Erich Schuttauf, Executive Director
Have We Had Enough?
I consider myself to be relatively easy going about most things. For example, consider the Florida primary elections this week and the accompanying mudslinging. It didn’t faze me too much either way as I took it all in from the sidelines. But something else happened in government that, while publicized, may have gone on less noticed with all the election coverage.
This week the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced its intention to levy a 1.4 million dollar fine against ABC Television over a 2003 airing of an episode of NYPD Blue in which a woman’s naked buttocks appear onscreen as she prepares to shower.
At the close of this editorial, I’ll provide you with links where you can view either photos from the scene, a video clip of it on YouTube, or both. For now I’ll just describe the sequence of events.
The camera depicts a woman in a plain bathrobe standing in front of a bathroom mirror. After checking the condition of her hair, she removes the bathrobe and hangs it on a towel bar. Viewers see the woman nude from behind, including her bare buttocks, for about 3-4 seconds as she checks her hair in the mirror again before turning to walk toward the shower. “Side nudity” is visible as she walks. When she stops to turn on the water from outside the shower curtain and waits for it to warm up, there is again rear nudity.
The camera cuts to a bedroom in the apartment where a boy about age 11 gets up out of bed, fully clad in pajamas, and stumbles down the door to the bathroom. He turns the knob on the door and walks in. Cameras show a startled look on his face and, after a few awkward moments, he backs out into the hallway closing the door as he leaves. A final shot on the nude woman shows her standing with her arms modestly crossed in front of her.
Now let’s talk about how the FCC’s fine breaks down: The 1.4 million represents a $17,500 penalty on each ABC affiliate which aired the episode with this sequence before 10 p.m. which occurred, apparently, due to time zone differences.
We do not have an explanation for why it took the FCC five years to get around to meting out this punishment. We only have the commission’s public statement, along with one from a media watchdog group, to the effect that this action clearly demonstrates an intent to keep America’s airwaves safe for children.
Since when, and how?
I cannot begin to describe how annoyed this makes me both as a person who really does care something about morality on television and as a nudist.
As to morality, it baffles me that the FCC, guardian of what little eyes and ears see and hear on the tube, seem to have absolutely no problem with the depiction of brutal murders and crimes that air at all hours. Or the marital infidelity that is the staple of daytime soap operas. CSI, Law & Order, NCIS, and countless other programs often show multiple murders in the span of one hour. And not of the “bang bang” you’re dead or “we found a dead body slumped in the corner” variety of Matlock. That would never do. There must be simulated bullets ripping through simulated flesh. Viewers have to see victim’s eyes bulge as they are strangled to death.
Of course there’s no problem with airing what may have been another theme running through the NYPD episode that night (I confess I’ve never watched the show): the strange woman spending a night with dad. THAT isn’t a problem. Only if she showers the morning after, and ONLY if she showers in the state I thought we all showered in: naked.
If we’re concerned about the messages our children may be learning from television, what is the message so troubling in that shower scene? That people shower in the nude? Or, that if you inadvertently walk in on someone’s privacy you should politely back out and close the door?
As a nudist and the Executive Director of AANR, the FCC’s actions this week do even more to make my hair fall out: (1) The fine is levied not for any illicit message or activity, but ONLY due to the showing of bare human buttocks; (2) the pride which the FCC and citizen groups take in announcing their readiness to severely punish those who would dare depict ordinary nudity in a place we would ordinarily expect it like the morning shower; and (3) most of all, due to the chilling effect that a $1.4 million fine may have on the future willingness of the media to show ordinary nudity, as when covering news of an AANR convention. Some will say that to a big corporation like ABC, the fine isn’t all that much. But many of us would expect to pay about $17,500 for a year of college. So a fine of such amount per station has still got to sting.
Developments like this are why there must be an American Association for Nude Recreation and accompanying regions, members, and clubs, to help restore some sanity to North America’s views of nudity within appropriate settings. In fact, right now StateNet and NetScan are helping me and Debra Sue Stevens track a bill pending in the committee on Energy and Commerce of the U.S. House of Representatives (H 3559 by Rep. Pickering) that would make a single word or image subject to FCC punishment.
On the more immediate issue, there is the question “What do we do?” We have already heard from one member who went to the FCC’s website after reading about the story on AANR’s E-Bulletin yesterday. According to the member, the FCC website only offers a place to lodge a complaint about a show — not its process.
And so, for right now, the answer is “I don’t know.”
