Jacob Sullum | August 21, 2008
The annual
Boobs on Bikes
parade in Auckland, New Zealand, went off without a hitch this
week despite attempts to block the event by local politicians and
conservative activists. On Tuesday a judge rejected the Auckland
District Council's request for an injunction against the topless
processional, organized by porn promoter Steve Crow. The council
argued that the event violated a law against offensive parades. The
judge questioned the validity of the law and the offensiveness of
the parade, noting that last year it attacted some 100,000
onlookers, presumably not all of them protesters. Now a group
called Family First is lobbying for an explicit ban on topless
parades, saying "the current law is far too liberal and vague."
Crow begs to differ:
It is topless people, men and women, in a public place, which is perfectly legal under our Bill of Rights and under New Zealand law. Mr McCoskrie [director of Family First] keeps harping on that it is pornography. They are breasts; they're not a big deal.
What say you? McCoskrie raises an interesting point when he notes that police stopped three topless women from walking through Hamilton on Monday, the day before 30 topless women rode through Auckland with impunity. Are breasts offensive only in small numbers?
I discussed the economics of toplessness in a recent post about sex discrimination in Las Vegas.
[Thanks to El Destiny for the tip.]
Help Reason celebrate its next 40 years. Donate Now!
Try Reason's award-winning print edition today! Your first issue is FREE if you are not completely satisfied.
New Orleans better get a lid on this before Mardi Gras loses its meaning. Drunkenness and toplessness.
I remember hearing that Maori women once greeted the queen by showing their breasts. Apparently, it's the Maori woman's way of giving the finger.
I remember hearing that Maori women once greeted the queen
by showing their breasts. Apparently, it's the Maori woman's way of
giving the finger.
Rude traveling lesbians must get very confused.
"For just a wonderful second I thought that was Cindy
McCain."
I doubt hers look that good.
We need a ReasonTV thread for . . . uh . . . research . . . into Libertarian events in New Zealand. Just sayin'.
Cue comment expressing hope that Lobster Girl is a New Zealander in 3, 2, 1 . . .
It's not hard to make a logical case for allowing women to bare their breasts, but only if you disregard the practical effects of letting them do something that many of them are not mature enough to handle.
"Why would it matter?"
It doesn't?
BTW, would a "Hairy Butts on Bikes" parade draw this much
attention?
It's not hard to make a logical case for allowing men to see bare breasts, but only if you disregard the practical effects of letting them do something that many of them are not mature enough to handle.
just to take a devil's advocate side for a moment: how do we
define "rights" when it comes to what you are and are not entitled
to do on public property?
presumably this event is on public streets...is there a libertarian
objection to the fact that the government owns the streets and is
therefore subject to the whims of the majority?
There's also the part where I like breasts.
I figured that was implied in my statement. Or just the fact that I
said...anything.
rana,
I'm what you would call apathetic to the argument that having
"fake" breasts matters. Granted I work in a casino where half the
cocktail staff has "fake" breasts.
TAO --
If a behavior is not inherently destructive, libertarians generally
side with it not being restrainable even in public space.
Personally, on this, I come down on equal protection grounds like
Epi did.
BTW, would a "Hairy Butts on Bikes" parade draw this much
attention?
I'm pretty sure that was one of the entrants in this year's San
Francisco Gay Pride parade.
"the current law is far too liberal and vague."
I'm glad to see America is not the only nation intent on doing away
with vague, liberal laws. I anxiously await the day when "Anything
not Prohibited is Mandatory."
You do realize they are fake... not that it matters to most
of you, I'm sure.
Not to start a crazy-ass flame war (who am I kidding--of course I
want to), but I do not like fake breasts. At all. I much prefer
small real ones to fake big ones. Especially with the horrible scar
marks underneath them. Ugh.
(steps back, hopes for massive thread count)
The reason I'm opposed to this event coming to the US are all the accident that will take place. Insurance premiums will shoot through the roof! Hospitals will overflow with the maimed victims of trying to drive and stare at a hot set of tits! Chaos will reign!
If a behavior is not inherently destructive, libertarians
generally side with it not being restrainable even in public
space.
I could see a libertarian argument re: area property values arguing
against allowing say, crack-smoking and panhandling on the streets
outside a residential neighborhood.
