<p>“All childish flouting of “the rules” under the guise of intellectual superiority.”</p>
<p>On the other hand, some of us are lifelong nudists and enjoy being unclothed whenever reasonable (or “clothed with the sun” whenever possible outdoors). Nude beaches, nudist resorts, hot springs, and clothing-optional gatherings exist almost everywhere in the world for anyone who wants to enjoy these locales and events without the encumberment of clothing. After you’ve done it once or twice, it’s a perfectly natural experience, and no one has any trouble with “uh oh where do I look” sorts of worries. Participants aren’t there to “compare and contrast”, and if they are, they’re likely to be out the door (or pushed into the lake!) pretty darned quickly. While it may not be something you find appropriate for you, it is neither childish, flouting, nor a guise.</p>
<p>“Nude beaches, nudist resorts, hot springs, and clothing-optional gatherings exist almost everywhere in the world for anyone who wants to enjoy these locales and events without the encumberment of clothing.”</p>
<p>Yup, so I’ve observed. I’ve also observed that in industrialized societies, particularly those in The West, it is usually those among the most affluent and educated that regularly patronize such gatherings. Only the most intellectually adroit seem capable of pretending that planned group nudity isn’t about ignoring that rather large elephant pirouetting in the pink tutu. I’m sure none of this applies to you though, Mootmom ;)</p>
<p>In a different vein, PH, I guess you probably have contempt for over-spouting of Kant and Sartre, outlandish political opinions, explorations of other religions, and all those other immature intellectual posturings that college students have been accused of for generations.</p>
<p>Better they gather around the keg and hold co-ed wrestling in baby-oil contests, I guess. No intellectual superiority there.</p>
<p>My kids certainly don’t tell me everything, but everything they do tell me confirms my impression that their youths are not terribly different from mine, with a few screws tightened 1/4 more or less. “Naked parties” is a funny (or upsetting) idea, but it does not mean that the students involved are somehow magically transformed into rutting beasts. Some of them may be rutting beasts, but they were going to be like that with their clothes on, too. Most are going to be a mixture of uncomfortable and whistle-a-happy-tune (so no one will suspect I’m afraid), with a dollop of flirting that probably wouldn’t be out of place in middle school. When I was younger, I sometimes went to nude beaches with groups of friends, and that’s how all of us felt, and I’ll bet that’s how today’s 20-year-olds feel, too.</p>
<p>And I can guarantee that such parties aren’t mandatory. My D is quite social, and also loves to “epater les bourgeoises (parents)”, but she would die before appearing naked in public. That’s not because of morality, it’s because of negative body image. I would actually be a little happier if I thought she could stand this idea. I don’t think she’s remotely alone in that.</p>
<p>She did have an underwear party, once, though – I guess that’s the trimmers’ version.</p>
<p>And, for those of you who assume that public nudity = highly sexualized atmosphere, my (somewhat limited) experience is 180 degrees to the contrary. Being around a lot of nude people is pretty, uh, inhibiting; people (men especially) tend to be on best behavior. (I’ve never been to a nude orgy, though; I imagine that might be different. But folklore about the porn industry suggests that the ability to be naked and sexual in front of dozens of people is a trait that’s not so common.) It’s a fairly standard observation that the erotic depends on concealing as much as revealing, or alternating the two strategically. In a weird way, no concealment means nothing gets revealed, either, and the charge goes out of things pretty fast.</p>
<p>garland: Perhaps you haven’t noticed, but when a poster expresses an opinion contrary to yours on this subject, you jump all over that person. For example, I think “contempt” is a ridiculously harsh word to describe the view poetsheart expressed in her post.</p>
<p>Because of this post I googled naked party to see if they are for real. Indeed they are but each article I read about them indicated that they are very non-sexual. In fact, Barbara Bush was reported to have attended at least one while at Yale.</p>
<p>In my day, there was a naked party across the hall in my apartment building but it was accompanied by loud Jefferson Airplane music and marijuana hits. It didnt seem that much was going on there either!</p>
<p>HH–I like reasoned argument. I will admit I dn’t like character judgment,assuming they know other people’s motivations, thoughts, etc when they don’t even know them, based not on evidence but on assumptions. That’s what I was responding to in Poetheart’s post. </p>