But I aim to find out.
http://www.webpronews.com/topnews/2008/01/28/fcc-sends-youtubers-searching-for-butt-scene
http://www.celebrityvideo.ru/screenshot/r/Ross_Charlotte_NYPD_Blue_640_480.jpg
{editor’s note: see link in the sidebar}
Another edition of the E-Bulletin goes out
This time over 8,500 are on AANR’s recipient’s list. In less than 24 hours, over one-third of those recipients have already opened their e-mail copies. The most popular story? The FCC fine levied against ABC television.
Year-End Membership Count Available
The AANR year-end count for 2007 is now available.
Marketing Analysis – Another year’s worth of Data
Two years ago during the midwinter meeting of AANR’s Board of Trustees, I presented a review of AANR recruitment and retention statistics prepared with SUBSTANTIAL help and hard number crunching of “Mr. B.” Those of you who recall the meeting at Paradise Lakes may remember the many colored houses used in the graphics to represent the number of homes recruited and lost to attrition each year.
This year Mr. B. has been hard at work performing statistical analysis at a new, much deeper level. For the first time, it is possible to look back over two years and see not only how many members we “gained and lost” and their demographic profile, but also how their lifestages changed (e.g. did they go from being a family with teens in the home to empty nesters, or working empty nesters into retirement).
Steve Vickers of the AANR staff and I are currently working with Mr. B. to translate this volume of data into information points that we can use to hone recruitment and retention tactics. We look forward to working with President Kinman and Brand Management Chair Pat Brown with what we have soon.
AANR-Florida
Tomorrow I will travel to Cypress Cove and attend the mid-winter meeting of the AANR-Florida Board. There are numerous developments in the state to update them on including the Canaveral National Seashore, Pasco County hearings, and even what the recent Florida primary may mean.
Carolyn Hawkins, Public Relations Coordinator
PUBLICITY
The naked flight taking place July 5th has been picked up everywhere. Below link is an example
http://www.metro.co.uk/news/article.html?in_article_id=86373&in_page_id=34
TRAINING CD
The training CD is in the process of being copied. As soon as we receive them, we will send them to the clubs.
MARCH BOARD MEETING – SHUTTLE SERVICE
Mira Vista does not have specific shuttle service at the club, although they might be able to arrange a pick up at the airport on a staff-availability basis. Guests will need to call ahead of time.
There is a local company, Continental Transportation, that may be of service. The phone number is 520/904-0165.
The rates are as follows:
$50.00 for two people up to 6:00 pm
$10.00 for each additional person
AFTER 6PM
$60.00 for two people
$20.00 for each additional person
If you do rent a car, we encourage you to share rides if possible to cut down on some of the cost for transportation.
Linda Berry, Director of Publications
NORTH AMERICAN GUIDE
Thanks to Lynn Von Hagel’s story in the E-Bulletin on Thursday, we sold 31 copies of the North American Guide within 12 hours! Have your purchased your copy yet?
AANR CLIP ART
If you would like to promote the North American Guide in your club newsletter, there are two camera ready ads in the Miscellaneous section of the clip art. One ad says “Available from AANR” and the other says “Available from your club.”
Better quality AANR logos have been placed on the Logo section of the clip art for your use in newsletters, etc. These replace the ones that were previously on the Web site.
Please e-mail me at editor@aanr.com if you need the password to the clip art.
COMMITTEE REPORTS
All committee chairs are encouraged to submit a report for the AANR Midwinter Board of Trustees Meeting. Please e-mail them to me at editor@aanr.com no later than February 22.
Terry Justice, Club/Member Liaison
Please add the following new provisional club:
Paradise Pines RV Park and Condo Association (PPRVP Condo Assoc)
(Landed)
Physical Address: 20300 Leonard Road
Lutz, FL 33558
978/985-6595
pprvpsec@earthlink.net
Mailing Address:
c/o Vanguard Management
9300 N 16th Street
Tampa FL. 33612
New address and e-mail for:
Chesapeake Jay Birds
613 Longview Drive
Baltimore, MD 21228
gfwilliams607@yahoo.com
Sandpipers Resort in Texas has new e-mail addresses:
karen@sandpipersresort.com
regina726@yahoo.com
Debra Sue Stevens, Government Affairs
AANR continues to track state and federal legislation, checking the latest from StateNet several times each week. Erich and I are in the process of preparing yet another members’ legislation update, which will be available in the government affairs section of www.aanr.com early next week.
