Moral issues in question
12:20 pm Thu, 2nd December 2004What do people think of this recent case of a man being taken to court and fined for taking photos of women bathing topless on a public beach in Sydney. I’ve been reading many and varied points of view regarding this issue – some people are adamant that this guy had every right to take the photo and that women who bath topless are “fair game” for all.. whilst others are glad the guy was brought to justice and that women have the right to privacy, even when topless in a public place.
What are peoples opinions of such a sticky issue. From a legal perspective.. should the court have fined him… was he committing an offence? Is there a law against this, and if so, what of the paparazzi? And then from a christian perspective.. was he wrong (personally I think he was, yes). Or perhaps both parties were wrong. Is it wrong (from a christian perspective) to bath topless (I think it is definitely not wise… and even as far as wrong). And can this moral issue/values be extended from christianity to the legal system?
Argh. Anyway. Just some interesting thoughts and questions. I was actually quite disturbed by some peoples attitudes on this forum. Many peoples attitudes are in line with this quoted example from one person “If a chick is going to sunbake topless, I reckon she has no right to be offended at someone taking a photo of her.” That just doesn’t sit right with me for some reason. I guess it demonstrates just how warped society has become. On both sides – women bathing topless on public (non-nudist) beaches, and men thinking they are “fair game” just because of this… their attitude that these women are little more than objects to be ogled at.
Hrm. Any comments are welcome.
On another note… Lord Of The Rings : The Return Of The King (Extended Edition DVD, DTS – 4 Disc Box Set) will be available Friday, 10 December 2004. Running time 240 minutes (about 50 minutes longer than the theatrical release). Download the trailer here (right click on link and “save as” – a 35Mb download).
Woohoo! I can’t wait!!! 
6 Comments on “Moral issues in question”
nate
Dec 2, 2004
I think taking photos of people without them knowing is a breech of privacy regardless if they’re on the beach or not. I got freaked out a while back when I had my photo taken by some old man *ewwww*
I think it’s unwise for Christian women to go topless in public, the simple reason is that it causes other people to stumble…
CC
Dec 2, 2004
Bring it on RoTK!!!!!! Woohoo!
Topless on a beach is very unwise and stupid, and yes, the idiot paid the right penalty.
echolalia
Dec 2, 2004
Heya Kazzart, anonymous (not anymore, eh) lurker, who decided to weigh in with my 2 cents. Before that, ‘thanks’, i suppose, for your blog? whatever the word is, i think you know what i mean, i’m still a tad new to the blogging thing.
but about the case, haven’t much background about the legal perspective, but from a moral one, i’m not sure if the fact that women are bathing topless in public is a sign of how “warped” society is, or whether its leading men to “stumble”, or “unwise and stupid”.
A beach is a public space, and to some extent, I think individuals have the right to do as they please. IMO, if noone else is being physically threatened by their activities, then live and let live. Of course, there are issues of hygiene, and perhaps that could be a reason for imposing fines.
Also, i think its a dangerous argument to say that wearing bikinis, mini skirts, going topless on beaches and similar “scandals” lead people “to stumble”. why are we baliming the victim? shouldn’t the focus be on the culpability of the perpetrator? hasn’t the perpetrator won, if we create a culture where people feel afraid to act because of what individuals could do to them if they were to dress a certain way?
maybe, and here’s the crazy argument, our fetishization of sex and nudity (ie, trying to hide it up) had *lead* to the objectification of women. perhaps its this notion of the “forbidden fruit” that’s allowing the “sex sells” industry to flourish. i don’t have any concrete answers, but i wonder about the danger and injustice of blaming the victim
Kazzart
Dec 2, 2004
Hey there echolalia. Thanks for your input, and coming out of the “anonymous” closet. 🙂
You lurkers out there should follow this example and do the same! 😉
Anyway, regarding your comment, some of it was in answer to CC and Nate’s comments I presume? I think to clarify for CC, her comment “the idiot paid the right penalty” was in reference to the guy taking photos, who was brought to court.
About it being “unwise and stupid” to bath topless, I was not (and I believe neither were CC or Nate) inferring that the woman is in any way to blame for the actions of others. Yes, it is true she does have the right to dress as she pleases and not have to suffer any sort of harrassment as a result. I agree, the perpetrator is fully responsible for his actions and the wrongs he commits, not the victim.
What I was (as well as CC and Nate) talking about was from a christian perspective, and is really applicable only to someone who holds to this belief. It is not a rule, but a matter of wisdom, and that is, from our understanding of the bible, for christians, bathing topless in a public place is not seen as a wise thing to do (because of the attention it would inevitably attract). I don’t believe that someone who doesn’t hold to this belief is necessarily bound by what the bible has to say about wrongs and rights, and wise and unwise. (But this is how someone who is a christian attempts to live. By what the bible has to say about life and all the principles in living this life – and how you dress does happen to fall under one of them. In fact, every aspect of life does.. but that is another can of worms). That is why I differentiated between the legal issue and the christian issue of the matter.
Hrm… does that make sense? 🙂
CC
Dec 2, 2004
Well clarified, Kazz. I don’t think I need to say anything further other than when I said what I said, I also had in mind the whole skin cancer thing too. Can you imagine getting skin cancers on your boobs?! That was the thought included in my stupid and unwise comment.
leo
Dec 3, 2004
so… where can i find this beach? 😉
i’m not a fan and i think it’s creepy and disgusting that this dude was taking these pictures, it’s just unfortunate that if one is going to be topless in a public spot, whilst i agree that one is entitled to privacy, it does naturally attract pervs to the scene… i don’t think it’s “wrong” to sunbathe topless or dress in certain ways, i say do woteva u want, who cares wot people think? like what echolalia said, as long as u’re not hurting anyone, u should be free to just be.