Conference moira::naturism

217.0. "An Article in the Boston Globe" by FROSTY::WILSON (You CAN Tuna friend's nose!) Fri Jan 26 1990 13:20

The following is an article in the January 26, 1990 Boston Globe, by 
Susan Trausch, a Globe columnist.  It is reproduced here without 
permission.

                            Barefoot in the Park
    
    Today's philosophical question is: Why are nudists funny?
    They are, no doubt about it, and the news that they'd hired a 
lobbyist in Washington had me pounding the desk.
    "Ha-ha-ha," I said, reading a recent Reuter story.  "Got to look into 
this one because a bunch of naked people might be visiting their 
congresspersons, or, better yet, planning a demonstration on [sic] the 
Mall."
    Proving once again that when it comes to the human body, some of us 
have all the maturity of a fifth-grader looking through a National 
Geographic.
    Back at Garfield Elementary School in Cleveland, we used to pass the 
magazines around with pieces if paper stuck in the "good" pages.  Maybe 
that is considered tame by today's fifth-grade standards, but in 1955 it 
was hot stuff.
    Kevin Kearney, the lobbyist for the American Sunbathing Association, 
sounded like hot stuff even by 1990 standards.  He has represented 
motorcycle and recreational groups in Washington over the years and began 
working for the 34,000 folks in the nudist organization last August.  
Even went au naturel to their summer convention at a resort near Grand 
Rapids, even though he's not a nudist.
    "How weird was it?" I asked him on the phone, getting right to the 
good stuff.
    "I felt self-conscious for about 10 seconds," he said.  "There is 
something very nonthreatening about being nude with a bunch of other 
people.  It feels as though you are all part of one big family.  It is a 
completely nonsexual experience.  People are very considerate of one 
another.  There is a certain dignity."
    He spoke quite calmly and sanely, and the word "dignity" snagged me.  
It was one of those conversational turning points when a person espousing 
what would seem to be the most ridiculous theory in the universe starts 
making sense.  This either means the listener has an extremely open mind 
or an extremely gullible one.
    Whatever, I began to question my laughter more than Kearney's 
lobbying.  Not that I was about to sign up for networking in the buff, 
but if other people wanted to and weren't offending anybody - why not?
    Kearney made such a good point that clothing is often much more 
suggestive than plain unadorned skin, and that plunging necklines, 
see-through fabrics, short skirts and string bikinis are designed to make 
the body more exciting than it is.  He also said that publications such 
as Penthouse and Hustler degrade what should be considered natural.
    "We're really very boring," Kearney says of his group, which is 
pushing for more "clothing optional" areas in national parks.  No, not in 
the main gate where the buses unload, but back off the well-traveled 
trails.
    And is there really any harm in a person sitting discreetly on a rock 
in the altogether to stare at Yosemite?  And is this necessarily 
hilarious?
    If the person on the rock is my Aunt Martha or George Bush or both of 
them together, we could be into some serious comic relief.  But if the 
person is everyman or woman, the image could be considered beautiful.
    Kearney explains that while there were no federal laws on the books 
prohibiting nudists in the parks, they were also hassled and discouraged 
from visiting.  "My job is to focus attention on the issues," he said.  
"If the issue is trash and littering, then the park should make people 
pick up their junk, not prohibit nude sunbathing.  If the problem is 
protecting an endangered species, then let's deal with that."
    
    To generate interest in his group, he's been mailing nudist 
association calendars to Congress.  He describes the pictures as "clean 
and wholesome and not at all like the Sports Illustrated bathing suit 
calendar."
    This may or may not work to his advantage.
    Either way, I wish him luck.  He's a brave man.  ANd people might 
realize that if they ever stop laughing.
    
                     [Printed in it's entirety.  JW]

    A couple of comments on the article - First, the roles of the American
    Sunbathers' Association (ASA) and The Naturist Society (TNS) appeared
    to be confused.  I was not aware of the ASA's lobbying for access
    to national parks.  Second, the final sentence appears to me to
    be a non sequitur.  I would guess it was put in there to "lighten"
    the conclusion she appeared to have reached, i.e. that "the image
    [people sitting discreetly au naturel] could be considered beautiful."
    
    I would love to invite the writer to one of the CO swims in Revere.
    Think she'd go??                       
    
    Jack
    

    
    
                         One way to find out!