On being credible
People frequently contact the Naturist Action Committee for advice and consultation on naturist issues. We encourage it. Being available to help is an important part of what we do.
What kinds of contacts? Well, we routinely become involved in a fair number of custody and child welfare cases, workplace problems and neighbor disputes. The summer of 2006 saw a startling number of naturists whose back yard privacy fences at home were rendered less effective by neighbors whose children were climbing trees, building tree houses or even standing on adjacent rooftops.
Often, we can help defuse a situation by talking with an investigator or a case worker whose job it is to find out more about the family aspect of naturism. We regularly act as a resource for attorneys representing naturists who find themselves in a jam.
Naturists with questions or problem are often referred to NAC by The Naturist Society (TNS). NAC is the political adjunct to TNS. Although NAC and TNS are operated separately, the volunteers who make NAC work are elected from and by the membership of TNS. The Naturist Action Committee is always pleased to see people join The Naturist Society, and NAC recommends becoming a TNS member, but we have never made membership a condition of our help or involvement.
NAC is not the only organization that offers help. The American Association for Nude Recreation (AANR) assists its members with many of the same sorts of services.
Recently, NAC received a call from a man who was understandably rattled at having discovered that he was the subject of an unfavorable article in his hometown newspaper. What attracted the paper's attention? Well, It might have been the reports by neighbors that the man was sometimes suspected of being nude in his house and reportedly preferred to wear just the minimum as he sat on his own porch. But the paper elected to focus on an AANR banner the man chose to display in his front yard. The article included a picture of the banner with the roadside sign for a Baptist church in the distant background of the picture, just for effect. The article said the local sheriff would be working with the district attorney to see what charges could be filed.
When the shaken man called the Naturist Action Committee this past Wednesday, NAC gave him immediate, specific and detailed assistance, even though his call came at 9 o'clock at night. NAC offered to deal with the media, if necessary.
But why hadn't the man sought help from the organization whose banner had helped fuel the furor?
The answer was simple. "I knew you'd be there," he said. AANR's office was closed.
NAC made AANR aware of the situation the following morning, during regular business hours. It had been AANR's banner that had drawn the negative attention, after all. They deserved a chance to follow up during office hours, and they did so nicely.
But on Saturday morning, shortly before 9 o'clock, the guy with the AANR banner was back on the phone, calling NAC again. He needed more help, and AANR's office was ... well, you know ... closed again.
NAC was available, and he knew it. And NAC was able to help once again.
Credibility doesn't come from a contrived slogan. The only credible way to help is to be available when you're needed.
People know the difference.
