“. . . why is it that certain people, who might refer to themselves as tolerant, bridle and dig in their heels the second I appear in the nude around them? Why can’t they tolerate, in the spirit of coexistence, the simple fact of my naked body, a body that they possess? I’m not asking them to accept my public nudity, or agree with my naturist philosophy, I’m just asking them to tolerate my nudity, within certain boundaries. What boundaries? I shouldn’t masturbate in front of them, try to coax them to have sex with me, or have sex with their partner, stand with my buttocks in their faces, or provide them a close-up view of my genitalia. Those are the boundaries I mean. Does all of the above sound reasonable? It should, because we tolerate many things, throughout the course of every day. . . why is the sight of a naked human being such a problem? . . . to say that a nude person is engaged in the sex act, or is likely to engage in the sex act, is to say that someone is eating, or likely to engage in eating, just because we see his or her mouth! . . . I find an instantly adverse reaction to nudity puzzling. To be fair, most people tolerate nudity in many instances. They may be amused, or shocked (pleasantly), or annoyed, but it never occurs to them to call in the police. . . it’s usually one or two who make the most fuss. Why then, do the police shut down the nudist activity, especially when the majority doesn’t have a problem with it? In other instances, one or two complaints don’t constitute legal enforcement or an infringement, so why is nudity an exception? . . . all nudists have ever asked of the society around them, is tolerance. . . Yet, in the past, police raided nudist parks and camps, where nudists practiced their preference behind fences! How can this be, in a society that is supposedly free? . . . All the inflamed hysteria over simple nudity only serves to foment more inflamed hysteria. . . if we just let naturists/nudists alone, nudity will soon become a non-issue. And we’ll find that so many of the side issues—prurience, unbridled lust, inappropriate behavior and pornography—will proportionately lessen as well. . . I hope I live to see this kind of tolerance happen.” – Tom Pine
Me too. Anyone else agree? Ken
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
There's something wrong with us to the extent that we deviate from nudity as our default state. Clothes should be added for whatever utility they lend. The shock of nudity ought to be a clue.
ReplyDeleteAt the same time, I think charity demands something -- I don't know what -- of us nudists. For example, I went to Aurora Gardens in Wisconsin once, walked into the office to check in, and exclaimed when I saw nude people sitting there. Not my first nudist experience, but I was startled and reacted as though I had intruded. I've got the disease, too.