Left in the Dark: Censorship in America

The once proud beacon of hope is now left in the dark, as Censorship in America threatens the most basic of human values, acceptance. We speak of family values. Core values. Of the Christian way. However, in our efforts to focus on our family and be God Fearing Americans, we constantly take it to far and conventional wisdom takes a back seat to practicality and we find in some ways we are as repressed as some countries in the middle-east.

America was founded on puritan values and our attitudes against nudity is positively medieval. We have such a double standard of what we deem is appropriate that it sends completely the wrong message to our children. We act like keeping our children sequestered in darkness will somehow keep their moral compasses pointed to “wholesome.”

On one hand, we censor everything not considered “art.” We collectively act like Human sexuality and the body is something we should be ashamed of. We act like sex never happens. That nudity is wrong. We lift our noses and pretend we somehow evolved from the most basic of instincts. I say, the human body and sex is art and should be celebrated. We could really borrow a page from Europe and stop acting like the nudity is some how wrong. I am not talking about Pornography or other vulgarities. I agree those pander to the most basest of human emotions and I don’t believe that porn is art. But I do think America needs to go through a renaissance of thought when it comes to nudity.

The human body is really an amazing advancement of evolution and we as a race, let alone a society should not be ashamed of who we are and I refuse to try and sell that to my son.

It is this lack of personal and social acceptance that is really hurting America and as long as we continue this path of intolerance, then we will continue to suffer headlines like this from the Washington Post:

Kansas congressman apologizes for nude plunge in sea where Bible says Jesus walked on water

Really? We are upset about a naked man in the ocean? If “god” created man, did he create him clothed? This is laughable and again aggressively supports my supposition. Maybe the naked congressman could hook up with the woman recently removed from a Southwest plan for her dress being to revealing? Look at the picture… she is a larger woman and yeah, let’s face it, if she was 20 and had an amazing rack, she is not being told to cover up.

Southwest Calls Woman’s Clothing ‘Inappropriate.’ She Disagrees

And that is the problem. We have a set of double standards for everyone in America. You can only show skin if you have a perfect body. You can only be a sexual being after you are married in the eyes of god. It feels like since the Janet Jackson Superbowl nip-slip (which wasn’t even a nipple but a pasty) several years back to the most recent headlines, our views of sexuality and the human body are absurdly shortsighted. In fact, I would hazard a guess that this repression has long term measurable effects on statics like perversion and rape. I think, in this, we are products of our own design. Only in America can we take human nature and make it taboo.

I am not arguing that we should have explicit sex splashed across our TV’s. I am arguing we need to have a longer view. I think we will only ever grow into a society of mature, “equal” adults by first acknowledging that people come in all shapes and sizes. People are sexual beings and that the body should be celebrated, not ridiculed. I find myself increasingly incensed over how hypocritical we are. For a country that is supposed to lead the world and set the example for acceptance and freedom, we certainly do spend a lot of time censoring and moderating the most basic of programmed behavior.

So how do you change 200+ years of pointless puritan values and why should we care?

We need to care because as a country, as a society we should strive for an enlightened and evolved sense of being. We claim to be in the information age then it is time to make informed choices. Technology has made the world an incredibly small place and as a race our next revolution needs to be a fight for acceptance.

We need to accept the difference and individuality of people and end the hypocrisy. End the dual sets of standards and stop selling the lie that people need to be this or that to have acceptance. All you are doing is setting the bar for acceptance that for some is unattainable and failure then leads to depression and self loathing. I believe that morality and acceptance can co-exist. I would be mortified if my son hated someone because of skin color, race, sexual orientation, or even worse, simply because they did not fit into some mold that America has made up. And before you ask, yes, I think we need to accept gay marriage and abortion and all the other stuff that people claim is wrong. I accept it because I don’t argue the question of right or wrong or suffer moral ambiguity.

I argue for the right to choose because that is the right choice.

I take an “enlightened” view figuring that YOUR moral compass will guide YOU and regardless if you choose to be something I would not, YOU should have that choice. All that said, if your moral compass points to the belief that the body is a vile, sinful sex craving flesh sack that should be covered at all times or think that swimming nude is somehow a blight on your soul; Than I would argue that you are no different than then the people who believe that a woman should be covered from head to toe and walk six paces behind the man. I posit that this prejudice is just as harmful and evil as that of race and that your tolerance will continue to hold society at odds with itself. If we continue selling to our children that sex is deviant behavior or looking at the human body somehow makes you perverse, then we will continue to push them to this behavior and keep the fires of their curiosity lit….. but at least we will have a light to keep us company, unfortunately it wont be bright enough to lead us out of this darkness or away from the Censorship in America.