Nude Cheerleaders – Not OK?
Since when are people not into naked cheerleaders?
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1659432/cheerleading_coach_carlie_beck_fired.html?cat=17
The article above tells the story of Carlie Beck, a High School cheerleading coach from California who was recently fired from her position. Why you ask? She was fired because previous to her being hired she posed for Playboy’s Cyber Club which features nude models online for $20/month to subscribers. The mother of a girl who had been excluded from the team for unexcused absences brought these pictures to the school’s attention.
I know what you’re thinking …
Was she underage when she posed for the photos? No.
Were the photos otherwise illegal? No.
Did the school know about her modeling before they hired her? Yep.
How did the girl’s Mom find the photos that were only available to subscribers? Exaaactly!
The last question aside, the real issue here is how legit it is to fire someone for something they did BEFORE working at a place? More importantly, how can someone be fired for doing something which is NOT illegal?
Let’s play Devil’s Advocate for a second here:
1) Do parents really want their young impressionable daughters being coached by someone who feels it is appropriate to pose nude for public viewing?
2) What if those girls come to see working for Playboy as something they might consider doing?
3) Furthermore, isn’t she less of a competent teacher if the students know she’s been Playboy eye candy?
Quick answers: 1) Maybe. 2) Perfectly legal professional choice. 3) Can’t imagine how.
Therefore the sum total of Ms. Beck’s actions equal inspiring students towards a legitimate and well paying profession (nude modeling) while maintaining her abilities as an educator. Isn’t that exactly what we expect of teachers?
Ah, but we must never underestimate the power of stupidity my friends.
Like it or not, we live in a society where common sense has been exchanged for rules. It’s far easier to subscribe to a list of mandates than to exercise judgment. Unfortunately, the more rules you follow, the stupider you become as less and less thinking is required. Fundamentalists, bureaucrats, lackeys … they all have stupid in common and they’re definitely not known for their creative problem solving or out-of-the-box thinking.
But what does this have to do with naked cheerleaders?
We have problems with nudity in the US. Though much of Europe laughs at us for our markedly Puritanical attitude towards sex, we still live like our bodies are ensconced in sin. We get so baffled by a naked body that it causes us to make all sorts of rash judgments which fully negate our common sense. In short, we become stupid. Common sense would tell parents that their children are part of a world in which nude modeling occurs and occurs legally. Instead of using a teacher’s previous occupation as a chance to provide an object lesson in personal family values to their child, stupidity, created by hysteria over nudity, creeps in and causes parents and the community to react in such a way as to ignore the reality of today’s world. They believe that by reacting with outrage at nude modeling as if it were akin to a life of crime, they will somehow keep their children from knowing about such “evils” and pursuing such a depraved path themselves. In fact, as can be seen in this case, just the opposite is true. If the subject was never brought to light by the ostracized parent, very few students likely would have become aware of Ms. Beck’s photos. Now however, the whole school knows about it (not to mention the whole nation thanks to the news media). What’s more, the students have responded by protesting Beck’s firing. So much for protecting the children.
I’ve rambled enough.
Bottom line is, nude cheerleaders are AWESOME! I’ll tell my daughter the same when the time comes to have that discussion. I’ll also tell her how difficult that world can be, just as I’ll give her the pluses and minuses of any particular profession which presents itself to her. I am not made stupid by nudity nor do I blindly adhere to a multitude of rules as a substitute for exercising personal judgment. I guess I’m just lucky that way.
If you too are one of the lucky ones, feel free to enjoy a dose of beauty for yourself.
