thing, are going to judge a parent doing that around their children. So, an editor might believe that removing that reference will avoid people focusing on an unimportant detail in a way that negatively affects the story being told.

> I don't think "puritanical" is the right word in this case. Unless you are implying that smoking being considered unhealthy is something based on Puritan or other religious values.

We Americans are puritanical, and that's in the sense of being able to imagine that our values are universal because they are good and correct, having been arrived at only after a great deal of thought and even spilled blood; and that anyone who disagrees is at best thoughtless or ignorant, but quite possibly crazy or evil.

> For you (American?) it's the Modern interpretation while for others it might just be the American interpretation.

Where does this come from? This clearly isn't accurate for the majority of America. Maybe back in the 50s - but that was also 70 years ago.

We've come a long way here in usa, but we've got a ways to go.

There must be some code I do not know about. It is ubiquitous

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/ac/e1/f9/ace1f9037208231eebf5...

What's with Americans wearing shoes on the bed? we're always shocked when we see that on TV.

1. Americans are always on the run, living at much higher pace, ready to take off at moment's notice.

2. The US is located more to the south than Europe, so the climate is warmer and drier in most parts, so your shoes are much cleaner (no snow, no mud).

Or maybe it's just a movie convention: like they want the movie character to be able to take off without wasting time on finding their shoes. Similar thing happens with how phone calls are shown in movies: there's a very short greeting, and after the conversation is over people just hang off, no pleasantries at the end, in the interest of air time.

it's exhausting listening to Europeans make such a huge deal about how they don't make a big deal about sex.

We’re a country of many peoples with many values and that’s one of the reasons we fight so much. Pretty much everything you listed is a norm which evolved from a strict—and yes, sometimes puritanical view—to accommodations for different people from the heart of the Tennessee River Valley to the beaches of California.

We’re not all still partying like we’re fresh off the boat and it’s 1620. As clean as a Hollywood production might look to you, the people that made that movie were probably all living rather diverse lifestyles, many of whom might make a Roman at their peak blush. The Puritanism is still there, but so is a lot more than that.

I didn't know non-puritanism scales with size! TIL!

> Pretty much everything you listed is a norm

Yes, that's exactly what I wrote. Seems you agree after all!

So, if I am just cherrypicking, where is the majority of states with uncensored radio and music? Where do you see nipples on magazines in supermarkets? Where can you say "shit", "piss", "fuck", "cunt", "cocksucker", "motherfucker", and "tits" on TV and in movies without repercussion? In which states can you bathe nude or even just topless? Or just even change on the beach? Where can I consume alcohol in public as a norm, without brown bag? Where can I simply drink in a car, as long as I am not driving, or, as a driver, not exceeding the legal alcohol limit?

> many of whom might make a Roman at their peak blush.

Man, that made me laugh out loud.

Yeah, no further questions. Have you ever left the US?

You can drive 500 miles in this country and feel like you haven't moved an inch.

Priorities

America is extremely polarised. On the one hand it's blurring bottoms and censoring words of drugs in songs and the other it produces the most hard core porn and gun violence...

I once read an article that wrote about different cultures typical curse words. It explained that the principle of cursing is to break a taboo. If you know how a culture curses, you know what's holy to them.

* In North America, cursing often revolves around sexuality. * In slavic countries, cursing involves the mother. * In middle eastern countries, it involves the father. (Not sure if I remember that one correctly, though.)

He had heard that Americans don’t let children drink alcohol. That sounded puritanical.

When he arrived in the US, and saw people drinking more alcohol in one night than they drank in a year back home (this was hyperbole).

I’d drink with him. One shot of rum a night - no more, no less.

Americans aren’t one shot drinkers. We drink too much. And so do many Europeans.

If the point of the passage was that this character is "a good parent", then getting that point across to American audiences would depend on cultural context. If the point is to describe without judgement, then a more literal translation makes more sense.