How Much Could US Television Get Away With (If It Wanted To)?

Cafe Society
41

I think it’s about vulnerability. I have never watched the show (as is probably obvious to everyone) but what’s weird to me isn’t that they’re naked and I want to see it, because I don’t at all. it’s because their being naked is at the core of the show, and yet they’re not naked because they’re covered up by blurs. And if they are covered up by blurs, they may as well be covered up by fig-leaves, for all the difference it makes.

Like I said, I understand why they do it like this, I just think it’s weird that they do.

42

Okay, so here’s my general attitude towards nudity on TV and in movies:

We don’t need to see it, ever. There’s barely any situation involving nudity that can’t be handled in a different scene. We don’t need to see people having showers, having sex, or getting changed out of their clothes. Any important plot point that is occurring in this situation could easily be relocated to another scene altogether, and the vulnerability or intensity could be replicated in other ways.

However, in the real world there are multiple situations where naked bodies are a fact of life. So if you’re going to have a sex scene, or a shower scene, or a medical scene, where nudity would normally occur in real life, don’t hide it. Don’t cover people up with a sheet, zoom in to crop it out, or hide them behind a strategically placed pot plant. Just show it. If you think it needs to happen for the scene, then let it happen. Otherwise, excise it entirely and set your scene somewhere else. Half-arsing it is absurd.

43

The domination of cable news - whose content the FCC has no say in - makes such a doctrine largely pointless.

44

Again, what you’re not understanding is that they aren’t naked to be titillating. They are naked because expert primitive survivalists could convert any amount of clothing into precious survival materials. The whole point of the show is not having ANY precious survival materials to start with. (Except a knife, which is a hard requirement, plus one or two approved items, like a firestarter or a mosquito net.)

Let me put it this way: In addition to not getting any clothes, they also don’t get tents. They get neither clothes nor tents for the exact same reason.

45

And what you’re not understanding is that they are being blurred because of the risk of being titillating.

46

I’ve already explained this to you. So have others. They are being blurred to keep it family friendly. Remember when I said that upthread? Your gotcha rings hollow.

47

Exactly. Because for those people, nudity is inherently titillating.

48

Who are “those people”?

49

The audience they are protecting.

50

Often times, they do fashion makeshift clothing out of leaves and/or animal skin. To cover up from bugs and protect the soft tender bits from thorns and sharp ground. Not because they think their nudity is titillating. Because it’s not. You’re literally the only person I’ve read who thinks people tune in specifically to see nudity. That you admit you’ve never even watched the show is not at all surprising.

Don’t you work in the porn industry? Or do I have my Australians mixed up? I think that is clouding your view of why people watch this show.

51

I don’t follow what it is you’re trying to say. To recap:

You said the primary purpose of the show is to titillate with nudity. Everyone else has repeatedly explained to you that the nudity is for deprivation, not titillation.

Here are the wrong things you’ve said in this thread:

The problem with Naked And Afraid is the only reason to watch is the nakedness

Wrong. Primitive Survival is the reason to watch, not nudity. Especially gratifying are some of the bushcraft masterpieces these people engineer.

The nudity can’t be seen, is not the drawcard, and doesn’t affect the competitors.

Wrong. Any tiny amount of modesty clothing would be converted into cordage. In other words, it would be cheating based on the premise of the show.

if the nudity supposedly matters to the contestants, either via modesty or vulnerability, then taking that element away by blurring is, as I said, weird.

“Supposedly” matters? Being naked during cold and rainy nights is very different than being clothed. I mean, you get that, right? Clothes protect you from bugs and cold and (in some cases) rain?

It takes it away from the audience, and the element of the contestants afraid they’d be seen by the audience.

This is such a bizarre train of thought. The vulnerability isn’t “I’m afraid to be seen naked.” The vulnerability is “I hope no gross river critters crawl up my peehole while I’m noodling.” Blurring does nothing to take that vulnerability away.

And if they are covered up by blurs, they may as well be covered up by fig-leaves, for all the difference it makes.

You only think that because you’re fixated on the public’s (your) consumption of that nudity. At no point have you ever thought of the nudity in any context other than titillation. Is there really no such thing as non-sexual nudity in your country?

52

No! I am not saying that! I am saying it’s weird that they blur the nudity when it’s a core part of the show! I know WHY they do it, but it’s a stupidly ridiculous absurd nonsense bullshit reason that is the complete opposite of the point of the show. If nudity is part of the show, keep it in the damn show! But they are so craven to their stupid advertisers and overly prudish audience they fill half the screen with fuzzy pixelation. It’s ridiculous, and you all trying to justify it like it’s no big deal is equally ridiculous.

53

So, when you literally said:

You meant… what?

54

I never said that. If that’s what you thought I meant, that’s my bad. If you put the word Naked in the show’s title, and have the contestants be naked in the show, then show the naked. Don’t hide the naked. Because to compromise the core part of what makes the show unique is completely WEIRD.

55

It’s not weird. Showing the nudity would be a distraction.

Do you accept that Naked & Afraid is actually a family friendly show? It’s about as edgy as American Ninja Warrior – the bubbliest, safest, most family friendly type of entertainment there is.

Next you’ll be arguing how WEIRD it is that Donald Duck isn’t drawn with a penis because not wearing pants is part of his thing and not showing a penis when not wearing pants is WEIRD. And it’s only because America is so purtanical that they don’t show that twisted duck dick.

Or, rather, that’s how nonsensical whatever it is you’re trying to say sounds.

56

No, because that’s not core to Donald Duck. What would be weird is if he was called Donald Duck and he lived in Duckburg, but he was a human.

57

When I said that I meant that Naked is the unique part of the show, so when people tune in they expect Naked. And what they get is a big fuzzy blob.

58

Not one single person expected the nudity to be unblurred. Except, now, I guess, you. So exactly one person.

59

Bringing me back to my first post, which was comparing it to Naked Attraction, where everything is on display, as promised by the title and premise. I also do not watch that show (I’ve only seen one clip). Going to watch a Naked show where there’s no Naked is weird. You thinking that it’s not weird is also weird.

60

That’s your opinion, but I suspect it’s very much a minority one. Just because the characters are in a situation where they are nude, doesn’t mean we have to see every part of their bodies.

  1. Maybe the actors don’t want to have their naughty bits preserved on screen for all the world to see. Unless we’re talking animation, you can’t show the characters’ bodies without showing the actors’ (or their doubles’) bodies.
  2. For at least some of the people watching, seeing nudity could take them out of the scene by being too titillating, or embarassing, or otherwise attention-grabbing.

I suspect you’d say in both these cases that people shouldn’t feel this way—it’s just nudity—but, face facts, people do feel this way.

And I’ll point out that, in scenes where people are eating, we don’t always see them putting food into their mouths and chewing it. I’ve seen scenes where people are using the bathroom, and I’m thankful they hide the actual excretion.