27 September 2004
Tits Just The Way Things Are
Responses To This Musing Begin Here ...
Earlier this week the Federal Communications Commission in the United States fined the CBS television network US$500,000 as punishment for the wardrobe malfunction that caused Janet Jackson’s nipple to be exposed during the half time show at the last Super Bowl game. Though the decision to fine CBS was unanimous, some Democratic members of the FCC board were reported as saying that they believed the fine should have been a lot higher.
What I find interesting about the whole thing is the way that the incident was pounced on by the print and broadcast media, and the way that the citizenry of the United States, led largely by political figures and religious lobby groups, denounced the event as obscene and began to question whether or not the event had been staged.
Up here in Canada our reaction was somewhat more subdued: we squinted at the image on our televisions and said to ourselves, “Oh, look, a nipple. They must have gone to Catholic school.” And that really was the end of it for us. It happened, but now let’s move on to other, more important things.
But that’s one of the key differences between American culture and Canadian culture these days: the Americans always seem to be going from one big scandal (which usually revolves around a minor event that’s being blown totally out of proportion) to another. And in the wake of these scandals, American law makers always seem to find new and improved ways to regulate things, because, in the end, that’s what they believe the government is for. The government has to regulate these aspects of peoples lives because they’re not capable of regulating them for themselves.
These days it seems of almost mythical importance to lawmakers to define and regulate exactly what constitutes good wholesome, moral broadcasting. Apparently the exposure of a bare breast or a naked buttock is something to be punished, lest people be encouraged to turn such actions into the next big fad. We can’t have that. People would start flashing each other at the drop of a pair of trousers. (Why is it called a pair of trousers when it’s a single garment? For that matter, if one garment constitutes a pair of trousers, then what constitutes a single trouser?) We can’t have that, because that might make our society more interesting. Then we’d be like Europe, and heaven forbid that should happen.
For some strange reason people seem to think that there is a need to regulate morality, that there should be a master list somewhere that all of us can access that specifically defines what is and isn’t considered dirty. And people also seem to think that these kinds of standards should be applied to our entertainment and arts industries.
Apparently freedom of speech and freedom of expression don’t seem to apply if things are considered filthy or immoral.
What I don’t understand is why the fine was necessary in the first place. What was so shocking and obscene about the event that made people feel this overpowering need to protest what happened and petition their lawmakers to take action? Why are people so concerned about the impact that an event like this can have on the social development of our children when all you really need to do to protect your children from contamination is to sit down with them anc actually talk to them? (Of course, the last thing that parents want to do today is actually interact with their children. They have better things to do with their time and that’s why they bought computers and television sets, so they wouldn’t have to.)
Why do we need someone to tell us that something that we’re seeing in our broadcast media is dirty or filthy or immoral when we’re perfectly capable of making that kind of decision for ourselves and acting on it by doing something as simple as changing the channel? Of course, that’s exactly what the lawmakers don’t want us to do, because they seem to think that we as a people are always looking for ways to relieve ourselves of the responsibility of making our own decisions and taking responsibility for them. And you know something? The lawmakers and the politicians are perfectly justified in coming to that kind of conclusion because we as a people are sending them that message every single day of our lives. We as a people have no one to blame for this kind of crap but ourselves because we set ourselves up for it. We have asked for it so we have received it.
That’s why a lot of people turn to religions, because they don’t have the stones to decide things for themselves so they look to religious figures to tell them what’s right and what’s wrong. Now, before all the hate mail starts flowing in, for the record I have absolutely no issue with organized religion in any way, shape, or form. If it makes someone happy to believe that there is a divine being out there somewhere orchestrating what’s happening in this world of ours, then I will do everything in my power to encourage their belief because I like people a hell of a lot better when they’re happy. That doesn’t mean, however, that I share your beliefs. Whether I share them or not, however, I will always encourage them.
The point still remains, though, that a lot of people turn to organized religion because they don’t have the stones to make their own decisions and to take responsibility for them. The problem is that they refuse to admit that this is their reason for taking up the banner and worshiping the Almighty God and insist that they’re doing it for their own salvation. What I can’t help but noticing, though, is that these people more often than not attend religious services which are presided over by very passionate preachers who put forth a very uncompromising view of what does and does not constitute religious morality. Their message is simple, if your actions or your lifestyle don’t conform to what we believe to be true then you’re an immoral sinner and you’re going straight to hell when you die.
Notice, that these were among the first people to complain about nipplegate. Why? Because the accidental exposure of a body part is dirty and filthy and degrading and disgusting and sinful and it must be stopped because the last thing we want our parishioners to be aware of is their own sexuality. That kind of thing could lead to random copulation for fun, and that’s the last thing we want to happen because when people shag they forget about God. (At least until right before orgasm, anyway.)
We’re supposed to think of the human body as something disgusting, not something sexy, and that’s why the Religious Right was so incensed about nipplegate. And politicians and lawmakers were incensed partly because they believed that the Religious Right might just be onto something, and partly because that’ where the votes are.
What do I think? I think that most people are entirely too uptight. People want to be entertained, but they have very limited views of what constitutes entertainment.
I watch TV to be entertained, and to get out of myself. I don’t want to see sex and violence and blood and guts and gore and rape and sodomy and incest and buggery; if I wanted any of that I would spend some time talking to my ex-wife. (Or any of the other people who were offended by my Mad Cow comments last year. I don’t know what their problem is. Not only did I apologize but I graciously offered to retract the word Mad.)
I think that the entire situation was blown way out of proportion. I think that the only thing that’s been accomplished is to teach young people that the human body is something to be ashamed of. I think that if this kind of moral regulation continues unabated then we’re likely to be faced with a whole new era of prohibition, only instead of alcohol we’re going to prohibit sex. What happens when the birth rate goes down and we don’t have enough young skilled workers to take over when our older people reach retirement age? What happens to our society then? People never seem to have the answers to those kinds of questions.
