July 21, 2007

  • Nudity and rebellion in Vermont

    BRATTLEBORO, Vermont (Reuters) - A Vermont town that is gaining national
    attention for brash displays of nudity -- from teens in the buff to naked
    elderly people -- awoke on Wednesday to an emergency ban on nakedness in most
    public places.

    Officials in Brattleboro voted 3 to 2 on Tuesday night for a temporary
    30-day ordinance prohibiting people from going about in the nude.

    Public nudity made headlines last summer when the weather grew hot and a
    couple of dozen teens took to holding hula hoop contests, riding bikes and
    parading past stores wearing only their birthday suits. The disrobing has
    resumed this summer.  

     http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSN1823185120070718

    I have mixed feelings about this. 
    First of all, I can’t imagine living in a town that believes in personal
    freedom so much that the city council would be so evenly divided as to whether
    strolling around in the buff should be limited. 
    I wish I lived in such a progressive town.  In this part of Indiana I’m pretty sure that
    breast feeding in public is against the law. 
    After Janet Jackson’s “wardrobe malfunction” during the Super Bowl one
    mother wrote a letter to the editor asking how she would ever be able to undo
    the damage done to her children by seeing that breast.  (Yes, it’s true, though I suspect that most
    any damage done to her children has actually been done by her).

    Before I had my own pool in the middle of 58 acres I would have loved for
    there to be a local pool where I could have gone skinny dipping, which is still
    legal in Brattleboro.

    Still, I can understand why perhaps some might not want people strolling
    nude in the middle of downtown.  It
    wouldn’t bother me any more than someone strolling in a really bad paisley jumpsuit
    or a man in bad golf attire.  But I’m
    probably weird in that way.  I really
    wouldn’t care, but I can see how some might.

    What I think is really cool though, is that it was teenagers that initiated
    this.  These are rebellious teenagers in
    the fashion that teenagers were rebellious in the late 60’s and early 70’s.  For the most part, it seems to me that the
    youth of today have lost that real rebellious spirit.  It’s much safer to go along, don’t challenge
    authority, don’t challenge the mainstream middle of the road, stay safe, stay
    comfortable, don’t risk losing your cell phone or PS3.

    Hermann Hesse wrote: “The bourgeois prefers comfort to pleasure, convenience
    to liberty, and a pleasant temperature to the deathly inner consuming fire”.  I kind of like the heat of the fire and I’m
    really happy to see that rebellion is still alive in teenagers.  Maybe they’ll even stand up and challenge our
    emperor’s clothing one day. 

Comments (6)

  • Really, I wish we would see much more teenaged rebellion. Most of the teens I see are just wrapped up in their material existence.

    Yes, today was the most beautiful day in recent memory. It was perfect.

    Thanks for the anniversary wishes! Miss Kitty is feeling better. With her being sick it forced us to slow down. We soaked up every bit of wonderful that the day had.

  • As a former Hoosier, I also suspect breast feeding is illegal there. But I can't really imagine nipples are the source of a generational erosion; unless you consider the amount you see in pro wrestling, swimming, modeling, or hot weather construction. After Ms. Jackson [If You're Nasty], I was confused as to why womens' nipples cause such a ruckus and mens' do not - and womens have a legitimate function!

    On another note of rebellion, I noticed that my minority students rarely do anything alone. I don't know if it's related to a populous culture, large and/or mixed families, or historical wariness of the establishment but following with their "gear" in hand is the goal. As far as my generation goes, most battles seemed to have already been waged and there is little rabble on about. It most likely will take some serious erosion of taken-for-granted-liberties to gather motivation.....but just wait until the next presidential election!!!!

  • So what the heck have you been doing for the last several months?

  • I have been dealing with the inevitable, but less pleasant times of life.  In the spring, within a two week period, my wife's mother and then my mother died, the former of Parkinson's disease and cancer and the later from pancreatic cancer.  I did my best to work and teach during that time.  I missed one day of work and missed teaching one class.  In a way, working was a way to deal with the above, and in another way it was just my work ethic . . . a death in the family is a reason to not show up for work, but only if you're the one that's dead.

    Spring, which is my favorite time of year, was not so special this year.  Well really, it sucked.  But I'm feeling better and even smiling now and then. 

  • I'm really sorry for your family's losses. That's a pretty rough one-two punch. Recovery from the loss of a loved one is difficult and to have both of your moms die within such a short period of time must have been overwhelming. I understand how the routine of work can be a solace.

    I know this may sound trite, but it comes from the most genuine place and that is, I hope your good memories will comfort you during those difficult times.

    Thanks for your insight about the question of which school to pick. Sometimes I get so locked into the idea that there is only one right path. I need to remember that life is what you make of it. If you have the right attitude any number of paths can be right for you.

  • I hope so. Congress is certainly pussying out on us. 54% of the public wants Cheney impeached and still we can't get the going.

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