Naturists Campaigning for Naturism
Engagement
I want to tell you a joke. It isn’t very good and you’ve almost certainly heard it before, but I’m going to tell it anyway. ‘I wanted to start an apathy club, but no one was interested.’
Told you.
Regular blogger The Naturist Philosopher has tackled the thorny problem of apathy within naturism (21st Mar 2014). I agree with much that was written and the solution proposed is something I would have suggested not so long ago, and yet I believe the argument is flawed. The article suggested that apathy is the predominant issue when trying to build a community, any community, not just within naturism and defined it as the opposite of enthusiasm. I disagree. On an individual basis, many naturists are enthusiastic about naturism; they are just not bothered about joining other naturists to form a community or society and promote the interests of all naturists.
In a short article for the Manchester Evening News, Jennifer Williams wrote (13th Feb 2014), ‘if apathy were a political party, nobody else would stand a chance in [the by-election for Wythenshawe and Sale East] – or virtually anywhere else in the region.’ People were just not bothered to vote. That does not mean people are not exercised by the actions of local or national politicians, it is just that in the ‘fight’ for the middle ground, politics in the UK has become too similar, and unable to decide, the voters failed to vote. What arises from this is, was it apathy on the part of the voter, or by the political party for not being distinctive enough?
A report commissioned by the European Youth Forum and International Institution for Democracy and Electoral Assistance said students didn’t vote in EU elections because the politicians ignore them. Evaluating the manifestos of the main political parties for the 2009 elections across five countries, the report found that only half refer to young people and then only in broad terms. Few had anything that addressed the European youth directly. (The Guardian, Abby and Libby Blog, 20th Feb 2014) The blogger Journal of Interest, also wrote about social apathy in 2012 (21st Dec) and said ‘A lot of people feel disenfranchised. People tend to feel that they are powerless, and so it feels natural to become disinterested in a system that is disinterested in them.’ So it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy, a vicious circle were matters get worse, not better.
You might be asking by now, what has this to do with naturism?
Currently political and business leaders alike are speaking of engagement as the answer to many things, including ‘apathy’. Social engagement, community engagement, customer engagement, employee engagement, every kind of engagement under the sun and I believe this is what is missing from naturism. While any type of engagement will have its own definition, essentially is it is about a person, or an organisation, building a lasting relationship with another person or organisation, or a multiple of people and/or organisations. It is not just about issuing a magazine or launching a website with a forum, the aims behind it is far more sophisticated than that. Did you think the supermarkets were giving you discounts and points out of the kindness of their hearts? They are developing a community of shoppers by engaging with you, learning your shopping habits, so you will remain loyal to them and them alone.
The peculiar thing about naturism is that for most of the 110 years or so since the publication of Nakedness by Richard Ungewitter, society has poorly understood naturism. To most outsiders, social nudity was an act carried out by deviants, so early naturists kept their lifestyle a secret, forming private clubs or keeping to the remoter parts of Europe and America. Now, it is hard to talk about something when it is so ingrained not to. There are always exceptions to the rule of course, but this is why I think The Naturist Philosopher’s idea to get people to talk about their naturism, even to family and friends in the first instance, is a non-starter. The pressure for the individual to conform, even when they are not a part of a social group like a club, is strong and difficult to break.
Only since the Second World War when travel became more popular and the public/private places become commonly known, has the idea of nude recreation slowly taken hold of people’s imagination. But society is lagging behind the law in many places and those people who choose to be naked in their ordinary lives (and away from the protest) are seen by those who do not, as a threat – real or imagined – to their safety and well-being.
If naturism is to break the ‘apathy’ that troubles it so then it must do something about it. The national organisations and clubs are the bedrock of this “something” by developing their internal engagement strategies beyond the confines of their walls and out into their local communities (e.g. local chamber of commerce). It would be churlish of me not to mention that this is far easier for me to write than it will be for you to carry out, but you will not be alone. There are lots of clubs and voluntary-based organisations trying to do the same thing you will be doing and both the National Association for Voluntary and Community Action and National Council for Voluntary Organisations offers good advice about different aspects of running a voluntary organisation, including setting up your own community engagement strategy. You can download, the NAVCA booklet “Developing Your Comprehensive Community Engagement Strategy” from the NAG website to give you a taster of what could be involved and, more importantly, achieved. Unfortunately, for the moment there is nothing out there specifically for naturist organisations and groups, but the two websites already mentioned and others you will find on the Internet will offer plenty for you to think about in the meantime.
