Will nudity come to network tv?

The last time we had a liberal government, our mores changed and it was obvious on tv -- interracial kisses, much more sexual innuendo, men became sex objects, some tv shows even featured fairly explicit sexual scenes, and shows often confronted sexual issues affecting teens and adults.

During the Reagan Revulsion, I think there were three significant developments. Obviously, gays became part of the tv world despite the active homophobia of the Republicans. The other developments, which seems appropriate for right-wing, was a return to the objectification of women and the huge increase in sexual sadism -- Law and Order SVU is the most blatant example of this, but many of the reality shows have been based on humiliation and various challenges that amount to sadism.

I think under Obama we should see another change. Perhaps there will be an effort to tone down the sadism, but a greater tolerance of the human body and sexual diversity. We may see another tv renaissance, like that which brought us shows like Laugh-In, Flip Wilson, Saturday Night Live, All in the Family, Mod Squad, the Smother's Brothers, and even Star Trek (which featured the first interracial kiss). Perhaps we will see nudity on tv, a reduction in the objectification of women and men, and an end to sexual sadism. Do you think tv will change? If so, how.

given that you're still living in Victorian times over there. :sarcasm:

If this subject was in our press here in the UK everyone would fall over laughing.

The reich wing would rise again if this happens. It would give them cause claiming the world morals are deteriorating and it is destroying the children.

America is just too fucking uptight about sex and nudity.

And that's the image portrayed that needs to change.

watch too darn much television.

to have happened the first time. Elaine replied when the nipple makes it first appearance. Likewise with network TV. People have been nearly, if not, naked on TV for years but with out the female nipple of male organ exposed. You want to talk about Puritan America? To have that as the dividing line not to cross is hilarious.

I grew up with Rob and Laura sleeping in separate beds. We joked that they musta had Richie in the stairway. I remember when a show about a mixed religion marriage was about as controversial as the networks would go. As the saying went...the sex was dirty and the air was clean.

That changed with cable. I can see full frontal nudity in a variety of premium channels that have as much pull as the networks. In fact, with the age of cable, they ARE the networks. The amount of programming enables each of us to find our own level of comfort...and cable is self-regulated. It's been the HBOs that have made the most of this freedom and they've led...the other networks follow.

I see TV evolution as a long term deal...a reflection of our society morals and mindset. For most of the last decade as fear and war have been prevelent...so has an uptick in violent and law and order shows. When our society is more focused on social and domestic issues, then we see a rise in the Smothers Brothers or SNLs or Daily Shows.

n/t

And how do you think these are two DIFFERENT things:
"Perhaps we will see nudity on tv, a reduction in the objectification of women and men"??

The Reagan Revulsion brought about sadism on tv, which is hardly liberal. Also, despite the Reagan Revulsion, gays made inroads into tv. Lastly, nudity does not objectify unless that's it's intent. In most of the western world, nudity is not automatically equated with sex as is the case in the US.

definition differs vastly from mine!
Or nudity in British and French TV series.
Or porn in street-side vending machines in Denmark.

I've been ALL OVER "most of the Western world" (aka, Europe), on their beaches, in their stores with magazines, in their hotels with television, and IMHO, they "equate" nudity with sex as much as we do, but are far more open about it. IOW, it's an American myth that the pervasiveness of nudity in European culture somehow means Europeans think nothing of it!

As for the increase in depictions of sadism: I think there has been, with the Bush Administration and specifically post-Illegal Invasion, a significant increase in what I call "thuggery TV": violence galore, in commercials; TV series, expecially in depicting corpses in gruesome detail; sports (with more "full-contact" "sports").

Then there are our movies.

There's certainly porn and there's nudity. What I'm talking about is that even in religious countries like Portugal, a movie that happens to have nudity will be shown unedited on tv. In most of Scandinavia, nudity is fairly commonplace, but sex is very private. In most of Europe, the human form is celebrated in public sculpture and art. Sure, there's sexism, but showing a nude is not automatically equated with sex. I've lived in 6 European countries for anywhere from 3 months to 4 years, so I think I am familiar with the differences. That said, I do agree with you that the Europeans are far more accepting of nudity sex than we are. (Also, there are no porn vending machines in Denmark -- at least I never saw any in the year I lived in Copenhagen.)

And I saw them.
I still don't see the timeliness of the topic, though!

I lived in Stockholm for four years. Perhaps what you're thinking of is condom machines. They certainly had those. There was one attached to a building I lived in, in an otherwise quiet residential neighborhood!

The timeliness of the topic is merely that I think this new age with Obama will usher in some changes that go beyond the political. Democrats and liberals, for instance, are more likely to be offended by violence than sex, I believe, and I think that will manifest itself in our media in some way.

Not exactly a filthy looking dispensary either. I can even tell you the intersection: Bergaliden and Sodra Storgatan.

They have been there at least since 1994...when I was there.

I admit to turning my neck a few times...just walking down the street going from one place to another and there on your right...Hey, I think you can see her kidneys!

That's what you see when you watch Law and Order? When you watch TV in general? I think you are going way deeper than this really is. It's all factory produced video-time-waste meant to sell commericals. You really thin Reagan had anything to do with what was on TV in the 80's?

Prior to the age of Reagan, I don't think tv shows delved into torture and humiliation in the way they do today. During the age of Reagan (the last 25 years for the most part), we saw numerous restrictions in terms of sexuality and nudity in the media. The tv industry responded in the way that Republicans like -- by pushing more violence, sadism, and humiliation onto tv. It's pretty common knowledge that many countries, unlike the US, censor violence more than they censor sex. I think tv today was shaped largely by the violent values of the Republican Party. I think now that we have a Democratic Congress and a pretty liberal president, we'll see some changes, but I'm not sure what they'll be.

And obviously SVU and reality shows are about using sadism and humiliation for the purpose of entertainment. How could you possibly not realize that?

We like to keep our skin-shots banned and laden with guilt and sin.

Are you implying that this is a bad thing?

Please tell me I read your OP wrong.

But, when it was first done, it was controversial and a sign of progress. I'm wondering what additional progress we'll see in our cultural values now that Obama has been elected.

Thanks for clearing that up, I knew I hadn't been up that long and it was quite possible :)

You won't see naked breasts on commercials like you see in certain countries. The US culture is far more conservative than Europe.

:shrug: