Passing reference to naked children, advice needed

[Writer61]

Hey, look who wants a visit from the FBI!

Ah, yes. The illustrious FBI, founded by that lovely fellow, J Edgar Hoover, and now led by a pathetic ex-podcaster who visits his girlfriend on the American taxpayer's dime.

Bring it on.

They are going to look really stupid rocking up in another country to enforce a law that does not actually exist.

 

[Off_base]

The patience and tolerance of the AH mod is impressive.

 

[Writer61]

You both are contradicting yourselves,

How have we contradicted ourselves?

you don’t like being called out,

I don't like being called out incorrectly, as you keep doing.

writer61, you clearly are unfamiliar with what a veiled insult is. You’re good at personal attacks and insults though. Please keep it up.

You are the only person struggling to understand what a veiled insult is.

You’re good at personal attacks and insults though.

Thanks. You are a twat.

 

[jsmiam]

To our illustrious OP: You had no legitimate reason to mention naked children. Own it. In the context you began with it was indefensible to write and indefensible to defend.

You were wrong and misguided. Even you, according to what you say, have reconsidered.

Let’s say that in response to your insult, calling me a twat, I say “I only accept insults from intelligent people.” Veiled, right? It implies I don’t accept your insult because I only accept them from intelligent people. I say this as an example. I haven’t responded with a personal attack or insult and don’t plan on it.

Let’s parse just one of yours:

…and the people who have responded have done so thoughtfully. They are not "bad people".

This in a veiled way is saying someone else did not respond thoughtfully. Thats a veiled insult. Thats what a veiled insult is.

Keep in mind I’m not saying you can’t insult people, veiled or not. You do it often. Just don’t deny the times you do it. You made several veiled insults. You denied that you did. Contradiction.

 

[TheWorldBuilder]

Oh, look, another out-of-context assumption. Don't impute fallacious motives to others to try to bolster your untenable position through false sympathy.

In short words just for you, Troll. I have.

 

[Actingup]

I faced a similar dilemma in a story of mine set around Japanese onsen culture. In real life, I have been in onsens with naked children of both sexes (and their parents, obviously) and I know it to be a completely non-sexual, non-erotic experience. I also wanted to be authentic in the story.

However, after agonising about it for a while, I concluded that I couldn’t take the readers with me on that journey, because some readers would find it sexual, particularly if they didn’t understand the cultural context. Plus, the story discussed the MC’s response to the onsen and the cultural impositions on Japan due to US prudishness following WWII, so it pretty much relied on those cultural gaps to help define the story.

I ended up leaving children out completely, and put a note at the end:
There is one element of the narrative that I have changed from what might be ‘normal’: it would be normal in Japanese onsens to have children present (in a strictly non-sexual context), but given potential sensitivities and the different cultural contexts of many readers, I have omitted mention of that in the story.

I hope this is helpful.

 

[Writer61]

You had no legitimate reason to mention naked children.

The whole point of the post was to seek advice on whether what I planned to write would be acceptable.

How else could I have asked the question without saying what I planned to write?

As I have said several times, I have no wish to transgress the content rules, which is why I asked. Yet, you and @MiaBabe23, seem to have taken this as evidence of nefarious intent, which I reject absolutely.

Even you, according to what you say, have reconsidered.

Yes, thanks to the advice of some thoughtful commentators, I have found a way to avoid doing so. Again, that was the point of the OP.

Your contribution? I consider your first line was thoughtful, and I thank you for that. The rest of the post showed that you had not read/understood the whole of the OP, but no matter, others did the same, and I thank you for taking the time to reply.

Your second post mocked me for responding to other posters (which, in my book, is the polite thing to do) and baselessly (see below) accused me of insulting other people.

I haven’t responded with a personal attack or insult and don’t plan on it.

You have accused me of making multiple insults, without any reasonable foundation.

For example, you cite my use of the word groundlessly as a veiled insult. How on earth do you work that out?

