Skeptic Friends Network

Username:
Password:
Save Password
Forgot your Password?
Home | Forums | Active Topics | Active Polls | Register | FAQ | Contact Us  
  Connect: Chat | SFN Messenger | Buddy List | Members
Personalize: Profile | My Page | Forum Bookmarks  
 All Forums
 Our Skeptic Forums
 Social Issues
 Shoud public nudity be legal?
 New Topic  Reply to Topic
 Printer Friendly Bookmark this Topic BookMark Topic
Author Previous Topic Topic Next Topic  

MisterMaggot
New Member

Fed Rep Yugoslavia
6 Posts

Posted - 01/22/2013 :  03:44:11  Show Profile Send MisterMaggot a Private Message  Reply with Quote
I am defining public nudity as being naked in public i.e. the street, the park, the mall, picking the kids up from school etc. I do not include nudity used to cause distress (such as a flasher who opens his trench coat in front of a schoolgirl requesting she touch his penis) in this definition.

Clothes are a necessity. We need clothes to keep warm and provide additional comfort. However when the climate permits it nudity can be comfortable.

In most tribal societies everyone is naked as there is no need for clothes. This doesn't cause any harm, if anything they have a much healthier body image than those living in nations where the media decide what is 'normal'. Some argue that children must not be exposed to nudity, however if children are damaged by viewing nudity why do we allow them to see nude statues and paintings? Why are they allowed to view their own bodies?

In Victorian England it was unacceptable for a woman to show her ankles, why has this changed? If someone today is offended by women's ankles don't they still have a right not to be offended? What if someone is offended by black/gay/fat/ugly people?

We are quick to criticize Islamic nations where women are forced to wear a burka or hijab, yet we impose are own standards of decency on others. This is hypocrisy.

What right do people have to be offended by someones physical body? What justification is there for prohibiting nudity in public?

[Moved to the Social Issues folder - Dave W.]

Valiant Dancer
Forum Goalie

USA
4826 Posts

Posted - 01/22/2013 :  06:52:31   [Permalink]  Show Profile  Visit Valiant Dancer's Homepage Send Valiant Dancer a Private Message  Reply with Quote
It keeps the prudes shut up. Otherwise, all they do is bitch and whine about naked people. They believe that viewing the nude body compels people to have sex in public (which is damaging for young psyches to handle in this society).

As for me, It's too darn cold right now. But there are some members of my religion which would love skyclad societal norms. They even have little necklace type wallets so they can carry money and ID. They find clothing restrictive.

Cthulhu/Asmodeus when you're tired of voting for the lesser of two evils

Brother Cutlass of Reasoned Discussion
Go to Top of Page

ThorGoLucky
Snuggle Wolf

USA
1486 Posts

Posted - 01/22/2013 :  16:41:42   [Permalink]  Show Profile  Visit ThorGoLucky's Homepage Send ThorGoLucky a Private Message  Reply with Quote
I don't care how someone dresses or if at all. I just care about sanitation. If nude, please bring a clean towel to sit on.
Go to Top of Page

Dave W.
Info Junkie

USA
26020 Posts

Posted - 01/22/2013 :  19:18:01   [Permalink]  Show Profile  Visit Dave W.'s Homepage Send Dave W. a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Originally posted by MisterMaggot

We are quick to criticize Islamic nations where women are forced to wear a burka or hijab, yet we impose are own standards of decency on others. This is hypocrisy.
The reason burkas and hijabs are criticized is not because of some "standard of decency," but because those sacks are tools of a systematic and insidious oppression of women and women only. If men were also forced to wear similarly restrictive garb, then it might be about some over-the-top standard of decency. But they aren't, so it isn't.

