DISQUS

Silhouette · 7 months ago

Here we go again. Gay marriage "intro" number 47356-8...

*sigh*...

Today's veiled insult: "if you're against gay marriage you're a prude"...

NordicAngst · 7 months ago

Gay whatzit? I'm not sure if Silly above read the same article that I did, but then I'm not sure he's using the same definition of "veiled" either.

That being said, I'm not really looking forward to the world of naked people everywhere. Frankly, I understand that Americans are a little over concerned with this stuff, but I'd still rather people kept their clothes on. The last bit where people who disagree "would simply have the right to stay home" is also pretty ridiculous no matter what the issue being discussed is.

HemmD · 7 months ago

As the old story goes, if you have a problem with my body, take it up with the maker.....

I've never understood how those who praise God as a perfect being who thus can only create perfect things turn around and show shame for the "naughty bits."

CStanley · 7 months ago

I'm not a fan of public nudity because I think there is an intimacy associated with the unclothed body (not shamefulness, just something to be reserved for certain situations). That said though, the prurient interest that creates obsession with whether or not a nipple was exposed is quite bizarre. We have images of female bodies everywhere that reveal just about everything except the nipple of the breast, and those are considered acceptable (and most men will admit that the images with a tiny bit of clothing, strategically placed, are far more erotic to them than a completely naked woman would be- so the covering of just nipples is pretty ridiculous.)

DaGoat · 7 months ago

There are worse things to be obsessed with.

I thought this was an interesting line:

Of course some uptight people would scream that they should not be subjected to all this nudity and sexuality. They would simply have the right to stay home.

It of course echoes the argument made by opponents of public smoking bans who feel if people don't like smoke they could just stay home.

Ryan · 7 months ago

If you made public nudity allowable few people would take you up on it. Mandatory... you have bigger problems. I'd be happy with people not losing their heads over it, though.

tidbits · 7 months ago

Americans really are pretty uptight about their sexuality. Forget Euro-Socialism, we could learn something from Euro-Sexuality. Enjoy what you've got while you've got it...if that's your wont.

bellisaurius · 7 months ago

People are often arbitrary about what their cultural taboos are.

Example:

Most people would probably be a bit upset about someone lounging around naked on their couch. They may argue the point of this is that "They're going to leave butt stuff on it." OK, so hygeine and sanitation. Seems non-arbitrary. Well, not so fast. Hand that person a sterilized cockroach, see if they take it. I doubt they would because it's the concept of "dirty" (which so often get's translated to immoral) is an imaginary one (arguments about bacteria being more of an excuse in most situations), or at least a cultutrally defined one.

Now, what I imagine actually happens in a lot of cases of modesty isn't so much that nudity bugs the person (there is a much smaller subset of folks ofended by bitticelli nowadays, for example), but rather the feeling that other people will be bugged by the nudity (our sense of empathy, in a way, or at least our abiklity to put ourselves in other's shoes).

CStanley · 7 months ago

Well, there's also the fact that sometimes you can't help but feel empathy for people who are showing a lot more skin than anyone really wants to see, too, belli. ;-)

Irina69 · 7 months ago

Yee, I dream sometimes too..)))

kritt11 · 7 months ago

I'm with the "clothe the naked" faction, LOL. Most people look better with their clothes on and most are unaware of how bad they look with them off. A little mystery isn't such a bad thing.

Maybe that's prudish- but if it is so be it! I'd rather see much less of most people.

PaulasPleasures · 7 months ago

Thank you for this blog entry! Back in the 70's (with women's lib) I think we were on the right path of overcoming our Puritan ideas that have been hammered into our heads, but now it seems that we've done some backsliding when it comes to sexual attitudes (especially about women). I think it's interesting that in Europe where things are much more "open" that the teenage pregnancy rate is much lower than it is here. When are we going to understand that sex is normal, healthy and that we shouldn't be teaching our children to be ashamed of their bodies?

meganrosee · 4 months ago

I wonder why it's okay to show a woman's breasts on TV or in the movies but they would never show a man's penis on TV or in a movie. And how come it can be shown on TV but not in public? It's illegal for us average boobed Americans to be on the beach topless but its perfectly fine to show some fake sculpted breasts in a movie to sell some more tickets... I think people are so afraid to talk about sex and about their bodies in America that the only bodies you see are the porn star's or the naked girl in a movie... making people even more afraid of their bodies and about showing them. And so the vicious cycle continues.. I have a perfectly normal and beautiful body and I hate feeling self conscious about it just because I don't look like those girls in the movies! I'd like to see some regular looking people for a change!

Isis · 3 months ago

Very well said Marc.Thanks for the insight.