Dealing With Prudes

I'm not sure what you are talking about. You're giving an example of an activity that creates a victim. Preventing people from victimizing others is a legitimate function of government. That's not what I'm talking about.

No, mainstream society is very good at building prisons rapidly. They can arrest us all.

If you look back at the original sexual revolution, you will find Hugh Hefner at the center of a lot of the activity. His approach was very polite. He dressed nicely, never shouted at anyone, and loaded up his magazine with serious, thought-provoking articles that showed the world that nudity and extramarital sex were of interest to intelligent people too, not just to sleazy, stupid perverts and losers. He educated and enlightened people. Yes, he made money, but he could have found an easier way to make a lot of money than leading a controversial movement. He accomplished many important things by playing smart, working hard for a long time, and showing no fear of his adversaries.

Somewhere along the way, all the momentum was lost. We don't have a leader anymore who knows how to present things well. No one as articulate as Hef is standing up to the leaders of the far right on social issues. Obama doesn't give a shit about it. He's a boring old married dude.

I really need to learn more about how the gay rights movement reached its goals. They have accomplished amazing things in recent years. I confess that I haven't followed the details of their success as closely as I should have. Just think how low their starting point was! Their progress has been nothing short of astounding.

I didn't use the word protest. I don't think protest was on their minds. They just wanted to find a way around rules that they had no respect for. Humans are quite creative in this regard.

I didn't make this post on Facebook. And the prudes are vigilant anyway. Nobody is afraid of me, specifically.

But political influence is often extremely disproportionate. For example, a series of court rulings resulted in business practices being changed here several years ago. They now say, if I may summarize briefly, that the behavior of everyone in an office has to be managed in such a way as to avoid offending the most conservative member of the staff. That person's opinion is the only one that matters. This has resulted in some very strange things happening, such as the definition of sexual harassment in the workplace being expanded to the point that it covers ordinary, nonsexual profanity being overheard in a hallway. It's unbelievable how far some companies have gone to prevent legal actions. Going to the office can now be very much like going to church, in terms of social expectations.

I know what you mean. I understand my old friend's approach, but I can't honestly say that I respect it.

No leather there anymore, but it's busier than ever. I think they make the best drinks on the street. I still get a kick out of seeing a mule-drawn carriage pull up to the curb for a to-go order. Where else in America could that happen?

 

Karen, sorry to hear that about New Orleans. I've never been there, but I was encouraged by the fact that a place existed where flashing and general hedonism were encouraged. I want to go dancing someplace where my lover can wear a short skirt with no panties, and we can fool around in our booth. Well, I do go to parties like that, and it's great fun, exhibitionist and voyeur that I am. If you do come to the Bay Area, let me know.

 

I just got off the phone with a friend who was in New Orleans, last weekend through Fat Tuesday. She goes down there more often than I do, and she has a somewhat different take on the situation on Bourbon Street. Like me, she has noticed the increasingly intrusive police presence, but she thinks that technology plays an equally important role in spoiling the party. She says that she doesn’t do anything risqué on the street anymore mostly because there are too many cameras, and she can’t take a chance on her uptight boss seeing too much online. Besides the growing number of live webcams (with 24-hour archives), any sign of a girl possibly about to do anything interesting brings out 10 or more tourist cameras, and usually the girl ends up changing her mind, thinking about the chances that some of those shots will end up on the internet.

If the Republicans in Baton Rouge want to see if certain laws are being strictly enforced on Bourbon Street, all they have to do is poke around online. What happens in New Orleans doesn’t always stay in New Orleans anymore.

That same friend still (rarely) visits topless or nude beaches outside the US, but she always calls first to find out if the resort has a strict camera policy. If they don’t, she goes elsewhere. Even so, she says she will often see someone slip a cell phone camera out of a bag to take a quick shot when the staff isn’t looking. That worries her because she is in one of those careers where some people unfortunately assume that you can’t be trusted in your job if they don’t like what you do in your free time. She has a good career going, so she has a lot to lose. Also, she competes with backstabbing peers who wouldn’t hesitate to e-mail a picture link to her boss.

This is one of those unfortunate privacy issues that is likely get worse before it gets better. Unlike the Republicans, nobody can vote those cameras and websites out of office next year.

Everybody needs a place to go now and then where you don’t have to worry about what people back home think. Of course, if you were to move to one of those places, a lot of the same problems and issues would re-emerge there. Once you got to know people…

 

Final thought (for now) on New Orleans... I just found this interesting page, from an online insider's guide:

http://www.mardigrasunmasked.com/TipsTricks/FlashingforBeadsAdviceandInsights.aspx

It is the most honest and accurate site that I've found on this subject.

It's never too early to start thinking about next year. The best hotels sell out many months in advance, for the weekend before Fat Tuesday.