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What do you think about public nudity?

Disgraceful, shouldn't be allowed!

Why's that?

Well, it's obvious isn't it? It's just plain wrong, anyone can see that.

How do you mean?

For a start it's something that should only be done in private, between consenting adults, and then behind locked doors. Doing it in public is simply obscene, it goes against all natural laws.

Just a minute, are you talking about nudity, or sex?

They're the same thing. One thing leads to another: wham, bam, thank you m'aam. That's how it is, and children and old people shouldn't have to see it.

Er, no, actually they're not the same thing at all, and the one doesn't lead to another. Let's just separate the two subjects cleanly shall we, so that we can talk about the one, without the other?

I don't see how you can do that, but you're welcome to try.

I think we'd agree that there are many forms of sex, and these range from missionary position sex in the dark with the lights out; through kama sutra style explorations between enthusiastic partners after candle-lit dinners; to fetish sex with kinky clothing and toys in whore houses with lights blazing and cameras rolling. This is all sex, no doubt about that. On the simple nudity front we have examples from ancient greece of Spartan warriors who fought battles naked; nude models for sculptures, painting, throughout the history of art and what we call civilization, (and the resulting sculptures and paintings themselves of course), and no sign of sex there. There are many native tribes and peoples where near total nudity was the norm until western european and so-called modern (current) influence promoted the idea of shame and the use of clothes to cover up the body. In most of these cases western european civilisation has a debt to repay, to support the resurgence of original cultures which have been stamped out by missionary fervour, and to redress the imbalance of ideas concerning nudity in cultures which might be different from our own, or yours, or theirs. Again, in these, to our probable way of thinking, primitive peoples, there was no implicit idea of sex associated with their nakedness, this is something which has been imposed along with the clothes. I hope you can see that we have sex on the one hand, and nudity on the other, and that sometimes they go together but the two are not intrinsically bound together in any meaningful way whatsoever.

All I know is that when my wife gets her kit off and goes to bed naked, we're in for some nookie, and when she keeps her nightie on, I know we're not.

Ok, but that's something the two of you associate with sex. Many people feel that the act of removing their partners clothes is an active prelude to sex, a form of foreplay, and this is perfectly understandable. However, this still does not mean the two are intrinsically linked in all cases.

Oh, I'm sure you can think of an exception.

Yes, and I've already explained several...