Vermont? Who knew?

[Fifthfiend]

I think we could all use a laugh.

And thankfully, Vermont's teenagers have provided one for us (http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1110AP_Naked_Town.html):

Nude teens test limits in Vt. town

By LISA RATHKE
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER

BRATTLEBORO, Vt. -- Public nudity isn't new to this bastion of bohemia, but it usually bares itself in more subtle places than the downtown parking lot.

This summer, a group of teenagers has disrobed near restaurants, bookstores and the town's many galleries, igniting a debate about whether Brattleboro should ban a practice long tolerated until now.

...

By most accounts, the stripping started on a whim in early summer when a young woman sat naked on a park bench, Martin said. Then another woman started taking her shirt off downtown.

A music festival promoting nudity and rebelliousness set up in May in a downtown parking lot attracted nude hula hoopers.

Last month, a half dozen young people bared their bodies in a parking lot, encircled by the backs of bookstores, coffee shops and restaurants.

...

All the bare skin has raised eyebrows, even in this town of 12,000 residents that has seen clothing-optional swimming holes, streakers and an event known as "Breast Fest," which featured women parading topless.

I mean seriously, Vermont!

Who knew?

[Mirai Gen]

Shit.

Vermont, here I come.

Indeed, who would have thought?

[Demer]

This actually does not surprise me in the least.

Having spent many summers (and a part of college) in Vermont, I have learned that there are a huge number of activities that go on there that one might not expect. I used to go to some summer camps near Plymouth that openly, and notoriously, allowed skinny dipping. I say notorious because, at one point, large numbers of men with binoculars would gather on the side of the road across the lake from the camp for 8-14 year old girls. The camp eventually got the police to patrol that area and the problem stopped. We were also nototious for building a bonfire that looked like a burning cross. And a bonfire that looked like the Star of David. And for supposedly worshipping the devil (I still don't know how we were accused of that one).

Anyways, Vermont is not exactly what you would expect. The states are stereotyped too much.....

Since I'm about to pass out from my medications, I'll leave it there. I can't seem to finish my thoughts right now. Bye.

[Whale Biologist]

I read this article about a month ago. It was pretty sweet :) We get some of that in Vancouver, which has "loosely enforced" laws for public nudity, as long as it's a female. It's just the way it works out. Naked guys? You BET they'll find a law against it.

[Demetrius]

Heh, you guys are missing out. Vermont is one of the most boring cold isolated places around, so we need to do stuff to keep our morale up... and because we're all a little crazy. It comes from the air and the beer and stuff...hmmmm maybe I could explain this better with both shoes and my pants on...

[Sky Warrior Bob]

I'd say its more like Vermont has big pockets of isolation, but if you look around enough (and you're not located in a heckhole like Derby), you might be able to find something interesting.

As for sterotypes, being a resident of Vermont (, even if I am still a bit of a flatlander), I'm not sure what you could even begin to stereotype Vermonters as. I mean, from what I've seen people are all over the place in terms of personality, and well anything you could even begin to tie them down with.

As for cold? That's getting to be less & less of an issue, don't you think? It just been getting wetter & wetter, and progressively less cold. Ever since the icestorm, things have been getting milder.

SWB

[Demer]

Hmm. I wonder when it will get too warm for ice cutting. As for nudity and craziness, skinny dipping in a very cold lake after going into the sauna is lots of fun. Can't do that where I live now, though.

Ooh, I should mention naked snow angels. Fun!

[Death by Stabbing]

I was in Brattleboro just a month ago...and I didn't see any naked people at all...

As far as allowing them to be naked...I don't care it's not like they can stop people being naked...As they say "No one wants to arrest and bring down a naked guy"...so they have found invinsibility...as far as the close range goes anyways...If the cops used smoke grenades or the bomb robots to apprehend the nude then they're basically screwed...Little known fact* those robots have lasers in their eyes...oh it's true** even the power of nudity can't withstand them...even the power of the clothed can't...good thing we are in control of them***

DBS

* Not an actual fact...I may have just made that up...as far as I know
**No it's not
***We are not in control of them

[Mr.Bookworm]

I condemn you all of being perverts, and pedophiles.

But, really...

Holy s***! I always associated Vermont with cows, and possibly some sort of syrup. But mass nudist colonies? Never entered my mind.

[Corporate Evil]

Vermont, ho!

Can't say I expected this from a state so far north.

[Sir Pinkleton]

When I think of vermont, I tend to think of a certain peice of art. Yunno, the one with the boring farm couple, the husband holding a pitchfork, and the house in the background? Made by some dead guy i'm currently ignorant enough not to remember? I know it's different than that, with universities and more diverse people, but they haven't done anything short of this situation to prove otherwise to anybody else.

Also, what the hell is with all the Nudity? From this forum it seems as if it were normal. I thought it was only normal in florida...

[Death by Stabbing]

When I think of vermont, I tend to think of a certain peice of art. Yunno, the one with the boring farm couple, the husband holding a pitchfork, and the house in the background? Made by some dead guy i'm currently ignorant enough not to remember?