- Dave W. (Private Msg, EMail)
Evidently, I rock!
Why not question something for a change?
Visit Dave's Psoriasis Info, too.
Go to Top of Page

On fire for Christ
SFN Regular

Norway
1273 Posts

Posted - 01/22/2013 :  19:18:54   [Permalink]  Show Profile Send On fire for Christ a Private Message  Reply with Quote
I don't think so. Clothing is either extremely useful to humans in temperate areas or essential in other climates. Such that it has become a standard of human behaviour in almost every place on Earth, breaking this societal norm causes distress for many people. Going without clothing has to be more of a statement rather than for comfort or practicality for the vast majority. Given that it offends many people's ingrained social sensibilities, it seems offensive to subject people's eyes to the horror of naked people they have no interest in looking at.

Go to Top of Page

Dave W.
Info Junkie

USA
26020 Posts

Posted - 01/22/2013 :  20:19:31   [Permalink]  Show Profile  Visit Dave W.'s Homepage Send Dave W. a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Originally posted by On fire for Christ

Given that it offends many people's ingrained learned social sensibilities...
Fixed that for you.
...it seems offensive to subject people's eyes to the horror of naked people they have no interest in looking at.
Since when is anyone forced to look?

If we replace "naked people" with "dogs pooping" in your argument, should we mandate doggy diapers merely so that people aren't subjected to the horrors of watching dogs defecate in public?

How about "men kissing?" How about "interracial couples?" Should we criminalize those things just because lots of people get upset by seeing them in public?

- Dave W. (Private Msg, EMail)
Evidently, I rock!
Why not question something for a change?
Visit Dave's Psoriasis Info, too.
Go to Top of Page

sailingsoul
SFN Addict

2830 Posts

Posted - 01/23/2013 :  07:36:44   [Permalink]  Show Profile Send sailingsoul a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Human beings maintain quite a bit of fantasy about the world they wish to live in, with all the inaccurate beliefs about reality and how things actually function and are interrelated. I for one am very happy that seeing naked people in public is such a rarity unless actually sought out.
For most us clothes are vastly underrated for all the variety of "beauty" they cover and bring out. Quite a bit of the general public would not be that pleasing to look at naked, with some people being out right gross to see due to "Madison avenue's" conditioning. Bodies being what they are, I appreciate what clothes do in that respect which I think is underrated. I believe clothes are as popular and public nudity not so much for bigger reasons than morality.


E.g., I would never wish to attend a naked bingo without first going blind!

There are only two types of religious people, the deceivers and the deceived. SS
Go to Top of Page

Dave W.
Info Junkie

USA
26020 Posts

Posted - 01/23/2013 :  14:58:52   [Permalink]  Show Profile  Visit Dave W.'s Homepage Send Dave W. a Private Message  Reply with Quote
SS, I have such a poor body image that I won't even go swimming any longer, to save people from having to look at my ugliness. But what I won't do is try to be the arbiter of anyone else's comfort levels with their own bodies. I don't have to look at people who don't meet my standards of tolerable, so if they're comfortable going naked, it's no big deal to me.

It's been my experience that the sort of people who like to go skinny dipping are not the sort of people I want to ogle, but I have no right to make them stop doing something simply because I don't want to see it. If it were otherwise, we could outlaw all public religious displays tomorrow.

- Dave W. (Private Msg, EMail)
Evidently, I rock!
Why not question something for a change?
Visit Dave's Psoriasis Info, too.
Go to Top of Page
  Previous Topic Topic Next Topic  
 New Topic  Reply to Topic
 Printer Friendly Bookmark this Topic BookMark Topic
Jump To:

The mission of the Skeptic Friends Network is to promote skepticism, critical thinking, science and logic as the best methods for evaluating all claims of fact, and we invite active participation by our members to create a skeptical community with a wide variety of viewpoints and expertise.


Home | Skeptic Forums | Skeptic Summary | The Kil Report | Creation/Evolution | Rationally Speaking | Skeptillaneous | About Skepticism | Fan Mail | Claims List | Calendar & Events | Skeptic Links | Book Reviews | Gift Shop | SFN on Facebook | Staff | Contact Us

Skeptic Friends Network
© 2008 Skeptic Friends Network Go To Top Of Page
This page was generated in 0.08 seconds.
Powered by @tomic Studio
Snitz Forums 2000