#1 May 17th, 2006 10:17 PM

pia

Member

naked

Last night my friend was walking along in a very dark and deserted alley somewhere in Sydney on her way to visit a friend of hers and suddenly in front of her was a completely naked man. She didn’t even see him until he was only about a metre away from her because it was so dark and she was tired and daydreaming (hhmmmm daydreaming in the night ??) but as soon as she noticed him coming towards her she automatically veered to the right and tried to quickly cross the road.

She told me that her immediate response was that he must be a  “weird flasher’ and was going to grab her or start jerking off or something and that she felt afraid and caught of guard. But instead of doing any of those things he spoke to her and said “Wait … Please. Do you have something for me to put on, a shirt or something.. anything - I was just mugged” Still feeling shocked and a bit shaken by the encounter,  she told him that if he waited she would bring him some clothes from her friends house.  When she returned with her friend and some clothes a few minutes later, they couldn’t see him anywhere. He was gone and suddenly she felt guilty, that she hadn’t found out if he had really been mugged, if he was hurt or if he was going to be ok.

It was kind of funny when she told me that story today but it made me think about how we all react to nudity and that somehow people (or maybe just men ??) often seem more threatening when they are naked and on the contrary when we are naked we humans often feel more vulnerable.

So my questions to you all of you peoples are

How do you think you would have reacted in this situation and in which way do you think the fact that the man was naked would influence the way in which you reacted?

blissed

Member

Re: naked

It depends on exactly what his attitude was when he spoke to me. If he genuinely seemed like he'd been mugged I'd ring the cops, and if he didn't ask her to ring the cops, then it was a trick, and she was possibly in danger. If I'd been mugged (even by a gang who thought it was a great laugh to take all my clothes off me) I would definitly want to see the police as soon as possible. Again it would depend on his exact attitude. If he seemed genuine, and genuinely glad the police were on their way, I'd help him. I don't think the fact that he was naked would change the way I reacted to him though.

.

paintjam

Member

Re: naked

Last night my friend was walking along in a very dark and deserted alley somewhere in Sydney on her way to visit a friend of hers and suddenly in front of her was a completely naked man. She didn’t even see him until he was only about a metre away from her because it was so dark and she was tired and daydreaming (hhmmmm daydreaming in the night ??) but as soon as she noticed him coming towards her she automatically veered to the right and tried to quickly cross the road.

She told me that her immediate response was that he must be a  “weird flasher’ and was going to grab her or start jerking off or something and that she felt afraid and caught of guard. But instead of doing any of those things he spoke to her and said “Wait … Please. Do you have something for me to put on, a shirt or something.. anything - I was just mugged” Still feeling shocked and a bit shaken by the encounter,  she told him that if he waited she would bring him some clothes from her friends house.  When she returned with her friend and some clothes a few minutes later, they couldn’t see him anywhere. He was gone and suddenly she felt guilty, that she hadn’t found out if he had really been mugged, if he was hurt or if he was going to be ok.

It was kind of funny when she told me that story today but it made me think about how we all react to nudity and that somehow people (or maybe just men ??) often seem more threatening when they are naked and on the contrary when we are naked we humans often feel more vulnerable.

So my questions to you all of you peoples are

How do you think you would have reacted in this situation and in which way do you think the fact that the man was naked would influence the way in which you reacted?

i personally think she did the right thing being totally alone in a very dark and deserted alley (i might wonder what a woman was doing in a dark and lonely alley at all).   the gent may have legitimately been mugged OR he may have just been someone acting strange.   either way i believe she did the right thing - CAUTIOUS.   it just sounds so bizarre that he is still hanging around in an alley that he was mugged in and asking a young woman for something to put on rather that perhaps screaming for help and seeking a police officer.

best NOT to 'throw CAUTION to the wind' so to speak.

i think in this scenario the 'threatening feeling' might arise more from the place and the circumstances rather than just a naked man being viewed.

hugz
jamie

---

'stay beautiful'

pia

Member

Re: naked

It depends on exactly what his attitude was when he spoke to me. If he genuinely seemed like he'd been mugged I'd ring the cops, and if he didn't ask her to ring the cops, then it was a trick, and she was possibly in danger. If I'd been mugged (even by a gang who thought it was a great laugh to take all my clothes off me) I would definitly want to see the police as soon as possible. Again it would depend on his exact attitude. If he seemed genuine, and genuinely glad the police were on their way, I'd help him. I don't think the fact that he was naked would change the way I reacted to him though.

.

mmm yeah I know that there is a big possibility that he was lying and that she really was right to trust her instincts and cross the road .. naked or not naked. . but the story kind of sounds better if he really was mugged and innocent. She said he was kind of youngish and I reckon that he was actually dared by his friends to walk down the street in the nude and he was a bit embarressed or wanted attention or something and thats why he spoke to her and said he'd been mugged. Oh and by the way he had a british accent. LOL.

Anyway onto more important things Blissed... I hope you and everyone else on this site have watched Lucysinclairs new video. Actually I am ordering you all to go and watch it now if you haven't already. It's soo funny and good and Lucy is such a great fun and cute and pretty girl and even though I haven't finished downloading the video yet... I KNOW it's good.

