The Easy Breather and Minerva Walker share a twofold goal: to have non-sexual nudity legalized in the United States, and to eliminate cigars, cigarets, pipes and other forms of tobacco intended for human consumption. Find out why black Americans should be concerned about tobacco.
Ways to Legalize Nudity in South Dakota
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The issue of human nudity — be it in drawings, in paintings, in digital art or in sculpture; on the beach, on television or on the silver screen — has caused dissension for hundreds of years, especially in the United States and the United Kingdom. But it took the Janet Jackson incident of February 2004 to get Congress worked up about the issue. I’m all for sexual restraint and I recognize the purpose of clothing. But I also believe that we are not to be ashamed of the human body, the pinnacle of God’s creation. We cannot hide our thoughts from God, so why do we try to hide our bodies?
I live in South Dakota, which in the summer can be as hot as Arizona. Several cities and counties in my state have by popular vote banned public nudity as a means of closing down “juice bars” that also featured nude female dancers. Such bans are overbroad, tantamount to burning down the house to roast a pig. South Dakota seems to be the only one of the 50 states that has no land set aside for nude recreation, so despite my acceptance of innocent nudity, I am unable to join a naturist group. Nudity in entertainment should be accepted when it is relevant to the story, and not merely to shock or to provide sexual gratification. Even Cartoon Network has shown nudity in animation, particularly from Canada and Japan. Let us, for a moment, look at other kinds of media content many Americans consider to be objectionable:
At least one film critic condemns as sexually immoral not only actors getting stark naked (or nearly so) on the screen, even for a bath or shower, but also scenes of couples in bed. His rationale is that, in the first instance, because people must be clothed in public, actors must be clothed in the movies, and in the second instance, though the characters are husband and wife, the actors tend not to be married. This critic must not approve of the Blondie comic strip, in which Blondie and Dagwood are routinely shown in bed together, and Dagwood is just as often shown in the bathtub or wearing only either underwear or a sopping wet towel. Blondie herself has appeared nude at least since 1948, but always with her large, attractive breasts hidden by clothing, bath water, props or her own forearms. Few years have gone by in the 20th and 21st centuries without at least one film or TV show that contained a nude scene. The ultra-restrictive Hays Motion Picture Code, which was in force from 1933 to 1966, forbade not only the nakedness of actors but also any visual indication of pregnancy. Some films, such as the 1940 production of The Invisible Woman with Virginia Bruce, defied the anti-nudity clause in the Hays Code. Even Walt Disney encouraged a 12-year-old boy to get naked on a rope swing while filming Pollyanna (1960). After 1966, when the churches stopped reviewing the content of every film, movies in general started to decline in quality. In 1968, the Motion Picture Association of America introduced its age-based rating system, which persists to this day. A board rates movies for perceived age appropriateness, but the board members are not necessarily a cross section of parents in the United States. For me, nudity by itself can be sexy but is not sexual, and it is less problematic than aberrant sexual behaviors (including homosexuality), useless violence, glorification of alcohol and tobacco, foul language, discordant music, displays of tattoos and embedded jewelry (including earrings on men), disrespect for legitimate authority, or promotion of religion other than true Christianity. Regrettably, since 1966, most movies have been made by directors, writers and studio executives who show little regard for decency. Dwayne Bell agrees with me that women should be admired as much for their intelligence and purposefulness as for their physical beauty. But can male nudity in entertainment ever be accepted as anything but comedic? Yes, if it is done in good taste and relevant to the story, and if the man is attractive to women but calls no undue attention to his naked body. Should children be allowed to see adults or other children naked? Only a parent can answer that question, and only for his or her own children. I may not live to see it, but the day will come when everyday nudity is once again accepted in mainstream U.S. society. |