[garbanzo]

----In my observation, our society has been getting nuder over the past few decades, and more neurotic over the past few decades.

I think we're getting more schizophrenic - we have a mixed set of values. In some ways we are more open but in others we are hopelessly Victorian. We can acess nudity on the internet but not on TV. We can say things in one place but not another. We wind up having to live six different lives to please all sorts of pretended authorities and it takes a toll on us.


--- I can think of plenty of problems that can be solved, or greatly alleviated, by teaching kids that self-"expression" (either bodily or in some other in-your-face nonverbal manner) is not the way to make healthy contributions to society. ----

The question is whether or not making a contribution to society outweighs an individual's need for happiness.

[inquest]

In some ways we are more open but in others we are hopelessly Victorian. We can acess nudity on the internet but not on TV.

If you can turn on TV nowadays and call it "Victorian" then you have very odd sensibilities. And there's plenty of nudity on certain cable channels.

The question is whether or not making a contribution to society outweighs an individual's need for happiness.

Happiness as defined as... expressing oneself to those around them. Hence they must be able to derive as much happiness from their society as they can, but be under no obligation to contribute to society's happiness. Such is the origin of the neurosis.

And again, I have to wonder about your sensibilities if you're implying that our problem today is that people just have too much of an obligation to their society and aren't paying enough attention to their own desires.