Every young boy has giggled over or stared at photos of naked tribes of various cultures because they, for most people are the first naked people we see outside of possibly our own family.
It raises an interesting question, that these tribes, in different pockets of the world, are still living naked as they have done for centuries, aside from those “saved” by western culture and religion. Shame about the naked body is clearly a taught response. In western cultures, or “civilised” cultures we are taught that beyond a certain age long before puberty, nudity is shameful and something to be hidden. It’s naughty, taboo and people that go nude are strange, yet somehow we teach our children that some cultures in Africa or the Amazon and lots of other places that walk around nude totally free of shame and embarrassment because they are a tribe, that it’s ok.
It’s sad to say that I think the U.S. is leading the conservative way, blurring even the most remote hint of butt crack on Survivor proving that you have to be a REAL tribe to get away with it and not a reality tribe. The U.S. sets the trend for a large part of the world in most things, fingers crossed the European attitude holds firm on this one.
I have to agree with you on this one.
The Religious Right has America by the balls and it is NOT about to let go anytime soon.
What do you expect from a nation founded by a bunch of people so uptight, England asked them to leave.
The average American really is immature when it comes to sex and body issues….look at the hysteria that was generated a few years ago with Janet Jackson’s “wardrobe malfunction” at the Super Bowl halftime show. It was a bare breast exposed for less than a second, but it got the far right (and the Bush Administration and the Federal Communications Commission) in such a lather you’d have thought there was an orgy being televised live. No wonder teen pregnancy and STD rates are highest in the most conservative areas of the country.
I was born and raised in the Midwest and I think it’s safe to say I never saw EITHER of my parents nude.
Yes,,unfortunatelye have been taught that to be naked is naughty. And only should be that way in the shower, or our own bedroom,,Alone! lol Never growing up did we Ever think about walking thru the house in our underwear or less. The roof would have come off! Or fell in! Now, that I am older,,who gives a Rats Ass! Anyway,,I hope the next few generations can lighten up,,and be a bit more open,,Stay Nude! BTW Brenton,,how is the new living arrangement going,,good I hope.
Years ago I realized that the missionaries that my parent’s church supported were really committing genocide to the “poor savages” they were converting to “Christianity”. Those people lived perfectly happy lives until the “missionaries” showed up. Those tribes should have ripped the clothes off those missionaries back and said you need to follow our ways if you intend to hang around, or leave us alone. I despise the concept of religion. In my believe it is man’s way of explain their place in the universe, and of course they’ve gotten it wrong.
of course it is learnt! totally agree with you and some comments above that it is a shame that western civilization does not accept this kind of societies as a part of the modern world… hope they will resist and we can learn something from them too! (as you probably know, I have written about that on my blog as well)