<p>To give an example from my own posting past: I started the infamous Intel thread, and gave it an unfair title. Because it assumed that all Intel winners did the things listed in the article, not just some of them. I was wrong to do so, and as I said in the thread, I wished I could change the title to acknowledge tht mistake.</p>
<p>Poetheart made an assumption on the motivation and character of a group of students, based on inferences not evidence. To me, that does show contempt–it’s saying I don’t know you, not one of you, but I can make negative, derogatory inference about who you are. Not based on either personal experience or any other evidence.</p>
<p>Like I said, i like argument–based on evidence.</p>
<p>Surely your opinion is based on reasoning, or extrapolation from experiences you know more about (a perfectly valid way to form an opinion). Several people on the thread have discussed firsthand experience, but anecdote is the best we can do.</p>
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<p>Oh, how true. The last thing the guys want is to make the women feel uncomfortable and leave.</p>
<p>All of this is so much less scandalous than it may sound; some of us ran around naked a little, but my friends and I are just a bunch of well-behaved choir dorks who graduated on time and went to good grad schools and bought condos. We all got together two weeks ago at the wedding of a fellow skinny-dipper, now a Yale PhD, to a Yale ophthalmologist. It was a CC parent’s dream come true.</p>
<p>Testy, Testy Garland. Actually, Contempt doesn’t at all describe my attitude toward these gatherings. “Amusement” better covers it. I have been laughing and shaking my head throughout this discussion. It’s hysterical! </p>
<p>For the record, I have nothing “against” nude parties, per se. They just seem, well…silly and somewhat immature. That’s my opinion, and last I looked, that was admisable on CC.</p>
<p>they are pretty silly- but so are lots of things-
I could also say that getting worked up about a football team- especially if it isn’t one that you yourself are playing on is pretty silly
ITs not like college students have never been known to do silly things before-
If you can’t do them- when you are in college- when can you do them?</p>
<p>See, I think when you’re “amused” and “shaking your head” at other people’s behavior, that’s civilized contempt, and not admitting what it is. A certain air of superiority over others’ " silliness" wedded to the judgment of “immature.”</p>
<p>You are totally allowed to have your opinion. Just admit what you’re doing when you voice it.</p>
<p>My sister is quite supercilious over other peoples musical taste.
She likes anything, as long as it was written before 1850.
Heaven forfend you attend a concert where the musicians actually are performing their own pieces!
I like classical and baroque music- but I also love rock music.
She has never attended a rock concert of any type( or blue grass-jazz-or folk)- and obviously that is her choice- but to dismiss something out of hand, without having tried it or even really having a clue what it is about, seems a shame.
Not that you have to have participated in a naked party to know it isn’t for you- but I assume most of us have * been* naked before, whether in a locker room or almost naked on a beach.
Ya it might be a little weird to be at a party where everyone is naked- I know that while I don’t dress behind the curtain in the locker room, I also don’t do everything else I could possibly do before I get dressed,and I wish some of the other people wouldnt either.
Like the student at Yale, I think there are some bodies that are just * made* to be covered</p>
<p>Nope. Contempt, at least in my view, denotes an air of disdain or scorn, an expression of strong disapproval born out of a feeling of moral superiority. I don’t feel strongly enough about naked parties to grant them my contempt. I do continue to find the phenomenon amusing, silly, and perhaps, shortsighted. Why concern oneself with possible future MySpace backlash if you’re going to throw caution to the wind at a naked party?</p>
<p>I do think there’s a harmless and possibly lighthearted thing going on here. There’s nothing nasty about the human body (IMO). Maybe some kids are trying to get comfortable with that. It’s also ok if some kids and parents aren’t comfortable with that. They should feel happy about doing something else. Really.</p>
<p>One night, I got naked with a bunch of people in college. Let’s just say that the police got involved and a few people were hospitalized afterwards. But no, it wasn’t an orgy and my mother never heard a word about it. It is still one of the all time favorite stories of my days in architecture school.</p>
<p>The kids are getting naked. Full stop. No party necessary.</p>
