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A German Idea of Freedom: Nude Ping-Pong, Nude Sledding, Nude Anything

nytimes.com

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Re: A German Idea of Freedom: Nude Ping-Pong, Nude Sledding, Nude Anything

#11

Post by chupa-chups »

postit wrote: post #4

You only break into the culture if you get into FKK and our nonsense passion for David Hasselhoff.

David Hasselhoff caused the unification of Germany, so everyone loves him :D

Sorry if this is offensive to some folks, but the folklore here is that David thinks he caused the reunification while everyone over here (that I know of) thinks he is a freak :)

Since this caused around -10 points until now I guess I offended somehow :) What I said is true for anyone I know, so I guess there's something I don't understand regarding the perception of "The Hoff", so please inform me :)

Re: A German Idea of Freedom: Nude Ping-Pong, Nude Sledding, Nude Anything

#12

Post by andrei_says_ »

chupa-chups wrote: post #3

This is like saying all Americans love McDonalds :) (I'm German) If this was voted up for fun I'm on it, if it was voted up because someone thinks it is true count me out :)

Being naked is nice but there are also negative freedoms that are quite important, although seemingly not as newsworthy.

Has to be said that Germans enjoy quite a few of those, like

* the freedom to not get bankrupt if they have a medical issue,

* not get murdered while at school,

* not be unable to afford rent and groceries unless working three minimal wage jobs (possibly four to afford health insurance),

* not being crippled by student debt if they choose to go to college and

* not get shot by police or imprisoned and forced into labor for existing while not white.

Re: A German Idea of Freedom: Nude Ping-Pong, Nude Sledding, Nude Anything

#13

Post by Maledictus »

chupa-chups wrote: post #6
rolltiide wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

from the article > A lot of Germans don’t get naked in public, but nudists are ubiquitous enough that the practice has entered the national psyche.

Nope, not true (south Germany) This is assumed to be true in previous east Germany. I cannot confirm or deny how real this assumption is ;-)

On sunny days there are naked folks in Englischer Garten, Munich.

Re: A German Idea of Freedom: Nude Ping-Pong, Nude Sledding, Nude Anything

#14

Post by lucasmullens »

andrei_says_ wrote: post #12
chupa-chups wrote: post #3

This is like saying all Americans love McDonalds :) (I'm German) If this was voted up for fun I'm on it, if it was voted up because someone thinks it is true count me out :)

Being naked is nice but there are also negative freedoms that are quite important, although seemingly not as newsworthy. Has to be said that Germans enjoy quite a few of those, like * the freedom to not get bankrupt if they have a medical issue, * not get murdered while at school, * not be unable to afford rent and groceries unless working three minimal wage jobs (possibly four to afford health insurance), * not bein…

This is a reasonable opinion but a generic argument for liberalism doesn't really fit into the conversation

Re: A German Idea of Freedom: Nude Ping-Pong, Nude Sledding, Nude Anything

#15

Post by RandomBacon »

For any Americans interested, I suggest reading up on the American Association for Nude Recreation https://www.aanr.com

They have a bunch of affiliated clubs and resorts around the US. They all have strict rules against anything inappropriate in public.

Sometimes it's nice to go out in nature without a barrier between you and the wind, rustling leaves, chirping birds, etc. All of the ones I've been to have WiFi in case you still need to get work done.

Re: A German Idea of Freedom: Nude Ping-Pong, Nude Sledding, Nude Anything

#16

Post by odiroot »

chupa-chups wrote: post #3

This is like saying all Americans love McDonalds :) (I'm German) If this was voted up for fun I'm on it, if it was voted up because someone thinks it is true count me out :)

I have a feeling this must be more common in ex-Protestant, now atheist regions and definitely not in the Catholic South and South-West.

Re: A German Idea of Freedom: Nude Ping-Pong, Nude Sledding, Nude Anything

#18

Post by Krasnol »

odiroot wrote: post #16
chupa-chups wrote: post #3

This is like saying all Americans love McDonalds :) (I'm German) If this was voted up for fun I'm on it, if it was voted up because someone thinks it is true count me out :)

I have a feeling this must be more common in ex-Protestant, now atheist regions and definitely not in the Catholic South and South-West.

It has less to do with religion than with the regional culture of East Germany (it's/was also as popular in catholic Poland).

Being naked in the sauna is even more common not only in (East) Germany.

Re: A German Idea of Freedom: Nude Ping-Pong, Nude Sledding, Nude Anything

#19

Post by newsreview1 »

Just an FYI, the German word for naked is "nackt", not to be confused with "nacht", which means night. Which might not seem important, unless you, like my sister in law, accidentally signed up for a "nackt wandelen" or "naked hike", as opposed to a "night hike" at her daughter's university (Freie Universität Berlin) when she went to visit her last year.

Fortunately her daughter saw the mistake long before they attempted to attend. I can only imagine the scene had she not discovered the mistake before showing up!!! :)

Re: A German Idea of Freedom: Nude Ping-Pong, Nude Sledding, Nude Anything

#20

Post by Fnoord »

chupa-chups wrote: post #3

This is like saying all Americans love McDonalds :) (I'm German) If this was voted up for fun I'm on it, if it was voted up because someone thinks it is true count me out :)

I remember watching a video called Hippies From Hell in which a bunch of German lockpickers (from Sportsfreunde der Sperrtechnik) were picking locks.. at a lake, naked.

It didn't strike me as German; it striked me as part of hacker culture. Was I wrong?

[1] https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sportsfreunde_der_Sperrtechnik

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