Controversial Fire Department Calendars

[Atlas14]

I was reading a letter to the editor that some whiny lady wrote in our local newspaper back in Maryland. First I should tell you that our local Volunteer Fire Department holds an annual sale of calendars of the fire fighters in poses with not much clothes on, almost naked but not quite. Keep in mind this is to raise much needed money, considering they are volunteer. The lady complained that the message such calendars send to our children is that it is ok to put your body up for sale and that it teaches bad lessons about "self-worth and modesty".

She proceeded to say:

In the past, this newspaper has reprinted photos from such calendars. Is this appropriate? Is this a sign of good journalistic discretion? It's a shame when you have to hide the local newspaper from your children. I believe that people will say it is harmless and all for a good cause. But is it really all that harmless? Can't we find a more dignified way of earning money?

My reaction:
1. If your child is young enough to be traumatized or affected by such photos, why are they reading the local newspaper for fun?

2. Is it really all that harmless? What kind of a question does this lady think she is asking? Of course it is harmless, don't kid yourself.

3. If your kid gets ideas that exceed posing for a calendar in scant clothing such as prostitution, then you have failed as a parent. Nice try attempting to place blame on the local Fire Dept. calendar and newspaper.


So my question is to you all, what is your reaction? Do you agree with this lady?

 

[silver 2039]

No, obiviosuly she's a 50 year old menopasul woman with nothing better to do with her life than try to be the morality police and write letters to the newspaper.

Theres absoloutley nothing wrong with posing for a bloody fire department calender. And there's nothing wrong with revealing the human body either. Get over it, just because she hasn't had sex in a while doesn't mean she needs to give sexual connatation to everything...I hate these type of people.

 

[mangxema]

They should say, "All right, lady, give us the money we need and we'll stop selling them, okay?"

 

[Perfection]

I think someone got spurned by a firefighter...

 

[Panda]

Children are neither traumatized by seeing pictures of fire men in their undies, nor by seeing nipples, but they sure as hell will be mentally scared for life when brought up by nut cases like that hag.

 

[skadistic]

I wounder how many cats she has?

 

[ShannonCT]

Imagine if this lady picked up a British newspaper and turned to page three.

I agree that there is no good reason for a newspaper to reprint photos of half naked firefighters, if that is what it was actually doing. A newspaper is not People Magazine or Cosmo. Respectable newspapers cut out the fluff.

I disagree with the woman when she says that children are at serious risk of being exposed to these images. Unless it's on the front page, most children will never see it. And even if they did see it, there are much more extreme things that her children will be exposed to that the mom has a responsibility to prepare her children for. She can use the newspaper photos as an opportunity to instill a certain value in her children - don't use your sexuality to make money.

 

[Cheezy the Wiz]

I think someone got spurned by a firefighter...

My thoughts exactly.

 

[Mr. Dictator]

ugh. we need more stingers for the helicopter parents....

 

[Fifty]

Man it would be hilarious if her house burned down while they were all at a photo shoot

 

[Red Stranger]

I though firemen calendars are just sitcom gags.

 

[Xanikk999]

What a cry baby. How shes crying that it damaged her children is rubbish.

If anything most little boys and girls know what undies look like and it doesnt turn them into rapists.

 

[amadeus]

What kind of a kid is going to get money to buy a seductive calendar anyway?

 

[emzie]

The human body is a shameful thing that should be covered at all times. The Saudis are on the right track.

 

[Sims2789]

3. If your kid gets ideas that exceed posing for a calendar in scant clothing such as prostitution, then you have failed as a parent. Nice try attempting to place blame on the local Fire Dept. calendar and newspaper.

I do not know your political views, but things like this are why I will always say that the Republican Party is not the party of personal responsibility and small and limited government.

 

[Sims2789]

Of course, I do not know if she is a Republican, but her actions are reflective of conservatism as a whole, even if not reflective of all factions of the Republican coalition.

 

[The Last Conformist]

I was reading a letter to the editor that some whiny lady wrote in our local newspaper back in Maryland. First I should tell you that our local Volunteer Fire Department holds an annual sale of calendars of the fire fighters in poses with not much clothes on, almost naked but not quite. Keep in mind this is to raise much needed money, considering they are volunteer. The lady complained that the message such calendars send to our children is that it is ok to put your body up for sale and that it teaches bad lessons about "self-worth and modesty".

The bad lessons being that making an effort for protecting your fellow citizens from fire is a bad thing? That you should be ashamed of your body?

Deport her to Riyadh already.

 

[Atlas14]

I do not know your political views, but things like this are why I will always say that the Republican Party is not the party of personal responsibility and small and limited government.

I am a moderate. I too was trying to guess what political party she would be a part of. Our area is historically deeply conservative, though currently it is split. I am guessing it has more to do with her being a person that has just moved from across the Chesapeake Bay and wanting to stick her nose into traditions of other peoples home towns. And if that is the case, she is probably most likely a Democrat, though this is a big guess.

 

[Eran of Arcadia]

She could be either one, based on what I have seen.

Anyways, my parent never hid the Sears catalogue from me. Maybe they should have . . .

 

[Atlas14]

She could be either one, based on what I have seen.

Anyways, my parent never hid the Sears catalogue from me. Maybe they should have . . .