Legalize public nudity?

[angus]

If you had asked me this question 20 years ago, before I'd ever visited a nudie beach, I'd have said Yes.  Now that I've been to a couple and had to stare at some octogenarians shriveled wrinkled elevator-button penis, and at some overweight sow's oversized asscheeks, I can honestly say that I'm glad most americans aren't walking around nude.

I do favor egalitarianism in this respect though.  I favor the right of women to walk around shirtless, and I think that woman in NH who sued the city for giving her a ticket for using her riding mower topless did the right thing.  She argued that it was discriminatory against females, and she was right.  It is.  

[angus]

Did I mention we came upon one in Maui.  It's called Little Beach, and is just south of the town of Kihei.  I don't want to be misconstrued.  I have no philosophical objections to what they're doing.  I do know how silly I felt when I was completely naked and surrounded by other naked folks.  I felt so silly that I didn't even get the normal physiological response when a hot chick walked by.  Not that there are too many hot chicks on nudie beaches.  That's the real disappointment.  What there are is lots of fat old farts.  I admire their lack of shame, but I do not envy it.  My wife was so shocked at the situation she couldn't speak and wanted to leave, but even she doesn't feel it should be made illegal.  That which is tasteless shouldn't be made illegal.  Otherwise we'd never have seen the rise of Reality Television.

[angus]

Beef,
I'll vouch for that.  Lots of families there and it didn't seem to be a problem.  I agree that there are worse things for your kids to see than a triangular patch of hair.  But you kid yourself if you think that single young mothers outnumber flaccid old geeks at those nudie beaches.  Ewww.  Some old guy in Negril, Jamaica, on a naturist beach came over one day, hands me a beer and starts checking out my package and commenting on it and such.  Now, I'm no homophobe, and certainly don't advocate clothing for the attractive, but that was just downright creepy for me.  I was too damned stoned to realize it at the moment, but in days later I found that I was disgusted by the whole episode.

[angus]

I think we're in complete and total agreement on this issue.  Anyway, I chose the first option.  I only mention because I, too, was once a teenager who had a gross misimpression of what it'd be like to go to a nude beach.  I have been to several, and I can tell you that it's not what you might think.  And the few attractive women there are usually young mothers with their children, and husbands.

I also recall the Boston Globe story of the NH woman very well.  Progress of the case was reported once in a while in the Globe for some time till it was resolved.  I was reminded that as late as 1950 men in Massachusetts were being cited for public indecency for going shirtless to beaches.  Now men are (generally) allowed to do so while women are not.  I'm not sure that one isolated NH case really made a difference, but it did occur to me that whatever laws we do have certainly amount to a double standard, which I think might be an even bigger story than the story that there are a few places in the world where nudity is allowed (a handful of beaches in CA, FL, TX, Jamaica, etc.) but in most of the world it's not.  Try going nude on a beach in Egypt sometime and see what you get!!!

[angus]

A good question to see where people fall on the moralistic spectrum.

I'm for it.  But not on moralistic grounds.  I pretty much look like a bag lady any time I go out.  except on the days when I lecture, and then I shave, wear nice italian shoes, a tie, etc.  but mostly I wear as little as they'll let me get away with and I don't shave.  So I'd be up for letting us go to the mall, Wal-mart, etc., in come-as-you-are mode.  Even if it means I have to look at all those fat people naked.  It's worth it not to have to dig out some underwear, sandals, and a gimme T-shirt just so they'll let me in the front door.  I'm lazy like that.