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8 Responses to Engagement
Interesting words Reg. I have recently emailed most clubs (about 70 of them) with an offer to help them promote their club free of charge within a new project I am currently undertaking. The response rate was about 20%. However those who did respond were upbeat and keen to get on board. They clearly wanted to engage.
I’ll also add that https://www.diogenessunclub.co.uk/ (which I am a member of) has had a massive shake up in recent years (it was an uphill struggle – believe me) and our publicity guy now does engage. He engages with social media, engages with local events, communities, employers and universities. The result is increasing membership, younger faces and a more vibrant atmosphere at our club.
Diogenes have set the benchmark in engagement for promotion and publicity. Those who do not follow suit will probably die over the next few years. Sadly we have already started to see that happen.
It is clearly vital to have national and local organisations to further naturism in the UK. The point has been well made that it is time for action. BN has improved a lot, probably by the efforts of new blood and the Old Guard having left, but there is a way to go yet. I am glad that BN has changed and I thank NAG for all the efforts. It shows great promise.
Where I profoundly disagree with Reg is the idea that speaking to family and friends is a non-starter. I would argue that it is vital.
This is for at least two reasons. First, we do not all have the knowledge and skills to campaign at the national level, that takes a certain mind-set and knowledge that is best left to those with real ability. Second, naturists who may not have the skills to campaign at the national level can still contribute by what could be called micro-campaigning, ending the counter-productive secrecy, speaking to family and friends and explaining what nude life is about and presenting a positive attitude. That helps both those who learn about naturism and the naturist.
Power responds to opinion, no police or government body will react unless clues to changing public opinion reach their attention. That will be from various sources not just pressure groups like NAG or BN. If some kind of zeitgeist comes to their attention, they will start to think there is more to it than the official (but vital) approach from a pressure group.
Two good points there Howard. What I meant to say (and didn’t) is that, as a result of the majority public opinion being that public nudity was somehow connected to an immoral attitude, it became natural for individual naturists to keep their naturism secret, and that has permeated through clubs and national organisations. After so many decades of this, it will be difficult for an individual naturist to break the habit of a lifetime and talk to those friends and family she or he hasn’t already told. This is why I thought The Naturist Philosopher’s idea to talk to friends and relatives was a non-starter. Without the encouragement of an engagement strategy carried out at club and national levels, no individual naturist will run risk of being considered a ‘deviant’ by those they hold most dear. But I do get your point Howard and if they feel strong enough and their news would be well received then I tend to agree with you, secrecy is so damaging to one’s life and people should be open about their participation in nude recreation.
We do indeed need an engagement strategy, but one that includes individual work. Surveys show that many people go nude on holiday yet would never join a club nor BN, nor yet call themselves naturists. For this reason, the national campaigns run by NAG and others will not come to their attention yet they are happy about nudity. Police and politicians will then think that naturism is just a small minority and ignore us, they react only to votes. Free-range naturists as well as club members (all too few of those) need to get the word out.
Here is an example. A friend and BN member recently moved from London to a village in Essex. He made it clear from the start to his new neighbours that he would be nude in the garden and round the house, he has a notice on the side-way gate to say nudes beyond. In no time at all the news went round the village and he was called the “Village Naturist” even though no-one had yet seen him nude. He has found the level of acceptance is very high. That is not to say he walks nude down the road, but people know, builders who do work for him find him nude- pre-warned they are fine as were those who could see into his garden. The key point is that police and politicians live in the village (people in ACPO have to live somewhere!), they get to hear and realise they are surrounded by people who do not mind at all about nudity. The nay-sayers become side-lined and life gets better.
