|
Ron Watt appears to be in the minority. Earlier this month, the 46-year-old longshoreman, husband, father and born again Christian tried to remove a Polaroid advertisement from a transit bus, because it featured a nude woman depicted in Edouard Manet's famous painting, Luncheon on the Grass."I couldn't bear the fact that my son could get on a bus and look at something like that, whether it's a photograph or a painting or whatever," Watt told Vancouver Sun columnist Pete McMartin. Watt complained about the ad to TransLink and Polaroid, notified churches and parent advisory committees, and spread the word among friends, co-workers and other parents. Ninety-nine per cent of them agreed with him, he said. Watt's survey results, however, may be slightly skewed. A new Vancouver Sun poll shows that a significant majority of B.C. residents take a decidedly different view. The poll conducted for the newspaper by Viewpoints Research found 76 per cent of British Columbians agree that famous works of art should be allowed to be shown in public places - even if they contain nudity. Only 21 per cent are in Watt's camp. "It's a small, vocal minority obviously," said Stephen Bengtson, a partner with Viewpoints Research. The numbers are even more striking in Vancouver, Burnaby and New Westminster, where 80 per cent agree that such works of art should be displayed in public places. "Certainly, it's not an issue here," Bengtson said. "I mean, we could probably stand a lot more nudity without any problem..
"The support drops below 70 per cent in more conservative regions like the north, southern Interior and Kootenays. "But still, it's in the majority - even in the Kootenays," Bengtson said.
Younger people tend to be the most positive, with more than 80 per cent of B.C. residents between 18 and 34 agreeing that the artworks should be shown in public places. The support drops to 68 per cent among those 65 and older. People earning higher incomes also tended to see the value in famous works of art containing nudity. The poll shows that more than 80 per cent of people earning at least $40,000 a year agree that the the works should be on public display.
"There's a more liberal attitude towards such matters among urban and younger people and those with higher incomes," Bengtson said. "People who are educated, who have an appreciation that goes beyond what we might call religious mores, are going to support it because of its beauty. "There's always been a correlation between education, income, and acceptance of nudity in art, without having any moral judgment or thinking that it's going to make people run down the street naked and rape and pillage. "Interestingly, residents of Victoria were among the strongest supporters, with about 89 per cent of them strongly agreeing that the artworks should be shown. "I think, in general, it's because we're talking to people who are educated, they have more money," Bengtson said. "There's just more of an appreciation. "I mean, when you think about Victoria in general, it's about beauty. That's basically what it has going for it." Valder Belgrave, TransLink's manager responsible for advertising policy, said the poll results come as no surprise. The company canvassed a broad range of opinion when making its decision on whether the advertisement was appropriate, he said. "It appears that what we took as a subjective leap of faith has in fact been validated 1/8 by the poll 3/8," Belgrave said. "We're just happy to see that the opinions and the feedback that we got from the people that we did canvass seems to be representative." Watt, however, refuses to quit. He called Belgrave again Thursday and continues to lobby TransLink to pull the "perverted" advertisement. Far from undermining his beef, the poll results bolster it, Watt said Thursday. "If 20 per cent of their customers are unhappy, they've got to raise the bar and be beyond question," he said. "Is it too much to ask for good advertising? If something's questionable, why would you want to take the chance?"
If even one in a million are going to be affected possibly, why would you do something to damage children?" The Viewpoints poll of 800 B.C. residents was conducted Dec. 13 to 21. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.4 percentage points, 19 times out of 20. The margins of error are higher for subgroups within the poll, such as regions and age groups.
By LINDSAY KINES
If you have stories for
Nudes in the News, please E-Mail us at:
or call: 559-683-2388, Thanks!
Latest stories are
on top!
