Tequila Mockingbird

It may not be real, but when I was in high school My theatre teacher told me about something she claimed was called the "Naked Man Theory". She said it was an explanation for why Theatre is the most censored art form. It goes like this.

Write about a naked man and some people may be offended.

Paint a picture of a naked man and more people will be offended.

Have a movie featuring a naked man and lots of people will be offended.

Put a naked man on a stage in the same room as an audience and MOST people will be offended.

Even if it's not an accepted table of censorship and its variation it kind of makes sense.

It's why I am in no way surprised to hear about the play in Florida getting cancelled. It's one thing to read the N word in a book and quite another to actually have young people say it in a room full of their parents. I know I'm supposed to fight for free expression, especially in theatre but in this case I really understand how it could be awkward and uncomfortable for those involved in this particular situation. The fact that students participating in it were the ones speaking out against it is what really makes me side with canceling the show. It's a big rule of theatre that you can never make someone do something they feel too uncomfortable to do. If you force that on a person, nothing good will ever come of it.