Eric White

Okay, seems that the administrators have not fixed a bug yet. You all know which one, that blank by the notifications. Visitor, friend request, a comment on a blog? Who knows? Who cares? Kind of liberating on one hand. No longer do you have to go to their profile and decide, friend or not? Admin has taken care of that for us. We can now just delete and never know what we deleted. Thank god I don’t have OCD. 

Should that snarky malarkey response to a well crafted piece of literary genius get you down, worry no more! Delete, delete, delete and never worry about the bad reviews you can’t access!

Am I being too hard on the administrators? Those same folks that revamped the site  for no reason at all, while leaving posts from almost a year ago? I don’t think so. But then again, what do I know, I can’t see any notifications.

I’ll be the first, last and anything in between to admit that nudity is fun. Whatever the excuse, whatever the venue, if nakedness is permissible, i am for it. The why in question is, why do we defend some folks find some nudity permissible and other types not? Frankly, i don’t care. Your opinion and mine don’t matter. Society’s opinion however, makes all the difference and that why does matter. We have seen historical evidence, from time to time, about how some presidents of the U.S. skinny dipped, or this writer or that one was a nudist, or how this or that actress is a nudist, and the articles on nude baptism and nude swimming at the YMCA . So, why is it verboten in so many places around the world, and even more so in the U.S.?

When did the prude curtain fall? Why did it fall?

I have a theory. A bit outlandish, but nonetheless possible(?). Around the early days of movies, and i mean real early days lime the 1890’s, no one in the mainstream public realized how big movies would get. The industry wasn’t as shortsighted. The folks in the industry knew it would be big. The competition to get thw audience’s money lead to sound , color, big theatrical event movies, panoramic, cinamascope, Dolby sound, Surround Sound, 3D, etcetera and prudery. Somewhere, early, pre-Hays code, nudie movies were also being made. The stag film/porno has been around for almost as long as any other kind of movie. And with almost every film advance, stag/porn movies have kept up. As the arbiters of public decency challenged the morality of Hollywood, what was acceptable for nudism also was challenged. Nudist magazines and nudist films became substituted for porn as the crack down on possession of sexually explicit material got harsher sentences. Sex education and birthing movies were labelled for “educational purposes and for adults only” and also became porn substitutes. So, in the public eye,  nudist camp frolic films became default porn.

M*A*S*H, the t.v. show, didn’t help matters , Hawkeye and his Nudist Volleyball magazine addiction played to the stereotype. When women demanded access to the YMCA, nude male swimming ceased. Nudity in mainstream movies, including full frontal male and female, put it on a big screen with a Restricted rating, and shot down the idea of wholesome nudity,  because sex sells. Keep it dirty. And that hurts the community.

Admit it, boobs and butts are boring, unless you’re 12 and not allowed to see them. Titillation or boredom?

So, i seriously (?) believe there is money to be made keeping nudity as a forbidden, naughty,  disgusting, rude, etcetera activity. Until it becomes boring, we may never get rid of the stigma.

We have a unique forum. Unlike other nudist sites, this one gives nudist bloggers an opportunity to select a topic and post relevant rants or subject matter pertaining to that topic. Many of the other nudist groups have groups you can join for like minded people, and this site is no exception. (Although, cooking in the buff is not a good idea if it involves fish and a deep fryer and frozen french fries). So, what is the point of this blog? Why “Blogging as Blood Sport”? Well, click bait, d’uh? No, it’s really about why we feel the need to express our outrage over whatever, no matter how small the slight. And there’s the rub. What I  previously posted may have been a justification for prudery, well, not this one. I have voted red and blue, and green, and I can justify conservative and liberal leanings, so don’t think for a second I can’t defend or shush prudes or exhibitionists, without being a hypocrite. We are not a nation or country or world of black and white. And where there is grey there is leeway.

I don’t believe anyone who read the MISSION STATEMENT, really intends to violate the rules. I don’t believe people who have called out others for posting offensive (or at least what they deem offensive) material are just being prudish, okay, you have to admit some of you are, but not all the offended are wrong. So, where does that mean I am going with this? Well, for one thing, lighten the hell up. It wasn’t that many years ago, a full frontal male nude was illegal in movies or got an X rating. It wasn’t that many years ago that female pubic hair was airbrushed out. So, times change.

Before you seek to ban a photo, ask yourself, why?

Recently, the “me and my penis” photos have come back under fire. And for the most part, the justification for banning said photos is good. However, the subject matter won’t go away, because there are always going to be dicks who just have to be seen and THEY won’t go away. So, they get reported and banned, reported and banned ad nauseum. Administrators whinge about doing the best they can, and members grouse. Okay, that was in jest, I realize how hard the admin group tries, and I do commend them on their efforts. The problem is Muffy. Again, (this road has been trod by many, myself included) the headless boobs and bush shots seem to get a pass. Flirtatious shots occasionally get a ruffled feathers or two, and this has been recently I might add, and while not a “come and get it boys” legs spread, or as we used to call them “split beaver shots”, there is a line. Albeit rather prudish, but a line that gets drawn and moves quite often, as to what constitutes cute vs naughty, cute vs flirty, or just cute vs crass. What is the purpose of the shot? That’s the real question. If a young lady is on all fours…? To be brutally frank, I don’t give flying fuck how you present yourself, but like Grandpa in Lost Boys tell Michael and David when they move in, “There are rules if you’re going to live in my house”and the same goes for being part of this community. You want to be lewd, go somewhere else. I may not care, but there are people who do. When a group proclaims a photo is rude, they have a right to bitch about it. They may be old fogies and prudes, but they have a right. You want to post a flirty photo, make it private for friends and not public , there are setting for that. Don’t be a twit.

