I know, the title sounds offensive. How could I even resort to using words such as this? I mean, this is supposed to be a place where I calmly and dispassionately look at the human psyche, both personal and collective, with a view to allowing others to “perhaps” have an “ah-ha” moment where and when my words strike a sense of confirmed awareness. After all, I know that no one else has ever convinced another person through “reason” to change their mind and opinions that are embedded in certainty. So, what is it that has resulted in one of my “triggers” being pushed and “reactive heat” emerging? The answer is a recent event in Calgary, Canada. Yes, I am going to wade into this morass of fear, anger, and hatreds. Be warned.
At the centre of the conflict was the simple fact that what has been happening in Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver, Regina, Toronto, Ottawa, and Montréal for decades, family swims with nude participants, was brought to the attention of a group of people who reacted from a gut level in opposition to Calgary hosting such an event. Of course, if only the organisers had stayed under the radar the event would be happening without too much concern. There was a naive belief that people would simply not go if the idea was offensive to them. After all, we do live in a country that prides itself on freedom. Besides, if there were any concerns expressed, a good explanation with a dialogue that would satisfy anyone wanting answers would resolve those concerns. The naivety lies in the belief that calm and reasoned dialogue would resolve gut level reactions that have nothing to do with rationality.
You can’t have a dialogue where there is polarity. Black is black and white is white, regardless if the reality is that perhaps it might be pink or purple. Simply saying “I believe” … as the basis for validating one’s response is telling just how far reason is from the picture. The people opposed to the Calgary Nude Swim event truly believe, fundamentally believe, that children are at risk if they are in the presence of nude adults, including their nude parents. They fundamentally believe that no parent has the right to include their child[ren] in any event that has adult nudity. Such parents deserve to have their children placed into protective custody, for the safety of the children. There is no debate, no dialogue possible in such situations.
The attempts at dialogue have been many – the media has served as a forum for these endless debates – with the result that rather than hearing what was being said, most of it reasonable and intentionally steering away from personal attacks on the beliefs of those opposing the event, the “reactive responses” shifted to threats of violence. It’s all documented on national media including CTV, CBC, Global News, and many newspapers. So how in hell did we get there from here?
The anger, hatred, fear, and feeling offended by anything that challenges a “cherished belief” has been here for a long time. It is more prevalent in certain parts of Canada, those parts that are more “conservative American” than their hated counterparts, the liberal eastern Canadians. To state that family nude swims have been acceptable in eastern Canada, or in Vancouver, doesn’t exactly have anyone stop to consider what these other parts of Canada have accepted as part of the fabric of being free and Canadian. If anything, the existence of these other places is anathema to proud conservatives in the western heartland, God’s country.
There is a fear that atheists, communists, socialists, liberals, and left wing intellectuals are threatening everything that the fundamentalists hold to be true. It shows up in the responses to the Calgary Nude Swim event proposal. Shrieks about how good Christians are being persecuted in their own country with the right to say Merry Christmas, or have a Christmas tree or a Christmas concert having been stolen. That these words would emerge in what was supposed to be a dialogue about a nude event, illustrates the nature of the gut-level response. There is no room for thoughtful conversation.
The result, so far, is that the event has been cancelled. The offended, angry, and righteous defenders of Canadian liberties [which are restricted to only their freedom and liberty] have won. It doesn’t matter how they won. So with that in mind, what is next?
I know that too much is at stake here. I mean, would you risk your job to stand up for the right to be nude, live nude, and/or play nude as a family? Would you risk your car being vandalised because your vehicle was found parked at an event where nudity was part of the event? Would you risk having your name publicised as attending this event, attached to statements about the likelihood of you being a pervert, pedophile, or an unfit parent? In Canada of all places in 2018?