That piece of art is called American Gothic by the way...and the artist's name just slipped my mind

The vat of useless knowlege,
DBS

[Demetrius]

I think Vermont is where all the crazy people feel at home, no one will tell you what you're doing is nuts and half the time they'll join in... again I think it goes back to the being bored thing.
As for the temperature it is definately doing something wierd, no -45's for a while but up on the mountain you still get some massively cold days, especially with the wind chill... I love winter and I can't wait, just a month or so to go!!! SNOOOOOOOOOOOOW!!!

[Fenris]

That piece of art is called American Gothic by the way...and the artist's name just slipped my mind
It was some guy from my home state. Which is Iowa. Which has more than corn and soybeans!

Who the fuck am I kidding? We have the world's largest Popcorn plant. That's 'cause we have all the fucking corn you could ever ask for to pop.

But yeah, I always thought of Vermont as a place where even the Rednecks drive Volvos. Mass Nudist colonies, now, that could and should be advertised. =D

[Corporate Evil]

I always thought of Vermont full of trees, and maple syrup.

[Demer]

I can't remember what areas in Vermont I've seen, but I did visit towns that displayed almost every American stereotype imaginable. Looking at how everyone has been characterizing the state, I can honestly say I've seen everything that was mentioned(except the Volvo thing, but that's because I didn't pay attention to cars at all).

I don't think I'd characterize Vermont as having "mass nudist colonies" exactly. It's more like optional nudity, depending on where you are. But it's hard to keep people from characterizing a place like that when all they see of your camp are the people who do a six hour naked run along the Appalachian Trail and back, through town.

But, yeah. Vermont remains the only place where I've seen lakes, trees, mountains, maple syrup, rednecks, wife-beaters, militant feminists, cows, liberals, conservatives, tailgate parties, mud wrestling, barn-raising, rainbows, and lots of nudity all within a 100 meter radius at the same time. Edit: removed former invisitext.

I think Vermont is where all the crazy people feel at home...
That must be why I liked living there so much.

Edit: Whale Biologist answered the artist thing better than I did

[Whale Biologist]

Dude.... Grant Wood (http://images.google.ca/images?num=20&hs=btk&hl=en&safe=off&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official_s&q=grant%20wood&btnG=Search&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wi). He's, like, the king of "Slightly Creepy Americana". Nearly all of his work just seems.... seems slightly off. "Village of the Damned" sort of things. *shudder*

Anyways, back to what we all came here to see... HARDCORE NUDITY!

Public nudity, let's face it.... North American culture has spent so long demonizing nudity that it's going to be a LONG time before this isn't front page news. A friend of mine used to live in Italy, and it was a rare day when you didn't see someone nekkid in the hot weather, simply because there, it's a cultural thing. Same in Brazil, where another friend visited while he was an.... "accountant".... in a non-extradition tax-shelter country. Same in virtually every country outside North America (even Germany. Mmmmm..... Nadine.....)

Canada is slightly more lax like this... in the Kootenays there's nudist compounds (near hot springs, because NO-ONE would be naked in the Kootenays in Winter and not have access to free hot water). Vermont, I guess, just happened to hit the right combination of law-abiding activist teenagers who wanted attention, and to make a statement.

Still, if you're over 50, keep it under wraps.

That raises another thing... aesthetics. Do we only want the attractive people to be nekkid, or everyone, including the people who can only be described as posessing "physical hell"?

[Sir Pinkleton]

I believe Nudity was normal until Christianity came through, and since america is a largely christian country, their ideals have rubbed into society (at least in most places). Even if your not christian at all, because of society it's seen as taboo, and it's why I avoid PE class. *shudder*

[Sky Warrior Bob]

I think Vermont is where all the crazy people feel at home

Considering the fact that our greatest folk hero is best known for capturing a British fort while drunk, you might be onto something.

SWB

[ZERO.]

Oh Vermont, with your nudist teens, dirt farming folk, and people who will let you run around in your skibbies as long as you don't bother anyone, we love you.

But Texas is still better.

[Sky Warrior Bob]

Uh, hate to break it to you, but I don't think Vermont has any more coffee shops than anywhere else, maybe even less so. Heck, considering how rural most of Vermont is, I wouldn't be shocked to find out it has less shops than the city of Dallas.

Heck, I can't even stand coffee.

SWB

[Demetrius]

623,050 or so people live here, how many in Texas? 22,859,968, yeah waaaay too many people there, way too many poisonous things that can kill you, and waaaaay not enough snow. Vt is the place to be, which is why you people from other places keep moving here... GO HOME OUTSIDERS!! *drool*
If you're gonna move in here don't make it like everywhere else, cutting down trees and building housing developments, bah! ./rant
I do enjoy the ability to walk around in me skivvies and occasionally answer the door in the nude with underwear on my head... so once again Vt rocks.
Oh yeah and it's legal to do so :P

[ZERO.]

623,050 or so people live here, how many in Texas? 22,859,968, yeah waaaay too many people there, way too many poisonous things that can kill you, and waaaaay not enough snow. Vt is the place to be, which is why you people from other places keep moving here... GO HOME OUTSIDERS!! *drool*
If you're gonna move in here don't make it like everywhere else, cutting down trees and building housing developments, bah! ./rant
I do enjoy the ability to walk around in me skivvies and occasionally answer the door in the nude with underwear on my head... so once again Vt rocks.
Oh yeah and it's legal to do so :P

1.)The poisonous things are the best part!

2.) Snow is for pussies.