Oh and what a great day it is huh .. Lucysinclaires video AND Dandy's new shoot Dandytv - I can't wait till the interview is on tv ... hhhmmmm actually I don't have a tv let alone foxtel .. Wellsomeone will have to record it and send it to me.

ok I had better stop procrastinating and go and write my essay

pia

Member

Re: naked

i personally think she did the right thing being totally alone in a very dark and deserted alley (i might wonder what a woman was doing in a dark and lonely alley at all).   the gent may have legitimately been mugged OR he may have just been someone acting strange.   either way i believe she did the right thing - CAUTIOUS.   it just sounds so bizarre that he is still hanging around in an alley that he was mugged in and asking a young woman for something to put on rather that perhaps screaming for help and seeking a police officer.

best NOT to 'throw CAUTION to the wind' so to speak.

i think in this scenario the 'threatening feeling' might arise more from the place and the circumstances rather than just a naked man being viewed.

hugz
jamie

Hi Jamie

Yep you are right, it's better to be cautious (in most situations). The dark alley was pretty close to her house and to her friends house and so I guess that she felt a bit more secure because of that .. and also I think dark deserted alley ways are a little bit more safe here in Australia then in some other parts of the world (or maybe I am just fearless LOL .. hhmmm or maybe and more likely, I am just naive) Anyway asides from the fact that I liked the way the story sounded with the nudity being main reason that my friend felt afraid ... it was also the way that she actually told me the story .. as if she wouldn't have been afraid if the guy had a pair of shorts on.

blissed

Member

Re: naked

I've never been nude in public. I don't think anyone would be afraid though, they'd probably take one look at me and laugh Anyway, if it was a cold night, I could quite easily cover my embaressment myself

.

catt

Member

Re: naked

<P>Interesting scenario, Pia...  I'm with you - I think that it might have been the result of a 'prank' by some of his 'mates', and therefore not actually a crime.  But to save face, he could have called it a mugging so that he'd get a quicker, more sympathetic response.  It would depend on his demeanor - was he afraid, or sheepish?  That would determine it for me.
<P>True, it's a bit daunting to come across such a thing alone and at night, but I always choose to err on the side of trust and responsibility - for to not show another human being compassion when they actually do need it is something I couldn't live with.  Your friend did the exact right thing - went to help the man, and brought a friend back with her to guarantee her own safety. 
<P>Lastly, you've raised some excellent points here.  A woman wandering naked in an alleyway would envoke an immediate "are you okay!?" reaction.  A man in a similar circumstance screams Pervert.  The only thing I can liken it to is a story my father told me once about how he was driving late at night down the main street of the country town where we used to live.  He saw a 5-6 year old girl on the sidewalk in her pajamas looking lost and confused.  It was about 3 in the morning, and no-one else was around.  His first thought was "If I stop to help this girl, anything could happen" (re: his action possibly being perceived as a predatory one)...whereas a woman in the same situation would have stopped immediately.  This is one major area where men get the short end of the stick, as it's typically instinctual to 'trust' women, but 'distrust' men in extraordinary circumstance.
<P>It's a bit of a concern that there is the need for such societally necessary consideration before offering someone assistance these days, especially with how I've noticed that people are becoming less and less likely to offer help in the first place.  I've been on late night trains where an older man has started sexually harassing a younger woman, or there have been groups racially slurring a single boy, and the few communters around just bury their heads deeper in their books.  It's disgusting. 
<P>xxCattxx
<P>

---

the beauty of simplicity is the complexity it attracts.

catt

Member

Re: naked

Anyway, if it was a cold night, I could quite easily cover my embaressment myself

...ahhh.  So you'd have a scarf?

xxCattxx

---

the beauty of simplicity is the complexity it attracts.

selena

Member

Re: naked

I once got chased through Marrickville park by a guy with his dick in his hand.  I don't know why I ran, he was pretty short and seemingly distracted, I should have punched him in the throat. 

If the dude this thread is about was so upset and desperate about not having any clothes and wanting to obtain them so badly I'm guessin he would have made some kind of effort to cover up his dick such as standing behind a car whilst he asked...or knelt over so he was in a non threatening position. 

I think the question of why we endow a naked women on the street with the characteristics of a victim and a man as being a predator,while it is something that would make interesting sociological debating, really boils down to the unpleasant reality that usually naked women have been attacked and naked men are out to do some form of attacking.  Maybe Man X was on the wrong side of a stereotype but statistics would say otherwise.

catt

Member

Re: naked

I once got chased through Marrickville park by a guy with his dick in his hand.  I don't know why I ran, he was pretty short and seemingly distracted, I should have punched him in the throat.

I was camping with a friend once, and was chased by a drunken family friend (hers, not mine) through the forest - he was also naked, and having a wank...and we were but naive 16 year old schoolgirls.  On our furtive glances back, it looked like he was weilding a donut, so from then on it was known as The Donut King Incident.

xxCattxx

---

the beauty of simplicity is the complexity it attracts.

paintjam

Member

Re: naked

I've never been nude in public. I don't think anyone would be afraid though, they'd probably take one look at me and laugh Anyway, if it was a cold night, I could quite easily cover my embaressment myself

.

HAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!
IN MY CASE IT WOULD BE A LAUGH OR WORSE HEHEHE

HUGZ
JAMIE

---

'stay beautiful'

roxxie

Member

Re: naked

There used to be this naked improvisational theatre or mime group in Berkeley. They would just show up places at random and do naked performances. I don't know if they're still around, but I run into naked people on the streets all the time. Usually people get naked for events like street fairs and parades or races like the San Francisco Bay to Breakers. At the Folsom Street Fair last year I had a nice conversation with a naked man, and at the end of the conversation he asked if I wanted to touch it. I said, "no thanks" and left. In this sort of situation nudity is not threatening and somewhat more acceptable. In the case of the naked man wandering randomly down an alley I'd be more concerned about him rather than myself! Considering the Western world's attitude toward public nudity, I can imagine that the naked guy would feel more vulnerable and embarassed. And at least you know he doesn't have any weapons!