We protect ourselves to keep out the cold of the northern winter and the gaze, real or imagined, that others or we ourselves cast upon us. Is the real meaning of “carnal knowledge” about secrets unknown to even ourselves—of our nakedness in a spiritual rather than a bodily sense? Do the pill and the condom expose our nakedness even more now than before? In the best sense, etiquette softens our vulnerability, providing space between you and me and giving obeisance to the blunt power of personal truth.