Pardon my ignorance , I don't see your point.

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"You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream" - Les Brown
"Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment" - Jim Rohn

Just because you can't see past sex doesn't mean the rest of us can't.

Classic and amusing. You realize this is Slowtwitch, the home of the hottie thread, becca (I think that's her name) and "Pics or it didn't happen"

Come on NO ONE looks at Playboy as "Art".

Ohhh baby check out the art on her chest! Holy crap that's the tightest art I've ever seen! Classic.

~Matt

My point is simply that there is a difference- almost too obvious to mention, I'd like to think- between racing in appropriate athletic gear and posing in Playboy. You should stop trying to equate the two.

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"People think it must be fun to be a super genius, but they don't realize how hard it is to put up with all the idiots in the world."

I completely agree that it is the parent's responsibility to instill the proper values in their children -- no question. However, you must admit that when more and more women -- WHO ARE SUCCESSFUL IN OTHER AREAS LIKE SPORTS -- choose to pose nude, it makes it harder to instill values in your children b/c "societal norms" make it ok to engage in that type of behavior. Not using that as an excuse, just saying it makes it harder on parents.

This has been a fantastic discussion, but, it has gone off on several tangents. We could debate whether or not young women (in general) should pose nude. But, that is not the point of my original post. The point of the post is this: Amanda Beard, world class athlete, poses nude. So, does this diminish her athletic achievements? Why did she pose nude, b/c she realized she could not stay in the public spotlight based on her athletic skill alone? Does this send the message to young girls that athletic achievement is not enough -- you must be sexy and be willing to bare all? Why do they keep putting Danica Patrick in sexy dresses and parade her all around (for example)? Isn't that saying the same thing?

I don't know kids, so, I don't know. I will say it again, I, personally, have no issue with her posing. I love to look at fit naked bodies. But, the article raises some great points and really gets me thinking.

If I had a young daughter who excelled at something, I would want her to make it on her own skills and not have to worry about displaying her body to get recognition.

So, is it a problem? That's for people much smarter than I to determine. I just see the potential for problems.

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If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went. - Will Rogers

Emery's Third Coast Triathlon | Tri Wisconsin Triathlon Team | Push Endurance | GLWR

Seriously you don't see a difference between a female taking pictures naked for the express purpose to be looked at for the pleasure of the viewer and a female being mostly naked in functional clothing during a race?

~Matt

No, I'm simply pointing out that Vitus's attempt to separate art from sex is nonsensical.

OK as a follow up, how about a female in a conservative strip bar, the kind that are wearing a bikini, and a female in a bikini on a beach. Any difference?

~Matt

Didn't she already make it on her skills? From what I have read she is doing this for two reasons: 1) money (hey the life of a gold medalist in swimming, especially a women is not exactly a cash cow) 2) She is proud of her body.

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Proud Founder of the Jamis Mafia- Daring to be different.

"It was actually a joke about Paulo between Vitus and I which is why he returned it in kind"

And it was HILARIOUS.

"Oh, so making a joke using a curse word suddenly makes one unintelligent and unable to make a good argument with well orchestrated points...even if the joke is not part of the argument??? Give me a break."

Again, the joke was so hilarious that I missed it was a joke at all.

"Thanks "bucko""

You're welcome.

I see your point and agree. I think that is why she did it.

Did she already make it? Yes. But, in order to stay in the public light, she must display her body (arguably).

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If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went. - Will Rogers

Emery's Third Coast Triathlon | Tri Wisconsin Triathlon Team | Push Endurance | GLWR

    

"I'm simply pointing out that Vitus's attempt to separate art from sex is nonsensical"

Wait, art and sex aren't mutually exclusive. Some art can be sexy, but comparing a museum to Playboy makes no sense at all.

There is plenty of art that isn't sexy, plenty of sex that isn't art. There is some art that's sexy, some sex that't done artfully.

Am I missing your point?

So there's no difference betwen that and Playboy? Come on, seriously?

~Matt

i have to agree with you....do some really not see the difference here?

But isn't that her choice? She made the decision and she is comfortable with it and honestly, that's all that should matter to us. Personally I would love it if all Olympic medalists would have the money to make a decision such as this simply based on if they want to or not instead of thinking about finances, but that's not reality. I would love to get paid $1m to coach college soccer, but it isn't going to happen so I earn extra money in other ways (sorry no nudity as my wife is the only one who wants to see me nude!). I do camps every year that take me away from home (this year will be our first anniversary together...and yes I let my wife say yes or no the last two years) and take away from training (an injury at one caused my Steelhead training to go to hell) but get me a new laptop, put months of car payments in the bank or, this year, buy me a race wheelset. I don't think she is doing it to stay in the public light so much as she wants to do it (a lot of women actually think highly of Playboy) and wants to be financially set.

10-4- I am so sorry, I now see the light and realize that anyone making a joke with one person should explain it to everyone and nobody should ever curse anymore cause that makes 'em dum like.

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Proud Founder of the Jamis Mafia- Daring to be different.

Yeah, whatever. Nice attempt at making a mountain out of a molehill. Sixty million Americans in school, less than 50 are shot on any given year. Far more die in auto accidents. Hardly epidemic.

Actually, there is a huge difference - Playboy would never have a naked woman sitting next to two men like that - way too risque for them.

If so it is rather frightening and now more understandable why I'm having such a hard time teaching the difference to my teenage daughter. Maybe the media barrage of sexuality has more of an effect than even I thought it has. Maybe these are slight nuances to most but there is an OBVIOUS difference between sexuality and nudity.

~Matt

Clearly, that is *just like* the material in Playboy.

Oh, and I never attempted to separate art and sex, as you claim. All I said was that Playboy magazine is not about art, and it isn't. It's about titillation.

Besides, Cabanel's Birth of Venus is much better.

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"People think it must be fun to be a super genius, but they don't realize how hard it is to put up with all the idiots in the world."

Personally, as someone who works at a college, and worked at a high school before, that more then one shooting on a school campus is an epidemic.

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Proud Founder of the Jamis Mafia- Daring to be different.

This reminds me of Hustler - filthy.

"10-4- I am so sorry, I now see the light and realize that anyone making a joke with one person should explain it to everyone and nobody should ever curse anymore cause that makes 'em dum like."

Apology accepted. Though you still have yet to EXPLAIN the joke. Cursing doesn't make you "dum like"...not having a point and resulting to cursing does though.

Basically, you've abandoned any attempt to justify Playboy, and have retreated to a strawman argument.

This would be an opportune moment to cut your losses.

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"People think it must be fun to be a super genius, but they don't realize how hard it is to put up with all the idiots in the world."

Dude have you blown a gasket? In one picture you have two fully dressed males apparently caring on a conversation, neither are even paying attention to the female. The femal, nude, is obviously not trying to be provocative in anyway. Again nudity versus sexuality.

The other picture...for the love god I can't even see anything that resembles a female.

~Matt

Sorry I forgot about using pink color for those kinds of posts.

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Proud Founder of the Jamis Mafia- Daring to be different.