Playboy designs not for all eyes

DONNA CARPENTER, who helped found Burton Snowboards, and Jenna Geery, an officer of the University of Vermont snowboard team, seem to misunderstand the boundaries of freedom of expression in America ("Edgy snowboard graphics test liberal Vermont," Metro, Dec. 5).

Freedom of expression has limitations in our society. There have been many debates about what constitutes "art" as opposed to pornography, obscenity, or other inappropriate imagery. In the case of Burton's line of snowboards with Playboy designs, Carpenter seems to find humor in objectification of "retro" female nude images that were originally generated by Playboy magazine as "Entertainment for Men."

The last time my eye fell on a Playboy at a store, the cover was wrapped to ensure that only mature people would be allowed to view the images. Geery feels that "the beauty of America" is that you don't have to look at things you don't want to see. True, but my children don't understand that yet. I have a pretty liberal background, and I don't advocate censorship, but certain things are appropriate for public consumption and others are not. There are other people besides 18-year-old boys trying to enjoy winter activity who shouldn't have to look the other way, or explain sophomoric imagery to their small children.

Hopefully, the resorts that have banned the use of these boards by their employees will expand the ban to the resorts proper.

Christopher M.
Walters
Arlington