The Null Device

The nude beaches of France are the scene of a battle between traditional naturists, who wish to preserve the innocence of their lifestyle, and "libertines", who favour a much more sexualised lifestyle. The conflict has already seen arson attacks against sex clubs, carried out by "nudist fundamentalists":

Old-fashioned nudists complained that they, and their children, were being confronted with "voyeurist" and "exhibitionist" behaviour, including sexual acts in public. Worse, they suggested, the "deviant" newcomers sometimes walked about in their clothes and mocked the "real" nudists.

Deirdre Morrissey, a journalist who visited the resort for the Irish Independent last year, said rules had been relaxed to allow an invasion by the "libertine movement" for "commercial purposes". "Libertines believe in pure hedonism, including exhibitionism, as we discovered when we sampled the nightlife," she wrote. "Over our après-dinner cappuccino, we were a little surprised to see a buffed-up guy dressed in a police uniform mincing around the seating area of the restaurant bothering the patrons. [He ended by] thrusting his naked bits at a pair of female diners, like some sort of bizarre, hedonistic digestif."

¶ culture france nudity sex 0

In Oslo, Norway, some concerned citizen has taken it upon themselves to cover up indecently unclothed statues:

With the exception of one lone figure, every scrap of nipple, crotch or posterior was covered with black strips of paper, no matter the size nor position of the statue. The unknown assailant left an explanatory note behind: "There is too much nudity in newspapers and magazines, so here on the bridge the limit has been reached!"

(via Boing Boing) ¶ art censorship concerned citizens norway nudity wowsers 0

Police in Malaysia are carrying out random spot checks for pornography on mobile phones. Those found with porn will be charged with possession, and presumably flogged or caned or whatever they do, at Dr. Mahathir's pleasure.

Meanwhile, in India, the local movie studios' organisation, the MPA, has successfully obtained a general search and seizure warrant, allowing its officers to search any property in Delhi deemed under suspicion of piracy. Of course, they only intend to use such warrants against the terrorists who produce and sell pirated DVDs at markets, and, being the good guys, undoubtedly are honour-bound not to abuse these powers, so there's no cause for concern.

And in China, a researcher has discovered a sinister and ominous new trend, that people who buy webcams often use them whilst naked, posing a serious threat to public health and morality:

"At first, we thought it was merely a game for a few mentally abnormal people," the paper quoted Liu as saying. "But as our research continued, we found the problem was much larger than expected."

(via TechDirt, bOING bOING) ¶ authoritarianism censorship china copyfight malaysia mobile phones morality nudity perverts porn webcams 1

In John Howard's Australia, female nudity in video games is illegal; extreme, hardcore violence is OK, however:

In January 2003, the Office of Film and Literature Classification refused to classify a game called BMX XXX. The reason? It featured topless female bike riders. Yet games such as Grand Theft Auto and Manhunter -- in which the player in both games takes on the role of an amoral killer -- are widely available.

¶ australia censorship nudity videogames 0

Protecting the community: A man has been sentenced to nine months in jail for jogging naked through Shepparton. Thank God the police are able to protect us from dangerous felons like him.

¶ australia crime exhibitionism nudity shepparton 0

This Sunday before dawn, 4,300 Melburnians gathered on the banks of the Yarra and got their gear off, in icy rain, for a mass nude photograph by celebrated US photographer Spencer Tunick. The turnout was a record, with the previous highest turnout being 2,500 in Montréal, Canada.

Inevitably, not everyone came to strip. A lone, placard-bearing protester dressed in a suit knelt in the middle of the St Kilda Road tram tracks, praying loudly. Tunick personally tore up his placards. "He tried to disturb my shot," Tunick said later, stressing it was not an attack on the man's religion. "I would have tore it up if it said 'Coke' or 'I like carrots'."

(No, I wasn't there (too early, for one), but I know two people who were.)

¶ art melbourne nudity spencer tunick 0

NUDITY == SEX: Scotland Yard's obscene publications unit has raided the Saatchi Gallery in London, known for its exhibits by controversial avant-garde London artists, and ordered the gallery to remove two photographs from its I Am A Camera exhibit, which depict children at play, sans clothes. The gallery's curator insists that the photographs, illegal under anti-child pornography laws, are "not depraved in any way". A likely story. And if you have one of the rare uncensored copies, you are advised to destroy it, lest it land you on the sex-offenders' register alongside Gary Glitter and such. Guess that's what you get for living in a society which associates nudity inextricably with sex.

¶ art censorship nudity paedophilia uk 0