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The Citizen, 2003-06-11, Page 5THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 11, 2003. PAGE 5. Other Views Some nudes in the news I see my good friend Judy Williams is in the news again. Well, maybe not ‘good friend’. We only got together once, for about an hour. Mind you, we were both naked at the time. Judy does that a lot - hang around in the buff, I mean. She’s the Canadian rep for the Inter­ national Naturist Action Committee. She’s also spokeswoman for Skinny-Dippers Nude Recreation, a group that likes to geftogether of an evening at a public swimming pool in Surrey, BC, shuck their duds and frolic, sans benefit of Janzens. USED to like to get together and do that. Surrey city council has pulled the plug on their unadorned get-togethers by denying pool­ rental rights to the group, even though the skinny-dippers have been renting the pool once a month for half a year. So what happened - white-water orgies in the shallow end? Hordes of squinty old guys in stained raincoats clogging up the spectators gallery? Nah. Nothing happened. The nude swims were always closed to the public anyway, and - news flash for Surrey city council - nudists are not what you’d call a high-flying, party­ down kind of people. By and large, they are as sedate and non-threatening as your Aunt Marge at a strawberry social. The participants in the Surrey skinny dip were mostly family types and group members ranging in age from eight months to 88 years. One lifeguard says that ‘the nudies’ were the pool’s best-behaved customers. What probably happened is what usually occurs when civic authorities come up against the idea of naked human bodies being exposed in public - the civic authorities freaked and fell all over themselves in a rush to throw a blanket over the whole situation. Tories ally with show-biz Ontario’s Progressive Conservative government does not like entertainers trespassing on its turf, but is glad to put them on centre stage when it needs them. The Tories, who have had many conflicts with those in the arts and with their views, will provide $5 million to organize a concert that will include Canadian performers Avril Lavigne, Sarah McLachlan and the Tragically Hip. Premier Ernie Eves said it will help show Toronto has recovered from SARS and is safe to visit and Tourism Minister Brian Coburn said it will bring “a lot of rockin’ and poppin” and emphasize life is normal. The Tories also have encouraged comedian Mike Myers, who spent much of his early life in Toronto and is a big name in the United States, to appear on The Tonight Show on U.S. TV. Myers wore a t-shirt with the slogan “I love Toronto” and tried to convince its huge audience SARS is no longer a danger. The perfdrmers are entering into the spirit of the event with enthusiasm, some re-arranging their schedules to take part, and ignoring past differences with the Tories. Artists and entertainers tend to support causes like the poor and homeless, and higher government grants for arts and culture, and many are left-wing and activists. Conservatives tend to see them as well- meaning, but with little concern about practical matters like costs. The most recent conflict was when many Canadians in arts and entertainment, led by their most-honoured author, Margaret Atwood, spoke against the U.S. war on Iraq. Eves in contrast supported the U.S. in its attack and his office issued a news release Arthur Black Typically, city council members Don’t Want To Talk About It. They’ve refused to talk to the media and they won’t meet with Judy Williams to explain their actions. They’re probably terrified that she’ll show up naked. She might, too. Judy is an avowed and unabashed nudist. In the summer months she spends as much of her spare time as possible avoiding tan lines on Vancouver’s famous Wreck Beach. Wreck Beach, in case you haven’t heard, is a ‘clothing optional’ recreational venue. Actually, it would be a brave soul who would venture onto the beach with clothes on. The naked denizens would hoot and razz you right back into the trees. Back when I had a radio show on CBC, I heard about Judy Williams and decided I wanted to interview her. I called her up. Would she be willing to come to the studio? No, she said, would I be willing to bring my microphone and tape recorder to Wreck Beach? I agreed. She told me to meet her at such and such an entrance at 12 noon sharp. “Oh, and one more thing,” she said. “Be naked. I will be.” Judyjudyjudy. Where were you when I was a hormone-besotted youth in high school? Dowd From Queen’s Park accusing those against the war of being cowardly. Canadian performers who opposed the attack on Iraq at least have not been subjected to organized boycotts in their country, as have U.S. entertainers such as Martin Sheen, Susan Sarandon, Michael Moore and singers the Dixie Chicks. But the Tories put pressure on Toronto actress Sarah Polley, who had the temerity to object to their plans to give private medicine a larger role in medicare and organize a benefit to fund opponents. Health Minister Tony Clement scoffed he was “very glad Miss Polley was able to take some time off being in Cannes,” which implied actors laze in the sun when they travel to promote products that need to be sold and cannot contribute much to public affairs, the domain of politicians. Clement challenged the actress to a debate on the issue, in which the smarter-than-average minister who discusses it daily would have a huge advantage over an outsider, but she came back cleverly saying she would be glad to name half-a-dozen healthcare workers who had waited a long time to take him on. Actor Gordon Pinsent, singer Salome Bey and 200 representatives of the arts community held a news conference protesting against cuts It was a lovely spring day as I recall. The sun was shining, the seagulls were mewling, the sailboats were scudding across the bay