Councilman Brett Withers sees a blow up doll

Metro Councilman Brett Withers has made a big deal out of a blow up doll in the window of a Short Term Rental Unit in east Nashville.  He saw it, took a cell phone picture and threatened to sic codes on the property owner.  The property is not in a residential neighborhood but on Main street in East Nashville.

I agree the blow up doll is in bad taste, but not everything in bad taste needs to be prohibited.  First Amendment rights of free expression are more valuable than someone else not being offended. 

Councilman Bret Withers

I am offended by lots of things, for example, saggy pants and rap music and people who sit too long when the red light changes because they are checking their cell phone and strongly opinionated people who are poorly informed.  I am offended by the normalization of deviant behavior and a whole lot of other things. Seeing a blow up doll is not on my list of the top one hundred things that offend me.  Anyway, I don't want to prohibit all the things that offend me or punish those who offend. To live in a free society, we have to tolerate a lot of tasteless and offensive stuff.

I don't really think that a blow up doll is something to get all worked up about.  The physical attributes of a blow up doll are not nearly as well done as those of a Barbie Doll.  Barbie dolls are widely available and the clothes come off. I bet Withers has never seen a nude Barbie doll and they are in schools and children's bedrooms all over America. Don't tell him.  I wonder if Withers has ever seen a nude mannequin? They are more realistic looking than a blow up doll.  I wonder if  Withers thinks we ought to put skirts on table legs? A blow up doll is not titillating. These almost life size dolls are sometimes called "sex dolls," but I doubt anyone actually has sex with them.  I think they are more of gag novelty items than a sex toy.

Anyway, Councilman Withers' blowing out of proportion the display of a blow up doll has generated a lot of criticism of Withers on social media. Here is what the website EastNashville.news had to say:

Councilman Brett Withers Gets Bitchy Over Boobs

Oh Brett Withers, you never cease to amaze embarrass us. It was bound to happen at some point. An openly gay man in East Nashville was bound to eventually snap over fake boobs. No one expected they would be attached to a blow-up sex doll, though. That’s exactly what happened on Friday. You would think a councilman charged with a DUI, who has a life partner that was charged with growing marijuana with 1,000 ft of a school, would be just a little more laid back and chill about a set of fake boobs in a window. (read more)

To see the Channel 5 report on the issue follow this link.

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