janet jackson's breast

Apparently the exposure lasted about 9/16 of a second. Janet Jackson's breast.

Not very long-- you would think. But long enough to require a stern response from the guardian of public morals, the Bush Administration's FCC.

Meanwhile, prime-time television continues to broadcast an unending stream of knifings, shootings, beatings, and torture. All shown tastefully, of course, so as to not cause offense. "24" tells us that torture works: the bad guys immediately tell the truth, even when the torturer has no idea what the truth is and, well, will just have to take the victim's word for it because there is not time to lose.

This may sound strange, but was it ever so clear that the U.S. government wants to encourage young people to enjoy depictions of violence and abuse and hatred? By all means-- let's prepare our youth for a world in which we will ask them to kill and torture and destroy on behalf of our national interest. Of course it does. Think about all the episodes of "24" and "Lost" and "Dexter" which incurred not the slightest censure or approbation of the U.S. federal government: torture may not be nice but sometimes it's the only way to find out if someone is hiding an inhaler ("Lost", Season 1). The government pats TV on the head: that's cute. It's nice that our children learn to regard sadistic serial killers as redeemable if they only focus their efforts on suspected criminals ("Dexter"). The audience is assured-- as it can never be in real life-- that the victim deserved it.

Actually, shows like "Dexter" encourage you to feel that it is right and good to commit the same atrocity we find so reprehensible when committed by our enemies. Even for someone who is a little inured to the raging hyprocrisies of television, this show reaches a new level of nauseating deviance: Dexter, a psychopathic serial killer, is actually heroic. I don't understand why, even in post-9/11 America, there has not been a furious outcry about this show.

And it's cute that the authorities torture people because, of course, then they instantly tell the truth, as on "24". How does Jack know it's the truth? The only possible explanation is that he read the script; there is nothing in the set of facts supplied to us by the story that would justify his belief that he has now heard "truth" and that the victim is not just saying whatever he thinks will make the torture stop;.

And I'm not sure "children" doesn't include the infantile half of the U.S. population that regard it as their birthrate to carry guns and drive Hummers and biggie-size their fries if they damn well feel like it.

But one thing that cannot be permitted: the sight of a woman's breast! As at the 2004 Super Bowl. For 9/16th of a second, as determined by a lower court. Our children will imagine the sickening, disgusting things that are done to a woman's breast, like kissing and caressing and fondling! Since it is scientifically proven that children imitate what they see on TV, this must be stopped, at all costs. CBS must be fined $500,000 or more to ensure that they won't do it again. America will be pure again, and safe for Rush Limbaugh.

Rant of the Week

Public Decency