Nudism fosters healthier individuals, society
By: David Manning - Commentary | ∞
I was born nude. Nothing unusual here. In 1962, I was 8 years old, my parents took on the management of a nudist club in Colton. For the next 12 years this was my home. My family were members of other clubs before that so I have been a nudist all of my life.
In the late '70s, I spent an afternoon being interviewed by Dennis Craig Smith, who along with William Sparks wrote, "The Naked Child: Growing Up Without Shame/Social Nudity/Its Effect on Children," a statistical study of adults who were brought up in a nudist environment.
This study, along with others, concludes that the idea of exposure to the naked human body during one's formative years is somehow detrimental to one's adult mental state is not only wrong, but that the opposite is true. These studies also point out that there is less drug abuse, fewer unwanted pregnancies and lower rates of sexually deviant behavior exhibited than that of the general population. Additionally, people who grew up in nudist environments are better educated, more tolerant of others and better adjusted to life in general.
With this information at hand, I am completely astounded that, in 2005, there are those whose ignorance of fact allows them to attack a private gathering of nudists under the guise of "protecting the children." (I have to assume we are talking about protecting them from sexual abuse, as opposed to getting caught in the crossfire of spontaneous gang violence).
The primary Bible thumper behind this attack, James Hartline, who brought this "potentially harmful" activity to light (and whose rather complicated background can be examined via a quick online search), has obviously never bothered to educate himself by reading these studies or the Bible he's waving in everybody's face.
Here is one man quoting from Genesis, "They were nude but they were not ashamed." Furthermore, because God created it, Pope John Paul II said, "The human body can remain nude and uncovered and preserve its splendor and its beauty."
As far as protecting the children from a group, it would appear that the Catholic Church should be at the top of Escondido Councilwoman Mare Waldron's list, as well as every other group, both private and public, in which children are present. Groups are not the problem, pedophiles are the problem. These people do not do their damage in public. I can guarantee that no priest has ever molested a child in front of the congregation.
Attacking any group is not the answer, growing healthier adults is. To that end, by all available data, it would appear that bringing the next few generations of children up in an open nudist environment (not necessarily a nudist club, but a healthy "see, I'm OK, you're OK, nothing mysterious here" atmosphere) is the best available option our society has.
By the way, if gang members were naked, it would be damn near impossible to carry a concealed weapon. (And if they did conceal them, they'd be where they belong!)
David Manning lives in Encinitas.
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Arleigh wrote on Jan 9, 2006 8:03 AM:Wouldn't it be interesting is nudism became the ultiment form of security and the norm of society in all public places and transportation . The fact that people would be equalized amongst one another [no status of clothing ]It would mean the emphisis of intellectual status as a competitive comparitive .In a sence that kind of cultural competitiveness would naturally elevate the level around every one .False immages of clothing status would mean even a poor man with a better than average intelectual level might even have more reguard paid than a rich man with a very low intellectual level .And obviously if one must boast about their wealth trying to inspire acceptance ,the depth of intellect is exposed as well .No doubt ,people are capable of behaving them selves ,even those who are sexually distracted in an environment which gives them what they yearn to see ,they know that they will lose that privilidge perminantly if they don't behave and pretend to be respectful .In some cases it might even be good theropy ,to reculture ones mental imballance
Nate wrote on Sep 11, 2006 10:12 AM:I really appreciated this article. Throughout history there have been individuals who harshly critisize what they do not know. They never even take the time to learn the truth of the matter. What is more frustrating is that they somehow gain an influence over an uninformed public. If the evidence of the benefits of antying (not just nudity) is clear and true, then there is no reason to object ... yet many do. Many are overcome by their feelings of unfamiliarity with certain subjects. They feel uncomfortable by their own uncertainty concerning the matter. We should be living in a time of clear reason and truth. In this information age people should alow themselves to research matters untainted by their own initial emotional reaction. People should always be open to the truth, even if it is not what they originally expected it to be. Nudity should have widespread acceptance. It has been proven time and time again to be good for people. Many of today's problems are the result of the pendulum of moral values swinging between extremes (repression and rebellion) instead of being alowed to settle upon the stable truth somewhere in the middle.
Liz wrote on Feb 9, 2008 3:07 PM:But was it the open minded parents raising the children that meant there was less deviantness,pregnancies,etc or was it the being around nudity etc? you cannot assume it was just because they were raised around nudity when the parents and social aspect of the type of people are involved.
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