Before I get started on this seemingly interesting topic, I would like to clarify a few things. If you are planning to answer this question, don't give me a comment like "yah i would love to see some tits on my windshield at a carwash". Just to let everybody know, I don't want to feel like a gold miner when I'm sifting through shit just to find a decent argument that's remotely worth replying to...And also before you criticise me on this, just think this argument out with sound logic and reasoning, then you'll understand why I posted this.

In school my English teacher was talking to my classmates and I about the play The Crucible, and how it related to nudity and the human body. He said that the puritans in Salem, Massachusetts would often view the naked body as gross and perverse, so it would always be hidden. But today's America is less uptight about this growing issue, yet its still divided on both sides of this argument. So, should nudity be allowed?

In Puritan America and other religions today, nudity is hardly allowed, in fact its usually taboo. But covering up the body can be detrimental for everyone, as it makes people sensitive to the very thought of seeing a person naked, even to the point of arousal. Slowely, if left unchecked, the build-up of carnel desire can even destroy oneself from the inside.

Once popular movements like the Hippie movement of the 60's would actively object against the wearing of clothing. Many hippies even went against the wearing of bras, which was said to restrict the beauty of a woman's features. But this misguided movement would become less mainstream unfortunately as years progressed, and it simply failed to establish which it stood for: freedom of the human body.

Modern America, in its still young and niave stage as a country, has a strange culture on the censorship of nudity. Many restrictions are placed on it, such as in television, movies and advertisements. But the quasi-good intensions of shielding our children from the image of a bare bady are often defeated when those same children find out the horrible way when they find a naked body in the form of pornography. If they instead just make nudity commonplace, parents wouldn't have to worry about covering up their children's eyes, as seeing a naked person will just be another part of their lives. If they don't, then a child will see a sexual act as a shock to their young and fragile minds.

Pornography is one of the most successful businesses in the market today. It often portays people doing sexual acts more often than not, naked. To the average viewer of such material, he or she can only conclude that the body being shown without clothing can only be accociated with having sex. With the abolishment of strict laws on clothing in public, people will feel less need for pornography, and so the industry will play a less important part in our lives.

However, the human body isn't some disgusting feature worth hiding, as it is in fact a work of art. During the Renessiance period, many artists like Michealangelo would make sculptures of people who were of course naked. One of his most famous scultures would undoubtably be the Statue of David, which portrays a man standing without any clothing of course. Fortunately many art schools still practice this magnificent art when students have to sculpt a posing naked person. A person who aspires from art can only conclude that the human body is in fact perfectly natural to see in all of its entirety.

Europe when compared to its Western cousen, is much more liberal and open-minded on the topic of nudity. In fact the very same English teacher I mentioned earlier would tell stories of when he lived in France. He said that during his trip to an art museum, he walked down to a subway and saw a group of high school students who were about my age. The group were sitting across from a massive Dove soap advertisement poster on a wall, which portrayed a woman who was swimming in the Amazon River, completely naked. Most people would think that a bunch of hormone-driven teens would have been staring at the poster, and fantasise about it too. In fact, my teacher said that the group was acting as if it didn't even exist, as they were simply gossiping about petty things like any teenager would do!

So it is in my humble opinion that nudity should be allowed. If people just embraced the natural beauty of the human body, then there would also be less need for censorship. Being desensitised for us would mean that instead of viewing a person without clothes as being sexual and erotic, we could simply respect it as just another beauty that nature can give. However, don't think that nudity and pornagraphy are the same, as they are infact comepletely different. An advertisent of a young baby suckling on its mother's breast is natural and beautiful, but seeing a video of a couple having sensual and erotic sex in just that, sex.

If you don't believe this argument, then just lock up all animals in sight, as they're naturally naked bodies must be a hideous sight to behold for you.

An intriguing position, to be sure. I do believe I find myself in agreement with you; I think that it should be entirely a matter of personal choice and preference; if it makes one person uncomfortable, they can feel free to avert their eyes. There's really no argument that a child would in any way be morally corrupted by this; the only reason teenagers react the way they do to nudity is because they've been conditioned thus by their parents and environment.

I agree with the both of you. You guys said it quite well. Sorry I can't be against your views, because I knew this would've been a good debate.

The Crucible is a play and nudity was not a major theme. The main idea of the play was to draw parallels between the Salem witch hunts and 1950's America with McCarthyism and the fear of communists.

As far as censoring nudity goes, there are a good many people out there who really should be covering up. Besides us as humans have a thing called shame so we don't all want to go out baring our junk. Otherwise if you're comfortable with yourself and you're not going to be scaring small children, Go for it.

I don't see any problem with nudity so long as the people who don't want to see naked people don't have to.

I agree. There is nothing wrong with nudity, and when you ask people who are opposed to nudity why it is bad, they often can't think of a good answer.
It should be a matter of personal choice, whether you are naked or not. If someone is offended, they have every right to close their eyes, or not associate with you.

I cannot understand what possible good it does society to make human nudity a taboo. As far as i can see, fear of nudity, along with censorship of "Obscenities", is just a hangover from the influence of the church.

Contrary to popular belief, the influence of the church is not all bad.

The influence of the church has left us a bunch of xenophobic, conservative prudeish idiots.

The influence of a church is never good, and it's downright dangerous when church and state get together.

The church can never have a positive impact on society. Ever. At All.

Are you being serious?