I was recently engaged in an online conversation with a friend of mine, Jay@J068downsouth, and I was reminded of a comment that he made back in April 2020.
I like how you seek to achieve a balanced overall viewpoint in your writing, while still emphasising how things are from the naturists' viewpoint(s).
This paragraph sums up well both a major misconception of us and the day to day lives of nudists. "The naturist philosophy has nothing to do with sex. A common misconception is that because people are naked, it must be sexual. Nothing could be further from the truth. We are just normal people doing everyday things, but we prefer to do those things without clothes. Housework, gardening, reading, whatever it is that you spend your time doing, those are the things that naturists get up to. Nothing sinister, just boring stuff, but in the buff."
I am definitely one of those who wants to do as much as possible naked, provided it is warm enough to be nude. However I can think of people I see naked far more than clothed because we meet up at local nude places, yet they don't seem to get why some of us prefer to be naked while decorating, cleaning, preparing meals .... We naked people are a broad diaspora too.
I'm with you on how those of us who want to live naked at certain times can have the same choices that non-naturists may have. I don't care what they choose to wear, I don't get why they care that we are happy in just our skin, or have such influence on where we can be nude in public risk-free.
Thank you for your comments. To be fair, I may be preaching to the converted a bit. It would be interesting to hear what non-naturists think, but at this stage, I am not sure if my writing reaches many.
This post definitely got me thinking about the situation in NZ where I think these considerations already exist depending on your perspective. I’ve expressed this thinking in more detail here: https://themystrd.zone/blog/renewdnarrative/
What I’m curious about is whose consideration do we thinking we’re seeking?
I read the post you link to and agree with your take on the more conservative attitudes in the online world to social nudity contributing to holding back its acceptance more widely.
I'm replying here because I don't use Disqus or the other social media services linked to there. I think part of the problem is down to how much of the online social media is dominated by providers from those same conservative places. We can't always share photos that depict nude social recreation on these sites without flagging them as 'restricted' etc, the restrictions are there because nudity causes 'shock' and/or 'horror', apparently. In the UK public nudity is indeed legal, should I wish to share a photo from a day at a local nude beach I can't post it on Fakebook because the global powers that be there are more conservative than the laws of this country.
You make some excellent points in your blog. I guess in New Zealand, beaches are probably the most tolerant of places where nudity can be expected, especially in the more remote places outside the major cities. I am not convinced that New Zealanders would be as forgiving of nudity in a more urban environment. My blog is written with a more international flavour, as many of the conversations and reflections that inspire the writing are had with people all over the world. I am also writing with a slant toward an international non-naturist audience, as a starting point for thought and reflection. We are truly lucky that in New Zealand we are not hampered by unreasonable laws prohibiting public nudity.
I like how you seek to achieve a balanced overall viewpoint in your writing, while still emphasising how things are from the naturists' viewpoint(s).
This paragraph sums up well both a major misconception of us and the day to day lives of nudists. "The naturist philosophy has nothing to do with sex. A common misconception is that because people are naked, it must be sexual. Nothing could be further from the truth. We are just normal people doing everyday things, but we prefer to do those things without clothes. Housework, gardening, reading, whatever it is that you spend your time doing, those are the things that naturists get up to. Nothing sinister, just boring stuff, but in the buff."
I am definitely one of those who wants to do as much as possible naked, provided it is warm enough to be nude. However I can think of people I see naked far more than clothed because we meet up at local nude places, yet they don't seem to get why some of us prefer to be naked while decorating, cleaning, preparing meals .... We naked people are a broad diaspora too.
I'm with you on how those of us who want to live naked at certain times can have the same choices that non-naturists may have. I don't care what they choose to wear, I don't get why they care that we are happy in just our skin, or have such influence on where we can be nude in public risk-free.
Thank you for your comments. To be fair, I may be preaching to the converted a bit. It would be interesting to hear what non-naturists think, but at this stage, I am not sure if my writing reaches many.
This post definitely got me thinking about the situation in NZ where I think these considerations already exist depending on your perspective. I’ve expressed this thinking in more detail here: https://themystrd.zone/blog/renewdnarrative/
What I’m curious about is whose consideration do we thinking we’re seeking?
I read the post you link to and agree with your take on the more conservative attitudes in the online world to social nudity contributing to holding back its acceptance more widely.
I'm replying here because I don't use Disqus or the other social media services linked to there. I think part of the problem is down to how much of the online social media is dominated by providers from those same conservative places. We can't always share photos that depict nude social recreation on these sites without flagging them as 'restricted' etc, the restrictions are there because nudity causes 'shock' and/or 'horror', apparently. In the UK public nudity is indeed legal, should I wish to share a photo from a day at a local nude beach I can't post it on Fakebook because the global powers that be there are more conservative than the laws of this country.
You make some excellent points in your blog. I guess in New Zealand, beaches are probably the most tolerant of places where nudity can be expected, especially in the more remote places outside the major cities. I am not convinced that New Zealanders would be as forgiving of nudity in a more urban environment. My blog is written with a more international flavour, as many of the conversations and reflections that inspire the writing are had with people all over the world. I am also writing with a slant toward an international non-naturist audience, as a starting point for thought and reflection. We are truly lucky that in New Zealand we are not hampered by unreasonable laws prohibiting public nudity.