Wednesday, June 29, 2005

Musings: Nudity in movies

Nudity in movies is a big bugaboo with the family values crowd. (I speak of those who believe in family values as I do, but then got politically organized in order to demonize others and impose their values on everyone else. I should know; I used to run with this crowd in my college days.) They are absolutely right that impressionable children should not be exposed to morally objectionable material until they are mature enough to discuss the moral implications with their parents and church leaders. So parents: Don't let your kids see such movies or shows! Just stop trying to expunge them from the face of the earth for the rest of us who do (oh yes, we do) have a moral compass and can process these things without turning into slavering pedophiles.

No one wants peep shows on every street corner; the community defines its moral standards; amen and amen! But for the moral grownups among us, nudity in movies rarely lasts for more than a flash or a handful of seconds; in fact, actors and actresses do not like to expose themselves, and will negotiate to avoid it in almost every instance. (OK, Demi Moore had a few issues, but face it, she wasn't going to be 25 forever.) Nudity, violence and adult language are generally included in a film because it is integral to the story. (I do not approve of gratuitous nudity, violence and language. Because the film elevates the human spirit, I love The Killing Fields; for the opposite reason, I hate Born on the Fourth of July.)

You are free to choose to see any movie you approve, and to shun any you disapprove; do your homework before you go. Enough said. Our communities are doing a fine job of keeping the nudity down to a low roar. Finally, let's avoid igniting any witch hunts; in our postmodern world, this only brings publicity to the venues that small-town America wouldn't touch with a ten-foot anaconda anyway. Chastity, like charity, begins at home.

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