Debate: Do You Think That Nudism Should Be Accepted In Public?
Side: Yes

I read through many of the comments and the ones that really hit home here are DaWolfman's comments as to what the question on the table for discussion actually is. Let me mention three terms here: RIGHTS; TOLERANCE; ACCEPTANCE. The question does not ask about legalization of public nudity or making it a right. It asks whether I think society should accept nudism occurring in public places. My answer is ideally I would like to see a day when all of society accepts nudity in public as just an everyday occurrence. This also is not asking about mandating acceptance only whether I think society should have acceptance for public nudity. yes, I think it should and hope society will someday. However, being more realistic in the here and now, in many places in the USA, we are lucky to even receive tolerance. As an example, conservative, largely republican Orange county, CA. Every news story about someone being nude in public, they're always portrayed in a very negative light, usually as a mental case or a severe pervert. Having public nudity as a right means that members of society must obey the law and not stop a fellow member of society from being nude (if public nudity becomes a legal right). Acceptance is something dealing with an individual's own belief system. I think everyone should accept nudity. But I am willing to accept people simply being tolerant, and if public nudity is legalized, I expect members of society to obey the law and allow nudists and anyone else who wishes to do so, be nude in public. Acceptance and tolerance have no bearing whatsoever on legal rights. If the Constitution were changed tomorrow to say I can go nude in public anywhere in the USA and its properties, and that someone preventing me from doing so is actually the one breaking the law, then acceptance and tolerance are beside the point. They have to obey the law or if they are breaking it, they have to face the consequences, regardless of whether they tolerate or accept anything. You can mandate legal rights and activities, you cannot mandate tolerance and acceptance. No matter how intolerant a racist is, they are not breaking the law merely by being intolerant or unaccepting. They are breaking the law by doing hate crimes, attacking an Asian person or Mexican person, etc... but merely being unaccepting or intolerant of and by themselves are not illegal. it's about society's beliefs, not their actions. That said, more often than not, extremely intolerant people tend to act out, so keeping within what the law says is illegal requires enough tolerance to turn the other way and at least mind your won business. Anyway, what I think should happen for acceptance, and what I think will happen are too different things. To get absolute acceptance from every human on the planet of any one behavior or lifestyle is probably asking a lot, as there are so many different belief systems. I don't think simple tolerance is too much to ask, though. Genuine legalization of public nudity will likely require a decent amount of acceptance though and tolerance of those who do not accept it. Let's face it laws are based on what society accepts or tolerates. I guess I'm saying the first step is at least tolerance. We need a decent amount of acceptance (tolerance comes before acceptance) for legalization to occur, so yes I want society to accept public nudity. But we've still got a long road to travel, what with many places losing their clothing optional status, such as California state beaches and San Francisco, and Lighthouse Beach in New York.