Organizers say teens' nudist summer camp in Virginia is innocent fun

Charlotte, NC, Observer ^ | 06-21-03 | Lewis, Bob, AP

[CAPPSMADNESS]

lemmesee...... pudding, nudity, naked teenagers, volley ball. Sounds more like some old pervert's wet dream as opposed to summer camp.

Somehow, I don't think that putting large numbers of nude teens together could be very good for the teeanage pregnancy rate.

And what is this about 1 1/2 counselors for each camper??? Sounds to me like EVERYONE wanted to attend this peep-show.

[eno_]

Is it an old perverts wet dream if you regret being born too soon to go to this camp.

[IronJack]

I daresay that if I had my 18-year-old babysitter come over to the house and romp around with my children in the nude, I'd be arrested and ridden out of town straddling a rail.

The fact that a perversion is organized doesn't make it any less a perversion. Hear that, NAMBLA?

[alloysteel]

Those who practice the religion of nudity, like to claim that the "pretense" and "hypocrisy" represented by clothing is only a prudish reaction and misplaced modesty. Kids will be kids, they claim, and the presence or absence of clothing will in no way divert the natural inclinations of adolescents anyway (which is to experiment). But it is a demonstrable fact that clothing that does not provoke titillation does keep kids modest. But clothing that does titillate probably is much more provocative than mere nudity. So as behavior goes, all-nude camps probably have fewer sexual encounters than those in which there is no dress code involved or enforced.

Still doesn't make it right. Nudity is perilously close to pornographic images, and the lines in today's world are badly blurred. And once the taboo against nudity is removed, a lot of other behavior once regarded as taboo is then escalated to "acceptable".

[RichardW]

There's nothing wrong with nudity per se, but this seems like a bad idea to me.

[friendly]

Nudist summer camp in Virginia is innocent fun

It is child abuse and it is a felony.

[Tacis]

I can not believe the stupidity of some people. Teenage nudists? They are concerned with pedaphiles? Why not dinosaurs? How about the dangers of herds of wild unicorns?

Don't hey remember the teenage male hormones? I don't care how much training they gave, I would not want my naked teenage daughter around a bunch of naked teenage boys! This is just trouble waiting to happen.

[eno_]

Nudity is perilously close to pornographic images

Haven't seen much p0rn, have you?

[CAPPSMADNESS]

nudity schmudity........ nudity and "pudding throwing" is just kind of perverse when it involves kids.

[LiteKeeper]

INTREP - we have lost a very important virtue in our society: Shame. Adam and Eve were ashamed of their nudity, and covered themselves. The sin nature does not respond appropriately to nudity...and especially amongst children and teenagers.

[Mike Darancette]

Doesn't sound fun to me, I can't imagine spending the Summer of my 16th year bent over with hands in front of me or hiding behind waist high bushes.

[weegee]

"Sure, it could be a magnet for pedophiles, but we don't let it be. We screen everyone thoroughly and, thanks to the governor, we can check online to see if someone's a convicted sex offender," he said. They have to be caught first before they would appear in a database. I am also confused by the statement. Are all patrons screened every time they visit or just the employees?

A searchable database of sex criminals is available through the Virginia State Police Web site. And it sounds like they are only searching one state's offenders' list.

[Prodigal Son]

Sounds like a good way to get poison ivy.

[weegee]

Nor are special youth activities novel at White Tail, Roche said. Each summer features "Junior Fest" weekends chock full of activities for the children of the camp's regulars.

The summer youth camp, however, is different in that parents don't have to be present. Roche likened it to summertime retreats that churches run for boys and girls.

It all comes down to "who do you trust?" A religion offers a set moral code that it's followers believe and know up front. A nudist organization holds first the tenant of public nudity; after that some get off into liberal (Green Party) politics. Sending kids out of state where they will be naked amongst adult strangers puts the children at risk of exploitation.

Vickers, a student at Valencia Community College, said first-time campers are uptight about their nakedness for about a day, then easily shed their self-consciousness.

Doesn't sound like it's the kids' choice to be naked now then does it? Why not make it clothing optional? If the kids choose to undress they shouldn't have feel it is forced upon them. What she calls "shedding their self-consciousness" I call being indoctrinated into the group think.

[weegee]

nudity schmudity........ nudity and "pudding throwing" is just kind of perverse when it involves kids.

I guess that the camp is just training them for a future career in "pudding wrestling".

I found it odd that someone hoses down the kids afterwards. Couldn't they have a simple shower system to wash off (and cool down)?

[weegee]

I wonder if the camp will be putting a ban on cell phones?

Pools ban camera phones from changing rooms to deter peeping Toms

[Xenalyte]

Nekkidness + teenagers - there's nothing innocent about that. I don't care how you parse it.

[Prodigal Son]

Well, you can take that to extremes as well. We used to go skinny dipping when I was a kid. I didn't see anything wrong with it then or now.

[weegee]

Did you stay naked afterwards when you ate your sack lunch?

Was there an 8 year span in the ages of those swimming? Was it mixed company?