Let’s Talk about Nudity

My personal history with nudity is a complex one. When I encountered nudity as a teenager, it bothered me. I wasn’t used to it. Had I been used to it from an early age, it wouldn’t have bothered me. If adults make an issue out of nudity, then it becomes an issue for kids. There are places in the world where nudity is the norm. I saw it in Africa, and there are nudist colonies in the Western world. I’ve been to clothing-optional beaches – and kids are allowed. This may be shocking to some of y’all, but nothing bad happens to those kids as a result of being exposed to nudity. Nudity doesn’t hurt kids – unless it’s done in a malicious way.

A child, raised with casual nudity, or whose parents don’t make it into an issue, will not have problems as a result…

One man in Oregon disagrees:

Trespassing is illegal if posted. Trespassing while naked is problematic; it’s a crazy and inconsiderate thing to do – but it doesn’t break any laws in Oregon (at least, not in Portland). I wasn’t there. I could be that the naked man did expose himself in a sexual way, which would make it illegal. More likely, he’s got mental issues, and he’s simply wandering about naked. I’ve seen this happen in Portland. People pretty much ignore it. Some will shake their heads.

Confession time. I’ve been casually nude in Portland. The weather was hot, and I didn’t have a bathing suit. I did what millions of OUR ANCESTORS did for thousands of years: I stripped down and jumped in the water. This was normal for most of human history. It’s normal now in many places.

Were there people around? Yes, there were. Were some of them children? Not in my immediate vicinity; I definitely would not have stripped down if there was a child nearby, because I would have no way of knowing what that child is accustomed to, or the attitudes of its parents. I didn’t want a confrontation, just a swim.

What if I was not so sensitive, and didn’t care if there were children around? It still wouldn’t be illegal. Inappropriate? Maybe. It would have been a good idea to at least ask the parents if they cared.

The father in the video is probably a good man; he thinks he is protecting his child. In reality, his hysteria is causing more harm to his child than the nudity itself. The child would be a lot better off if the father simply turned to him, chuckled, and said, “I think that naked man has some issues. I’d better tell him to leave our property. How about a game of ball?”

If you scroll through the comments on Twitter, you’ll see a lot of, “I’m a conservative, and conservatives are supposed to hate this sort of thing DAMMIT!!” You’ll see a lot of, “Those damn LEFTIES are at it again!! I hate lefties, and I hate public nudity!!” Some comments even equate casual nudity with grooming, as if it’s the same thing. It’s not.

If God hated nudity, He wouldn’t have us be born naked.

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3 Responses to Let’s Talk about Nudity

  1. Sgt. Joe Friday says:

    Why is it though that the people who are first to take off their clothes are the ones you’d least want to see naked?

  2. White woman says:

    No. Please tell me you are joking that you think it’s acceptable for a man to walk onto someone’s private property and walk toward their child while naked. You would be okay with a naked man approaching one of your children either in public or on your private property? If this scenario was/is innocent, why the need to walk up to the child? Just be naked and keep walking.

    While I somewhat agree that nudity in itself can be harmless, I think you are naive if you don’t recognize exhibitionism, and that there is a sexual gratification aspect to some people when they are naked (whether seen or not), as well as the gratification due to being seen naked, as well as the sexual gratification associated with the shock element involved in unexpectedly seeing another person naked.

    Yes, there may be some mentally ill people who are naked “innocently”, but this man had every right to take action and assume the worst in this scenario. Are you suggesting he should have waited to see what the naked man would have said and/or done with or to his child before taking any action?

    There is a difference between public unacceptable and/or unanticipated nudity (wherein exhibitionism would have its greatest effect) and areas that are specifically reserved for nudity, which in itself is harmless and the people are all there for the same purpose. There is also a difference between simply “being naked” and “being naked and approaching another person’s child”, particularly on private property.

    As far as other cultures where nudity is accepted, I think they most likely have some issues and problems with molestation that we are simply not aware of, because humans are all subject to the same vice.

    Yes, God made us naked, but that was for us to be sinless living in the garden, not in our current sinful, degenerate, oversexualized, pedophilic world.

    He’s lucky he did not walk onto my property naked and try to approach me.

    • jewamongyou says:

      Sorry it took me so long to approve your comment and to reply. I was travelling and away from my computer for a long time. Just got back.

      No, I don’t think it’s okay to commit such exhibitionism, especially not on somebody else’s property.

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