NUDE SWIM ARGUMENTS BARELY MAKE ANY SENSE
If nudism is still an actual thing, let’s keep our kids out of it, writes Naomi Lakritz.
The nudist group that wants to swim naked at Calgary’s Southland Leisure Centre certainly has some high-minded ideals.
“This group is a place to break free from societal constraints and tap into the liberation and freedom from embarrassment and shame, and allow us to fully embrace and courageously love all of ourselves in the presence of others,” the Calgary Nude Recreation’s meetup.com page states.
If they really want to break free from societal constraints, tap into a little liberation and indulge in what they call their “rawest self-expression” they should throw away their smartphones instead.
That would be a far more radical break from society than skinny-dipping behind windows covered with paper so nobody can see them.
It’s surprising to learn that nudism is even still around. Didn’t it go out back in the ’70s? Didn’t everyone put on their clothes and rejoin society?
Upon hearing of the Southland Leisure Centre event, a friend who went to a nude beach many years ago in Greece said the cover of the National Geographic is the only place she’ll look at nudity again, and she muttered something about the “raisin butts” she saw on that Greek beach.
Of course, if you find anything objectionable about the naked pool event, then according to one online commenter, “It just goes to show how those who do not understand the issues can create a problem where none exists. The evidence is crystal clear, nudity is not a problem, prudery and body prejudice is.”
Why is it that when one person disagrees with another’s point of view, it’s because the other person does “not understand the issues”?
Maybe it’s because the first person has indeed looked into the issues and understood them, that he or she has taken the opposing stance.
Nudity is a problem. That’s why we don’t have naked baseball games, naked golf, naked marches at Olympic Plaza and naked everything else.
That’s why the fashion industry is in no danger of going out of business any time soon.
That’s why we have laws about indecent exposure.
Thoroughly irritating, however, is the city’s namby-pamby attitude of being non-judgmental toward the nudies’ party.
“We like to have an inclusive environment, and we like to support all Calgarians in their pursuit of recreation opportunities, and see this booking no different than many of our other bookings,” said Jarret Hoebers, the city’s recreation regional manager.
What if some group’s pursuit of recreation opportunities entails booking a city-run tennis court for some nude doubles and they promise to cover the chain link fence around the court with paper?
“Inclusive” is getting to be a really wimpy word. How about a little exclusiveness for a change?
Supporting “all Calgarians in their pursuit of recreational opportunities” shouldn’t mean that anything and everything goes.
If children are going to be present, then everyone should have to wear a swimsuit.
It’s interesting how the focus these days is on teaching children that their bodies are private and belong to them alone, but now it’s OK for kids to splash around naked in a public place with adults who are total strangers.
Who says any of these kids even want to be naked at this event? It’s all well and good to say don’t go to the nudist pool party if you don’t approve of it, but the children there really have no choice.
These kids, born into a society where wearing clothes is the norm and where modesty and privacy still have some cachet, are getting some very mixed, and potentially harmful, messages.
A swimsuit rule if children are at an event imposes no hardship on adult nudists.
They put on clothes every day to go to work, run errands and move about in society, and it hasn’t killed them yet.
“Are we morally right to be OK with the underage kids?” Coun. Sean Chu wanted to know.
No, Sean, we are not.
“Inclusive” is getting to be a really wimpy word. How about a little exclusiveness for a change?