RP180 Formerly Taboo Entertainment

 RP180 Formerly Taboo Entertainment

People's ideas about religion, clothes, money, and government change over the years. So do our ideas about entertainment. Some pastimes that we call innocent fun used to be thought of as dangerous or evil.

Take playing cards, for example. Playing cards were first invented in India or China and then spread to Europe. Over time, they became the popular entertainment they are today. Many families play cards together, and playing cards is seen as a fun activity for parents and children. But at first, many Christians believed that it was a wicked game. They thought that the cards had evil powers that went against God. In medieval Europe, cards and dice were banned in many places. It was only in the 1850s that many children began to play card games.

Do you like to read? Do you read novels? Reading novels is another activity that people used to think was wrong. In many parts of the Western world, novels were thought to be too exciting. People thought they must be bad for our health. Many people read novels in secret because they didn't want to be caught doing something so immoral.

What about watching a play? A few centuries ago in Europe, people thought watching plays could be dangerous. Plays were considered lying, which was wrong. Some people believed that plays, like novels, were too exciting. This excitement was especially bad for women, they thought. Until after Shakespeare's time, going to see a play was taboo for many people.

Soon, you'll read a book, go to a movie or play, or play cards with your friends and family. When you do, remember that a few hundred years ago, those activities might have gotten you in big trouble!