h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Doesn't there come a time when you've made your point, and you should just get on with your life?!http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-tayside-central-14649394

I can understand where he's coming from, so to speak. Clothing, although useful for practical reasons in the UK for most of the year, is technically just a cultural thing. Society could just have easily evolved to not wear clothes, especially in hot regions.

But come on now, 'when in Rome' and all that! Is it really so important to him, that he is prepared to give up his freedom indefinitely? I suspect mental illness may be a part of this, in which case there may be other recourses in law, than prison ?

Nutter locked up again. Probably for the best.

From that article:
"The former Royal Marine, from Eastleigh in Hampshire, has been
behind bars in Scotland for much of the past decade."

Maybe it has something to do with poor post-military counselling.

Maybe he just likes Scottish prisons. I hear you can get visits from Kenny MacAskill where he'll discuss your release with you.

He would need to be at least a couple of years away from (probable) death though. They don't just let anybody out early you know!

"Ordinary people have prejudices and intolerances."

Narcissistic personality disorder, perhaps?

From the DSM:

A pervasive pattern of grandiosity (in fantasy or behavior), need for admiration, and lack of empathy, beginning by early adulthood and present in a variety of contexts, as indicated by five (or more) of the following:

Has a grandiose sense of self-importance (e.g., exaggerates achievements and talents, expects to be recognized as superior without commensurate achievements)
Is preoccupied with fantasies of unlimited success, power, brilliance, beauty, or ideal love
Believes that he or she is "special" and unique and can only be understood by, or should associate with, other special or high-status people (or institutions)
Requires excessive admiration
Has a sense of entitlement, i.e., unreasonable expectations of especially favorable treatment or automatic compliance with his or her expectations
Is interpersonally exploitative, i.e., takes advantage of others to achieve his or her own ends
Lacks empathy: is unwilling to recognize or identify with the feelings and needs of others
Is often envious of others or believes others are envious of him or her
Shows arrogant, haughty behaviors or attitudes

Oh, I dunno, is it really any stranger than reading one or two sentences in a news report and giving a diagnosis? I mean there's weird and there's weird.

You do have to wonder whether he's been psychiatrically examined.

THere aren't crowds of people campaigning for him to be released. He's pretty much on his own when he walks. You would have thought he'd realise it just isn;t worth it.

Somewhat ironic that if he simply spent time going to naturist colonies and resorts for his holidays he would have spent more time in the environment he enjoys than being locked up inside for years.

Does not compute.

I don't have a problem.

He's just part of a long tradition of English eccentrics.

Boringly conventionally really.

I know nothing of his mental state and I really don't wish to comment in that regard, but his behaviour does present one-or-two moral dilemmas.

I notice from the article linked that he appeared (facially) a little unshaven. Is that appearance enough to get him arrested? No. So why is that considered acceptable when the exposure of other (hairy) body-parts may not be?

Why is it that, at a beach, we can appear in various states of undress, and very few seem to care while in another location it's deemed morally unacceptable?

And what's with the male/female divide? I regularly see male tourists wandering about my area with their sagging breasts on full display in supermarkets, banks and post-offices. I've yet to see a female in the same outlets doing similar but I'm sure if I did someone would have something to say about it.

I find that odd, because most of the drunken, shirt-less, male Brits that frequent the area have bigger 's than the women.

*conventional* why the do I keep mispelling my posts so often recently?

<<< "The former Royal Marine, from Eastleigh in Hampshire, has been
behind bars in Scotland for much of the past decade."

Royal Marine thinking on his feet here I think. Resident in Scotland for 10 years means free dental care, free prescriptions, and his kids get to go to Uni for free

Got to beat getting your little chap bronzed in Eastleigh if you ask me

I watched a programme about this guy when he had a girlfriend join him. He came accross as a beligerant bully who eventually drove her away with his inability to consider the feelings of anyone but himself.

I'm with you, Airscotia, on this one. Particularly your last statement
An interesting and contentious issue of when tolerance and personal freedom of expression transgresses morality and law

Who am I to judge Let he who is without sin cast the first stone

I'll this one My customary fatuous humour may cloud an interesting debate

He is acting like a petulant child.

'I want I want I want to be able to be naked all the time everywhere in public.'

'Well, dear,' says the mother, 'Most of us have nothing against nudity in general but we all agree that it's best if there's a time and a place for it which we all tend to follow - you know the 'not farting in polite company - the time and place for that is either in private with yuor mates or in bed with your girlfriend's head held under the duvet. Yes, the laws do seem very Victorian but they don't really destroy anyone's freedoms and are generally accepted as fair. Now there are places where it has been agreed that people can go naked and not be arrested...why don't you go there. And I don;t know if you've noticed but pretty much everyone is ignoring your little paddy's and usually petulant children realise they aren;t getting any attention and stop...maybe after 10years and stamping the ground and sticking your bottom lip out you might come to the conclusion that your protestations aren't working.'