wardrobe malfunctions

Because of Kanye West (about whom Sady has said most everything that need be said) there is some current bizarre preoccupation with the “lack of decency” in America today. As if in response, the FCC announced this week that it intended to reopen the investigation into the famous Timberlake/Jackson “wardrobe malfunction” at the 2004 Super Bowl. Adrift in the sea of flat-out crazy and disgusting that is American public discourse lately, there was barely an eyelash aflutter at this news. We have more pressing things to worry about, one supposes. Fair enough.

But how shameful is it, how absolutely insane is it, that the major discussion about “standards” for broadcast television today always takes place in the context of “indecency” – and in particular, that women’s bodies are “indecent”? I mean, I don’t know about you, but the only think I found shocking about Janet Jackson’s breast-exposure on live television was that metal thing she had on her nipple. Christ, wouldn’t that hurt?

My point is that I don’t think the half-second or so of nipplage has done nearly as much damage to “the children” (always so undefined) as the notion that crazy people who think Barack Obama is a secret Muslim are deserving of more than two seconds of derisive airtime on cable and network news.