On our show on "Free For All Friday," a caller used dramatic pauses to explain how disturbed she was about a picture that she saw on Twitter. The manner in which the caller explained her anger would make one think that she was talking about some graphic pornographic picture involving sex with children.
The picture this caller was so enraged about was a picture of a group of nude men on a sidewalk, with a teen boy and a younger girl walking past. Fear and concern about that scene’s effect on the mind and psyche of a young teenage boy and younger girl had the caller in a frenzy over society’s depravity.
We’ll return to that picture in a moment, but a few years ago, I posted a (tasteful) video from the Naked Bike Ride through the French Quarter of New Orleans. The Naked Bike Ride has been going on for more than 20 years in more than 70 cities all over the world. I was shocked by the seriousness of the condemnation of the New Orleans bike ride. The general comments on my video ranged from "Those people should be in jail" to "What about the children?"
Well, what about the children? What impact do you really think the sight of naked men and women on a bike would have on children who may have been present? Explain it. First of all, if left to their own innocent interpretation, most children would just think it was funny - unless adults add some sort of sexual context to it. I am amazed by some people’s rush to equate simple nudity without intent to arouse with raunchy sexuality. They’re two different things.
I wonder if those who are predicting doom and gloom because children might see a naked person on a bike were that concerned in the 70s, when streaking became part of some sporting events. People - mostly men - would run totally naked across a playing field of a sporting event, and you know how many children are present at sporting events. Is streaking an inherently sexual act? Of course not. That behavior should not be encouraged, but it doesn’t exactly traumatize young kids who saw it either.
Too many Americans define who they are and define their purpose in life by being angry - angry about anything and everything. The hysterical anger over a picture of a family peacefully coexisting in the same space with a few naked men, everybody minding their own business, is an example of a society becoming obsessed with things that don't matter. It's all about finding something to be angry about.
Now, as to the picture that the caller was upset about? We found it. It was apparently from the World Naked Bike Ride in London 13 years ago. People with too much time on their hands are spreading that picture and freaking out about it as if it happened this morning on the sidewalk in front of their own home. They’re pointing to this old photo of an event that happened more than a decade ago in a different country and using it as an example of depravity in America today. There is depravity in America - but it's not a picture of a few naked men loafing around with their bikes from 13 years ago. In the United Kingdom.
Let's promote focusing on the real issues and looking for actual solutions, instead of just looking for the next thing to be pointlessly outraged about.