Of course, I guess if the "right" to smoke crack (or whatever drug
you want to put in there) is somehow inherent, I suppose
there's no room to complain.
Episiarch,
You fool!!! Now that that is out of the way. You're an ass man
aren't you?
well, i don't know if breast in small numbers are offensive, but
i would say that breasts in small numbers are definitively a missed
opportunity.
-=tbn=-
I also come down on the real boobies side of the debate. Plastic boobs are a bonerkiller.
SugarFree,
Good bacon was ruined for the sake of amusement . . . (sigh) . . .
when will we learn. (shakes head)
I much prefer small real ones to fake big ones.
Oh thank god I thought I was the only one. Most of my male friends
look at me askance when I say that As and Bs are vastly superior to
Ds, which are just obnoxious and usually give the woman attached a
false sense of hypnotic power. It's like "yeah, honey, I'm not
impressed".
Uh, isn't there a chance that image is NSFW? My internship ends tomorrow, so I'm not panicking, but still...
Naga,
If you didn't read the comments, I'll give you the highlight.
Has this woman never heard of trichonosis?
Do a lot of feminists have the problem of their breasts growing
mouths and eating raw bacon? Because I'm sorta turned on.
But then
threads like this show up and the bonerkiller effect takes
hold.
Looking at the way that helmet fits, I cannot help wondering if her plastic surgeon was having a "buy two, get one free" sale.
Epi,
I surprise myself quite a bit.
Angry Optimist,
I've never run into a set of tits I didn't like. My friends look at
me like I'm crazy when I look at all women as equal in tit
area.
While I applaud the judges decision, I'm aghast at his assertion
that breasts are "no big deal". They are a very big deal sir. Women
displaying their breasts is not only the free exorcise of
individual liberty, it is also a tonic to the health and well being
of society at large.
And the larger the better *rimshot
Plastic boobs are like plastic fruit. They may look juicy and
sweet, but they aint.
You're an ass man aren't you?
So I asked joe, "what's the first thing you notice in a woman?" . .
.
He replied: "well, that depends on which direction she's
walking."
Nigel,
If "bacon bra" doesn't tell you all you need to know to decide if
you should click the link, you have a lot more problems than me
forgetting to throw in a NSFW tag.
SugarFree,
I'd hit it as long as she was on vacation with no way of tracking
me down afterward. Just sayin'.
"I much prefer small real ones to fake big ones. Especially with
the horrible scar marks underneath them. Ugh."
I have heard other men say this as well.
Then again, I have heard that "Sin Tetas No Hay Paraiso".
If "bacon bra" doesn't tell you all you need to
know
I assumed it had eight cups; that wasn't it?
Then again, I have heard that "Sin Tetas No Hay
Paraiso".
If there weren't guys who felt that way, there wouldn't be any fake
breasts.
Nigel,
That was a generic "you," not a full-fledged assault. Don't need
another semantics war like yesterday.
For the record, guys, I like 'em all. Enhanced or no, they're a delight in this world. No shame in a boob job, girls.
Of course breasts are no big deal. That's why the guy organized a parade which explictly center on the theme of women's breasts. And the guy is a pornographer, in an industry which famously has an attitude of pure indifference towards breasts. "That woman has large breasts? To be honest, I hadn't even noticed," is a phrase you keep hearing in the porn industry.
Also, I don't think I was hostile yesterday. Hope not, no reason to be.
I always look at breasts 10 years down the line. D is fun now,
but it turns into National Geographic eventually.
The lesson here: Big boobs are for hooking-up and small ones are
the marrying kind. I split the difference, but I'm fine with
that.
The lesson here: Big boobs are for hooking-up and small ones
are the marrying kind. I split the difference, but I'm fine with
that.
You're so utilitarian. Where's the fun in that?
SugarFree,
You look at breasts down the years? Like tattoos? Each to his own I
suppose.
Nigel,
Sorry, I was the only one who linked an image. Duh. Didn't think
about the biker chick.
I wasn't talking about you actually, I was thinking of that long
semantics war Epi got into with whatshisname, like 30 posts back
and forth.
Sorry, compulsive serial monogamist. I don't date well, I'm all
about the nesting.
Don't have any tats either.