I have made this point a few times on the BN forum but BN is still stuck in the club mind set, we need a wider engagement strategy. Whether we call it “grass roots”, “free-range-range” or whatever, we need to encourage people to “out” themselves. The WNBR helps enormously, it was my route into telling people about nudity- one neighbour even came to the start to cheer me on!
I wrote a piece on micro-campaigning and sent it to Duncan- it may be of interest.
“I wrote a piece on micro-campaigning and sent it to Duncan- it may be of interest.”
It is indeed Howard. Would you mind sending it to me?
I don’t wish to be negative but I can’t help but think that Howard’s friend, “The Village Naturist”, is reinforcing the idea that naturism is a somewhat barmy concept against which people need to be warned, rather than one to which people should be invited to participate or, at least consider normal.
It is rather telling that he doesn’t “walk nude down the road”; that “…no-one had yet seen him nude” and yet “he has found the level of acceptance is very high”. What exactly are his fellow villagers accepting? The idea that he likes to be naked in the privacy of his own house and garden? Big deal.
I think what he is really achieving is some sort of legal defence: everyone knows he’s open about being a naturist and is not, ergo, a pervert. That’s very laudable and potentially valuable but he is clearly not all that open about demonstrating exactly what it means to be a naturist. People will only “accept” naturism when they see it, not when they hear about it.
While I’m sure Howard is quite capable of defending himself, I do see his point and to an extent, agree with it. To be honest, we don’t know if Howard does go beyond his house and garden nude. That wasn’t the point he was expressing. What Howard was trying to get over was that talking to your neighbours, friends and family can have positive results, and it should not be dismissed lightly as I had apparently done in the article.
My own view remains basically unchanged. I think clubs and national organisations can affect how the public perceives us much more effectively than Howard’s micro-campaigning on its own. Individual naturists are much more likely feel able to talk to their friends, neighbours and family if naturist groups and organisations are seen to be doing more themselves, and that includes NAG of course. And this is where we need people most, confident enough with their own nudity to express it openly to others who would not naturally talk about it on a non-sexual context. Only they are hard to find because… Well, I guess you know what I’m going to say. It is a vicious circle and one I have not been able to break but I do still think that a community engagement strategy is – at least in part – the answer.
Sorry, I do rabbit.
Reg
The piece was written with reference to the current situation in society, not the situation we would like to see. My friend, “The Village Naturist” does not walk nude down the street only for fear of arrest, that is why the ACPO campaign and other campaigns are important.
Quite a few people do see naturism as a somewhat barmy concept, that is what we must change. The question is how?
1. Campaigns. These must be co-ordinated and run by those who know how it is done. Well done to NAG and BN and its work a while ago with Parliament and legislation etc.
2. Swims in public pools, well done to the organisers, the message will slowly get out.
3. The SOC and nude walks in open land.
4. The WNBR, a significant help with nude acceptance. Evidence? It no longer gets on the main news.
5. The rest of us. Sit back and wait? No, but what to do? Get arrested? – that is counter-productive in every way. Keep things secret? That has led to the current situation where people think naturism is a somewhat barmy concept with nudes lurking behind their hedges in colonies. I agree with Reg, micro-campaigning on its own will be of little use, BUT, when campaigns are run by “them”, what do the rest of us do?
Yes, my friend and I are seeking a quasi-legal defence. His level of nude acceptance is high relative to the current social situation in which, sadly, nudity is rare; people do need to be warned. The key point here is that once warned, they usually don’t mind. His building contractors saw him nude around the place all the time, so these 4 or 5 people will go and tell and the message will get round- micro-campaigning. If we get more people to do that the message gets round better and the more likely it will be to get articles in non-naturist magazines like this one:- https://www.thefield.co.uk/features/swimming-wild-22186
And yes, people will only “accept” naturism when they see it, not when they hear about it, but the precursor to that is not being arrested and for that a change in society is required. Gays are no longer arrested, it is possible to change but we must engage everyone at every level from national campaigns to micro-campaigning. Secrecy is no longer an option.