and I was standing there, in front of Judy Williams, dressed only in a ball cap and a Sony tape recorder. And what did Judy Williams look like? Was she a brazen temptress? A Playboy centrefold? A Salome? Naw. She looked like your kid’s Grade 3 teacher, or the current accounts teller down at the Credit Union. Except with no clothes on. And how did it feel to be butt-naked in amongst acres of butt-naked sun worshippers? It felt...grand. Eventually. Oh, initially there was much folding of arms and flapping of hands and crossing of legs, but gradually you realize that naked human bodies en masse are about as erotic as a convention of plumbing contractors. Besides, Wreck Beach is nothing if not egalitarian. It features tall folks, short folks, old and young and fat and skinny folks. Doesn’t take long to figure out that you really have nothing to hide, so you might as well let it all hang out. Everybody else is. That’s what I learned from my day at the beach with Judy Williams - that the sense of shame about naked bodies which is drilled into us as kids is...well, a shame, really. It’s no big deal. As Donald Sutherland found out on his first meeting with Tallulah Bankhead. Sutherland was putting on make-up in his dressing room when he heard a noise behind him. He turned around to see Tallulah standing there, stark naked. “What’s the matter, dah-ling?” she asked. “Haven’t you ever seen a blonde before?” in arts funding by Mike Harris, Eves’s predecessor as premier, and argued grants to arts and cultural organizations are good for business. Painter Robert Bateman protested the Tories have backed away from commitments by previous governments to preserve the scenic Niagara Escarpment and are “the fox in charge of the chicken coop.” Atwood wrote and recited a poem called The Big Blue Harris in which she called his Common Sense Revolution program “common nonsense.” Canada’s most-admired ballerina, Karen Kain, was barred by security guards from entering the legislature building to present petitions protesting Tory cuts signed by thousands of ballet lovers. Harris said he was “shocked” by this rude reception, but stuck to his position the province had a financial crisis and must evaluate all spending. Children’s entertainers Sharon, Lois and Bram were among thousands who signed a petition opposing the Tories giving tax credits to parents of children in private schools, but news reports specifically mentioned only the entertainers, a reminder of their high profiles, which politicians must envy. The Tories are now showing they can work with those in show-biz — they just don’t want them shooting off their mouths. Final Thought The hardest struggle of all is to be something different from what the average man is. - Charles M. Schwab Bonnie ’ Gropp “ The short of it A potent panacea Oh, I knew it was going to be a tear- jerker. What I didn’t expect 'was the scene that would have me causing a scene. The other night, all alone in my living room. 1 curled up on the couch ready to take in an old chick flick, (for those who don't know this is a female-preferred movie). It’s a little sappy, but missing the typical fairytale ending. In this heartbreaker the handsome hero dies at the end. 1 knew there would be waterworks, some sobbing, especially with no one present to witness my complete capitulation to such syrupy sentimentality. But I was quite surprised when part-way through my eyes welled. The young woman in the story has had her share of heartache. A nice girl with a nasty penchant to fall for ignoramuses, she is recovering from one more break-up when she is attacked by two testosterone-laden party guys. Knocked unconscious she does not see our hero rescue her. Nor is she aware that he covers her near nakedness with his own coal, then carries her through the cold winter night to her home. It was this gentleness, this kindness that made me feel just a little weepy. Evil has a way of making it seem it’s the greater in the battle with good. Across my work desk come regular reports which are commentaries on society’s downside. Thus it is good when something happens to remind us that for every hoodlum there is more than one hero. For every mean spirit, there are more kind ones. Checking my e-mail one morning last week my attention was caught by a short letter from a woman in Fergus. She had,, she said been visiting the area the weekend before and picked up a copy of our newspaper. In ;t, she found the letter to the editor from an outraged, upset mother talking about the theft of her 13- year-old son’s dirt bike, an investment he had made on his own by working at a variety of hard jobs. The story “saddened” the woman, who asked me for a name and address so that she might send a donation to the boy for the purchase of another bike. I found myself misting up yet again, as did the boy’s mother when 1 contacted her. Obviously, she was surprised by such an unexpected response, but also touched by the generous offer of a stranger. In her letter the mother had written of the fact that her young son had paid for his bike himself, through blood and sweat. “Not so the person who took it. ... How do I explain this to my child much less understand it myself?” “There is no lesson to learn other than there are very unscrupulous people in the world with no morals or values.” What a wonderful thing that someone’s selfless reaction to his problem can teach her son another valuable lesson. Despite all the nasty things we hear and see in society today, the majority of people still seethe against injustices, still have compassion for someone who’s been hurt. This woman, who knows nothing about the boy or his family, cared enough to reach out, to do something kind for a stranger. That’s the way most live life. There is nothing more welcoming than a reminder that kindness is a potent panacea for the bad stuff. Personally, I want to thank her. She made my week and warmed my heart.