What say I? I say: it's interesting that the image chosen to
illustrate this story has the (heh) titular breasts partially
concealed in a totally prime-time-TV-acceptable way.
We may be on the verge of liberating ourselves from the vestiges of
English Puritanism... but apparently today is not the day the
revolution begins.
Gonna go with SugarFree on this one. Of course, i don't get the secret menu at Taco Bell, either.
That's when I start reading a different thread
and/or site.
Slut. Cheater.
We should do this to your
car.
Well if you ever do you just gave yourself the best idea for a tattoo. Serial monogamist. 100 bucks says the tattoo artist doesn't know what monogamist means.
"You're an ass man aren't you?"
I know a coworker who is getting butt implants (women share all
types of information).
Cuz' everyone knows that "Sin Culo No Hay Paraiso".
Bitchin'!!! SugarFree, I think that last one has a touch of my home state. The pickup truck run into the doublewide trailer move. Check and mate!
Rana, what's your co-worker gonna do with all that junk? All that junk? In her trunk?
I know a coworker who is getting butt implants (women share
all types of information).
My god, that would be worse than breast implants. Ugh again. Liking
asses doesn't necessarily mean liking huge ones, same as breasts.
Just nice ones.
Cuz' everyone knows that "Sin (complete el espacio) No Hay
Paraiso".
I think that probably covers everything.
Xeones,
Nice cartoon.
Although I will confess that I'm actually a total-packager. Ass,
legs, breasts, face, IQ, and mental state. I don't demand
perfection, I just want a pleasing balance. Proportionality and
durability.
The best thing I ever did for myself was when I finally broke my
addiction to fucked-in-the-head girls. Disturbed poontang gets old
real fucking fast after 21.
"Rana, what's your co-worker gonna do with all that junk? All
that junk? In her trunk?"
Well, she is really large breasted. I think she wants to keep from
tipping over.
What man hurt you so bad, NutraSweet?
Nigel, after I found out he was a dirty cheater, flashing his junk
on other comment boards.
Sorry. I've got something in my eye.
Which part of the female form you find most pleasing is almost entirely an effect of environment. I'm working on training myself to be an "ankle man", since those are exposed a lot more and women don't notice you staring at their (or other women's) heels.
Well, she is really large breasted. I think she wants to
keep from tipping over.
This visual cracked me up.
Liking asses doesn't necessarily mean liking huge ones, same as
breasts. Just nice ones.
Not to be a silicone-booty-apologist, but what if she had a really
flat ass? Maybe she could use those orthotics
instead.
I'm the completely assless variety of white guy, but I still wouldn't consider implants.
SF,
But you're not in danger of tipping, I hope. ;)
If you've ever been a bored 12 year old in the Sears lingerie
dept., you may have come across some hilarious-looking booty-padded
panties. A nice alternative to surgical solutions?
I'm the completely assless variety of white guy, but I still
wouldn't consider implants.
Not completely assless, you have your face.
ZING
Not to be a silicone-booty-apologist, but what if she had a
really flat ass? Maybe she could use those orthotics
instead.
It's pretty hard to have a truly flat ass. Just doing some
running/swimming/skating should make it significantly better.
"Liking asses doesn't necessarily mean liking huge
ones..."
I keep reading "Licking asses", much like reading "crispy balls"
the other day.
Either I need glasses or get my mind out of the gutter (which
should first include not reading Hit and Run posts and get back to
work!).
But you're not in danger of tipping, I hope. ;)
No, but I am standard white guy variant 3. Big head, beard, beer
gut, no ass, thinning hair I haven't quite got the nerve to buzz
off yet. I've got nice legs, though, and eyes that change colors
depending on the weather. I'm a medium sized bear.
It's pretty hard to have a truly flat ass. Just doing some
running/swimming/skating should make it significantly
better.
Good point. That's also a good prescription for the many girls with
too much ass/everything else. Exercise, ladies. It ain't rocket
science.
Not completely assless, you have your face.
You know he popped a little bit of boner when he though that up.
Sicko.
Granted I work in a casino where half the cocktail staff has
"fake" breasts.
Sorry to hear it, dude. Plastic tits are repulsive.
-jcr
Big head, beard, beer gut, no ass, thinning
hair...
