Mything the Point

Columnist David Harsanyi has written a column about Nude Recreation week in the Denver Post, and completely misses the point.

There are two inarguable truths about nudity. One: I am ashamed of my body. Two: Adults who seem most inclined to take their clothing off in public should be ashamed of theirs.

Ask a non-nudist why the human body is something to be ashamed of, the answer is always just "because". Even a child is smart enough to retort with "because why?" Harsanyi doesn't know why, he just knows. His ignorance then turns to ridicule.

As you probably suspect, like most hobbyists, nudists come from "all walks of life." And having met silly people from all walks of life, I'm not surprised.

Silly? Silly how? Silly like we're clowns, we amuse you? We make you laugh? What do you mean silly? Harsanyi doesn't know how, he just knows. Then it all becomes "about the children" when he interviews the manager of Mountain Air Ranch.

I have to ask a couple awkward questions at this point: Are there children present at these au natural recreational activities? (Please say no.)

Regrettably, there are ... somewhere between 45-60 of these unfortunate, impressionable young souls are exposed to the horrors of the hairy, cellulite-ridden naked adult body.

Ah, the human body as "horror" argument. What could be worse than the human body, that vile creation of a vengeful God, who is reported to have made us in his own image just to torture us every time we step out of the shower and look in a mirror.

And for his final myth, Harsanyi pulls out the nudity is only for sex argument.

In all probability, "nude recreation" has a very specific meaning to you. And that activity, in my opinion, is more natural than the sterile nudity these hobbyists engage in.

Sorry, David, you cannot have both sides of this argument. On one hand you find nudism shameful and horrifying, and then you find it "sterile".

The surest sign of ignorance when it comes to nudism is when someone makes empty arguments. Harsanyi is free to offer his opinion, certainly, but his views about nudism are not based upon any real knowledge or experience, but merely on his own misconceptions and notions. He makes no effort to understand, only to condemn.

Whenever someone is totally clueless, I always recommend that they read the 205 Arguments and Observations in Support of Naturism (.pdf file), and then come back and discuss the issue. David Harsanyi owes at least that much to the millions of Naturists worldwide that he offended in his glib and clueless column.

Tags: nudism, naturism, nudist, nudists, naturist, naturists, nudity, nudes, bare, au naturel, nude, naked