Now back My and My Penis, I agree, no head, no dick, unless it’s a garden shot etc, come on, quit finding legit reasons for some photos over others! Everytime this discussion comes up, somebody has to start with the exceptions. We all know what we are talking about, primary focus. Guys are all proud of their willies, weiners, peckers, dicks, schlongs, johnsons, John Thomas, etcetera, but for fucksake, we don’t have to show them off in a variety of angles, and degrees of erectitude.  As a guy, if I want to see one, I have mirrors and access to all manner of videos on the net. Basically, if you seen one, you seen them all except for the freaks of nature with micro or “you’re not coming near me with that thing” ones.

So, summing up, if someone gripes about your photo, ask yourself what was the reason for posting it and second, why does it have to be available for everyone at Naktiv?

And as far as the use of vulgar, crass rude language in this post, I did warn you.

Do you shave? I don’t mean just face or legs. Do you ever get a haircut? Trim your nails? What is natural?

I have a number of tattoos, and supposedly, the presence of these body modifications will keep me out of Heaven according to some religions. Piercings also are no-nos. Oops! Natural means different things to different people. Armpit hair on women is a turnoff for some guys, moustaches on men are a turnoff for some women. (For the record, if it doesn’t stink, she can braid it for all I care) Natural is a bogus concept. Nobody is 100% natural, or even 75%, c’mon, seriously? Your hair would be an unkempt mess, you’d smell like a skunk and in all honesty, you’re never going to be all natural unless you go feral and live in a cave.

So, what is the big deal about being natural? Nudity is natural, not always practical, but it is a natural state. And that is as natural as you’ll get. Period. The big deal about other things people see as natural is their own hang up. They don’t like it, it’s not natural. So, do you walk everywhere? Live in a house, eat in diners or cafes?  Natural is not about having no piercings or tattoos or not coloring your hair or not shaving. Natural is living in harmony with nature. It’s being authentic. When I don my hippie clothes for a festival or strip for a hot spring or hot tub or Beltane gathering, I am doing what is in my nature. So, you don’t like George’s Prince Edward, don’t look at it. You don’t like women who have hairy armpits, too bad, she just may be a wonderful person you’ll never meet. You want tolerance? Then practice it yourself.

Many, many years ago, Alan Funt of “Candid Camera” fame, put his brand of pranking to a new level. He made a movie that had several unsuspecting victims involved in situations with a naked woman present. Similar to the naked pizza delivery challenge, it played on the uncomfortable feelings of textiles when confronted with a bare. Of course many 12 year old boys wish for these kind of situations, and I admit I was one of them. Now that I am nearly 60, I do know how to handle the situation. The big however is what about the pizza guy? This question comes up from time to time, how do you answer the door if you’re a full time nudist?

There was a clothing optional apartment complex in Austin, Texas that had complaints due to residents not wearing anything when they went to get the mail. Seems that the mailman was not happy seeing the naked residents. They ended up having to be clothed when they retrieved their mail. So, was he right?

We worry about beaches being restricted and areas that had been clothes optional becoming textile only. We want top freedom, we want legal rights, but as long as nude is equated with sex, prudes win the day.

So, what can we do about to it? Look at the local laws. Know your rights. Stay adult and respectful. Their game is to show how rude and lewd nude people can be, so don’t show that to them. Think about the long game. Protest when necessary, and attend those town hall meetings. Be out if you can. If someone can’t be out about being a nudist, don’t you dare out them. Jobs and family may be at stake. And that last bit is all the more reason to fight for legalized nudity. Child protection services could be called if someone has negative feelings about adult nudity around children.

Nudity has been used for protest, titillation and for advertising. It has a long history of being connected to sex, and wishing it wasn’t so won’t change that. Educatimg the masses and being reasonable will.

So, what do you say to a naked lady? How about, nice to meet you, my name is….

Last time i was a member, i posted enough blogs to be in the most blogs posted club. I posted 30. Yes, i m bragging. (And no i don’t capitalize i except when it is autocorrect). I say this because we all like to have individual achievements that probably don’t mean a thing to others, but to ourselves, it is just a moment of pride. No matter how small the accomplishments are, we can say we broke a record, or we learned something new, or we did what ever.  Like hot food that is hot with peppers and we can say been there done that. Not everyone is athletic , and not everyone is a talented singer, so we ger our wins in ways that some may see as silly, but it’s a win none the less. I am not talking Tide pod eating,  or seriously stupid challenges, though the core psychology may be there. (My psych studies didn’t get into personal motivations as much as it should have, actually not at all. A shame really  if abnormal psych barely touched on it)

For nudists, personal records may include, most days in a row naked, most people who have seen you naked in real life (quite a number btw, between art modeling nd hot springs and Beltane), and etcetera . Why keep such personal stats? For fun, and to help you realize your own accomplishments, no matter how trivial they may seem to others.

Your sense of self worth is important. You and i may never accomplish extraordinary things, but what we do accomplish adds up and in the end becomes part of who we are. You never know when some small thing may be the inspiration for someone else, which in turn may lead to great things.