So it would appear you're not Epi's type, after all. Hope that's
not too big a let-down. :P
So it would appear you're not Epi's type, after all. Hope
that's not too big a let-down.
Maybe if he got me really drunk. And slipped me some
rohypnol.
You know he popped a little bit of boner when he though that
up. Sicko.
Stop complaining and take your beating with some dignity.
I don't know what sicko perversions these porno guys are into,
but I for one have voice strong opposition to this idea that
breasts are in any way not a big deal.
Heck, even on Bourbon street, when you can't toss a rat ten yards
without hitting an exposed breast, each and every one of them is a
big deal. Even small breasts are a big deal - I myself find A-cups
just as wonderfully titillating as a good solid C.
I will not stand for breast devaluation.
when you can't toss a rat ten yards without hitting an
exposed breast
That is not sanitary, dude.
SugarFree
The best thing I ever did for myself was when I finally broke my addiction to fucked-in-the-head girls.
It's a big step, removing "lithium" from your list of turn-ons.
"What say you?": This was a rhetorical question? Laws enforcing utterly useless body-taboos are stupid and should be done away with. What could anyone else who reads, or is even aware of the existence of, this weblog possibly think?
You sound like a cuddly bear to me Sugarfree. That has as much
sex appeal as "ladykiller" Episiarch.
Hmmmmm, how to choose? ;)
All I know are food words.
Sounds like rana likes 'em thick, so that might be all you
need.
They Are Breasts; They're Not a Big Deal
Which is, of course, why 100,000 New Zealenders are expected to
show up to see chicks with naked boobs on bikes.
BTW, I know women who are bikers. And I don't mean Hessian Bitches
or Hells Angels Old Ladies. None of them look like the blond in the
picture.
I will not stand for breast devaluation.
I'll drink to that. :-)
"I remember hearing that Maori women once greeted the queen by
showing their breasts. Apparently, it's the Maori woman's way of
giving the finger."
If only that was an American custom. I'd being trying to piss every
woman I met.
Wow, I would sure love to have some of that blond wrapped around
my back! hey now!
JW
http://www.Ultimate-Anonymity.com
If only that was an American custom. I'd being trying to piss "off" every woman I met.
You know what I like about the internet? It's so friggin' big
that I can waltz in here, make an irrelevant comment, and waltz out
again, and no one will ever care.
Just like if I said something important.
Are breasts offensive only in small numbers?
Actually, they are offensive in large numbers. Any more than two on
a given woman is a deal-breaker for me.
I always look at breasts 10 years down the line. D is fun
now, but it turns into National Geographic eventually.
The lesson here: Big boobs are for hooking-up and small ones are
the marrying kind. I split the difference, but I'm fine with
that.
My wife's a D-cup, and about twenty years into the marriage,
they're still fucking hot.
Not that small breasts don't have their charms, too.
Fake D-cups, though -- ugh.
Which is, of course, why 100,000 New Zealenders are expected
to show up to see chicks with naked boobs on bikes.
Not all of them were on bikes. Looking at the NSFW photos, I
really wonder where they came up with the armed and armored
military vehicles.
"This is your rifle, this is your gun. The first is for fighting,
the second for fun."
"What say you? McCoskrie raises an interesting point when he
notes that police stopped three topless women from walking through
Hamilton on Monday, the day before 30 topless women rode through
Auckland with impunity. Are breasts offensive only in small
numbers?"
Will somebody please tell the unfairly persecuted "Auckland Three"
that "Californy is the place you want to be." Here in Santa Cruz
CA, fully nude women can stride the downtown streets with impunity,
as shown in the article I cite below. Nobody stopped this
particular lady, and a bicycle cop even rode alongside for
awhile:
http://www.scsextra.com/story.php?sid=78210
New Zealand, send us your huddled masses of kiwi hotties, yearning
to breathe free!
What I can't is fake teeth; you know, the kind enhanced by wearing braces and headgear. Don't get me started on fake hairless nostrils. Get me a parade with girls, nose hair dangling down to their ankles, on bikes and I'm there!
Site comments/questions:
Media Inquiries and Reprint Permissions:
(310) 367-6109
Editorial & Production Offices:
3415 S. Sepulveda Blvd.
Suite 400
Los Angeles, CA 90034
(310) 391-2245