More on the Naked Kids in Vermont

I'm on record for stating that no good can come of the situation in Brattleboro, Vermont, where young people are congregating in a downtown parking lot, stark naked. I believe that the only course of action the townspeople will have will be to enact an ordinance banning public nudity.

But there are positive signs in the situation. First, the young people are comfortable in their own bodies, which is a good thing. Part of this is certainly rebellion, but part has to be the fact that they have a bit of naturist inside themselves.

The young men and women, many still in their late teens, are not merely indulging in the long-cherished Vermont tradition of nude sunbathing and skinny-dipping. They have been riding their bicycles naked down Main Street, busking in the buff and congregating for nude hula-hoop contests in a car park. (link)

"We have a nuclear power plant a few miles away and a ridiculous war in the Middle East, countries getting bombed," said Ian Bigelow, a 23-year-old who had gathered with some of his friends outside a bookstore. "So why's it such a big problem if we chose to get nude?" (link)

Well, the problem lies in the fact that many people find any sort of nudity offensive. People who don't even want to see nude classical art. These are the people who are making the most noise over this, crying "think of the children" as if the sight of nude bodies is going to irreversibly corrupt young minds (there is no substantiation to this claim; in fact, the opposite seems to be true).

"I don't see why it's such a big deal," said Alec McPherson, a recent high school graduate as he sat at a coffee shop table, browsing a thick volume of artwork from the Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Everyone's naked in this book." (link)

It's difficult to make the argument that a bunch of nude teenagers doing the hula-hoop is akin to a Rubens painting at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, but the kid does have a point. So what is the big deal about public nudity?

You will notice that when the conservatives talk about nudity, they will label it "indecent". Just what is decent, and what is indecent? There is no solid definition, the meaning is in the mind of the beholder. As justice Potter Stewart once said back in the 1960s regarding pornography, "I know it when I see it". This shows just how difficult it is to define decency, it seems to be more what a social community is willing to accept. Although public nudity is not now illegal in Vermont, since the matter is being tested the community will be forced to make a decision, and it's not likely to put it's stamp of approval over nude teenagers downtown.

"I think most of Vermont wants Vermont to be nude," said Hannah Phillips, 15, who added that she has not disrobed. "People have a basic human right to be naked if they want to." (link)

Most nudists/naturists will agree that being nude is a basic human right, but most of society does not accept nudity in everyday situations. In order to change hearts and minds, the nudist movement must be steadfast and patient in promoting the lifestyle as something good for human beings. Nudism has not grown so profoundly over the past 10 years by being confrontational, and ultimately the situation in Vermont could be harmful because it will mobilize the hard right which thrives on exploiting such causes. It would not surprise me to see Jerry Falwell jumping into the fray eventually as the debate heats up.