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Last Monday’s paper was quite an outing on the subject of nudity. Two – count ‘em – two front page stories dealt with it. The first dealing with streakers, the other with the nightclub Ushuaia.
Both of these articles deal with those who complain about the indecency of nudity. Know what I say to that? Grow up.
Imagine, if you will, a debate on this matter:
“What’s wrong with nudity?”
“It is indecent.”
“Why is it indecent?”
“Because showing ‘private parts’ is wrong and both children and people in general don’t need to be seeing them.”
“Why is it wrong? Why shouldn’t we see them?”
See where this is going? Even with the wisest person we can dig up, I severely doubt they could support an argument against nudity, much less make one.
Don’t get me wrong; I’m no pervert. I’m not saying that everyone should be naked (after all, we need to stay warm somehow). I’m saying that there shouldn’t be a problem with it.
There is no reason why nudity is bad. There is no reason why children should not see it. I’m not saying that we should give porn to kids, I’m saying that seeing a human body cannot possibly harm them in any way. Geez, we put brothers and sisters in the same bathtub together and take pictures. Shouldn’t that screw them up even worse than seeing naked people in the booth next to you?
Also, police, councils and legislatures everywhere need to figure out that all the owners of a nightclub can really do to prevent nudity is to ask nicely. Any so-called “indecent exposure” is purely the product of the person baring themselves, not the operator of the establishment.
But why is it a problem? Why should it be? The only reason why nudity is linked with sex is because we make it that way. Having to be a certain age to see someone sans clothes makes a bigger deal out of nudity than it really is. In that way, our culture has created a great sensationalism. Without that sensationalism, nudity would have no negative, sexual or plain perverted connotations. If so-called “indecency” laws were relaxed or eliminated, there would be less porn, and demand thereof, as a result.
Those that see themselves as “mature” in this situation are actually the most childish. Censorship is the most childish thing anyone can do. Some person, group or force arbitrarily decides for everyone else that it is bad to say or see something, and therefore prevents it. It’s no different than saying “Shut up!” to your opponent in an argument.
When it comes right down to it, all I need say is this: “People have skin, whoop-de-shit.” Everyone has certain parts of the body, with the obvious gender differences. This is a well-known fact. So why is there a need to hide what we all know is there six billion times over across the world? Anyone who thinks that there really is something wrong with nudity should be ashamed of themselves.
I don’t understand why nudity is so bad. Furthermore, I don’t understand why it’s OK to be exposed to mindless violence, but not to see parts of the body when it’s nothing we don’t already know. Any society or person that finds violence more acceptable than nudity has really got its priorities screwed up.
Andrew Young is a first-year student.