And, making such a statement without reason is, in itself, an attack.

This in a veiled way is saying someone else did not respond thoughtfully. Thats a veiled insult.

No, it's a compliment to those who replied thoughtfully. Did I insult some by complimenting others? That is a real stretch.

Was it an insult to you? Absolutely not! As I said, I thought your first post was thoughtful.

Keep in mind I’m not saying you can’t insult people, veiled or not. You do it often. Just don’t deny the times you do it.

Why must I accept that you are the arbiter of what an insult is? I deny your accusation because it is wrong.

You made several veiled insults. You denied that you did. Contradiction.

Who made you the judge of what is an insult? I reject your assessment of things that I have written as being insults. Disagreeing on that basis is not a contradiction; it's the application of logic.

 

[nice90sguy]

I faced a similar dilemma in a story of mine set around Japanese onsen culture. In real life, I have been in onsens with naked children of both sexes (and their parents, obviously) and I know it to be a completely non-sexual, non-erotic experience. I also wanted to be authentic in the story.

However, after agonising about it for a while, I concluded that I couldn’t take the readers with me on that journey, because some readers would find it sexual, particularly if they didn’t understand the cultural context. Plus, the story discussed the MC’s response to the onsen and the cultural impositions on Japan due to US prudishness following WWII, so it pretty much relied on those cultural gaps to help define the story.

I ended up leaving children out completely, and put a note at the end:
There is one element of the narrative that I have changed from what might be ‘normal’: it would be normal in Japanese onsens to have children present (in a strictly non-sexual context), but given potential sensitivities and the different cultural contexts of many readers, I have omitted mention of that in the story.

I hope this is helpful.

In my story, set in the Edo period, I made a fleeting reference to that:

"I will bathe, but not while you do."

"Why not? Always the men and women bathe together in the public baths at Edo. And the children."

"But I am not from Edo."

 

[Five_Inch_Heels]

OK, everybody hug.

 

[nice90sguy]

this thread was hanging by a thread not long ago

 

[jsmiam]

The whole point of the post was to seek advice on whether what I planned to write would be acceptable.

How else could I have asked the question without saying what I planned to write?

As I have said several times, I have no wish to transgress the content rules, which is why I asked. Yet, you and @MiaBabe23, seem to have taken this as evidence of nefarious intent, which I reject absolutely.


Yes, thanks to the advice of some thoughtful commentators, I have found a way to avoid doing so. Again, that was the point of the OP.

Your contribution? I consider your first line was thoughtful, and I thank you for that. The rest of the post showed that you had not read/understood the whole of the OP, but no matter, others did the same, and I thank you for taking the time to reply.

Your second post mocked me for responding to other posters (which, in my book, is the polite thing to do) and baselessly (see below) accused me of insulting other people.


You have accused me of making multiple insults, without any reasonable foundation.

For example, you cite my use of the word groundlessly as a veiled insult. How on earth do you work that out?

And, making such a statement without reason is, in itself, an attack.


No, it's a compliment to those who replied thoughtfully. Did I insult some by complimenting others? That is a real stretch.

Was it an insult to you? Absolutely not! As I said, I thought your first post was thoughtful.


Why must I accept that you are the arbiter of what an insult is? I deny your accusation because it is wrong.


Who made you the judge of what is an insult? I reject your assessment of things that I have written as being insults. Disagreeing on that basis is not a contradiction; it's the application of logic.

So denying the facts after being presented with your own words leads you to declare yourself the victor?

FYI, i realize we aren’t getting anywhere. But given that you’ll resort to personal attacks and insults every time you’re proven wrong, I will stick around a while longer.

I’m shocked you’ve even acknowledged you made any insults.

You called me twat and other things. Too bad resorting to insults isn’t immature in worldbuilders head.

Really mature. If you can't handle adult debate it's no wonder the subject concerned is so close to your heart.