I don’t have the answers
either but I know that we won’t have to have the answers to them if we just
take the fingers out of our asses and change the way we think and the way we
look at the world here and now, before it’s too late.
Or maybe I’m just an old reactionary idealist and this world needs a good Dark
Ages. All I really know for certain is that we have the power to change things
for the better now. The question is, are we really willing to exercise it?
Hehehe... Tarnish, the day
I "heard" about this "scandal" I smiled a smirked, said
something about "Acts of God", media coverage and publicity stunts.
Then I grabbed my fishing pole and headed out the door. Whatever scandal it
was, I didn't care. At that time I was at my brother's house. My brother said
the guy GRABBED her shirt and ripped it open. Janet, instead of stopping to
cover herself, continued dancing. He had an expression that can be only described
as "moral outrage" mixed with "self-righteness"
For me, all of it was hearsay, I didn't watch the superbowl game (I never do),
nor did I see the video clips after, particular of said incident. For me, it's
all television... BIG OL' SHRUG!
Now, it's months later, and here's this incident again, popping up in your writing.
If it had any impact at all, it made people talk about what they see on TV and
debate over the morals of what "they" (being media, producers, directors
and so on and so forth) should and shouldn't show. Everybody had their own ideas
of what is apporiate. For myself, if you don't like it don't watch it. If you
don't want your kids to see it, don't allow them to, simple as that!
Sure, easy to say, I don't have kids. But THAT to me is the grist of the whole
debacle, people ARE "watching". They watch crap like the "Janet's
nipple" constroversy and react (probably the way the media hoped they would).
Valuable time is wasted debating over said such crap... and most likely, nobody's
watching the kids! Ironic 'eh?
Whether you're Canada or America or any other country you'll find something
of this sort going on in subtle or extreme ways.
I can't speak for any other American, only for myself. I don't watch TV that
much, I don't waste my time with lame, twisted and stupid crap. I hardly watch
TV at all, if I do, it's usually movies to be found on such channels as "Sundance"
or IFC (not sure what those initials stand for but I suspect it has something
to do with foreign films).
I couldn't say why other people DO watch these things. Maybe a lot of people
don't have much to do, maybe they don't have a whole lot (money, food, loving
homes, support and encourage, dreams... HOPE). So they do whatever they CAN
do, or seems to be a "fun/interesting/stimulating thing to do to fill in
their days. Some drink, some do drugs, some do both. Others gamble, still others
turn to sex... And then... maybe there's a VAST number of people who have no
hope, but can't really do the said activities above because they KNOW it's a
deadend. So they watch TV. TV's harmless, the worst to be said for it is that
a person wastes their time just sitting there doing nothing. And there's the
health issue (couch potato, lack of excercise... blah, blah, blah...).
But nobody cares because a TV isn't killing anybody, nobody is lying there bleeding
to death. Nobody is screaming in pain (or rage, hate, fear...). HOWEVER! It's
not true! Somebody DOES care... the media cares. As long as somebody is watching
they can make a buck. As long as they have the audience they can hope to make
their millions. And since these people (who seem to be the ones watching) don't
seem to care WHAT they watch... they decide what will be shown, what will be
the "issues", what people should be getting upset about, and feeling
warm and fuzzy over...
I couldn't way whether all this is good or bad, it's not MY issue. I don't have
kids, I CHOSE what I want to watch, and most of time my TV is off. I guess I'll
just grab my pole and go fishing. THAT is what I do when I don't have anything
better to do!
What about you?
P.S. Hey! It's GREAT to know you're still out there writting away. Sometimes
you write something and I find I JUST GOT TO RESPONSE. Does that mean your writing
is good? You betcha! Does that mean it's relevant to my life? Not always, but
it makes me think and THAT is a wonderful gift!
"All bow to the Tarnished God, blessing be upon ya'll"
My reply:
If it had any impact at all, it made people talk about what they see on TV and debate over the morals of what "they" (being media, producers, directors and so on and so forth) should and shouldn't show. Everybody had their own ideas of what is apporiate. For myself, if you don't like it don't watch it. If you don't want your kids to see it, don't allow them to, simple as that!
Which was really the whole point behind what I was trying to say. People seem to think that they need someone to regulate those choices for them, when in reality all they really need to do is change the channel. Or, better yet, turn the bloody thing off and go fishing.
Sure,
easy to say, I don't have kids. But THAT to me is the grist of the whole debacle,
people ARE "watching". They watch crap like the "Janet's nipple"
constroversy and react (probably the way the media hoped they would). Valuable
time is wasted debating over said such crap... and most likely, nobody's watching
the kids! Ironic 'eh?
Whether you're Canada or America or any other country you'll find something
of this sort going on in subtle or extreme ways.
Which is really just another part of the problem. A lot of parents think that children should be self propelled creatures, which is exactly what modern literature on the subject is telling them. For some strange reason modern parenting has degenerated into the parents presumed right to pursue their career or their hobby single-minded without ever paying any real attention to their children, who are left to develop on their own. The parent only seems to intervene to mediate disputes, which is primarily an excuse to yell and scream because they're angry that they were interrupted.
I don't know what happened to the idea that parents should spend time with and talk to their children. I suspect that it's been declared obsolete in favor of more enlightened methods of child rearing. Children are intelligent creatures and, if taught to think properly, are perfectly capable of drawing their own conclusions about what is right and what is wrong. While there is some truth to that statement, there's a big part that's missing. That statement is true only if there is someone there who is taking an active role in guiding the child's ability to reach those conclusions. And that's not happening. And it's not happening because people are more interested in nipplegate than their own children.
I
can't speak for any other American, only for myself. I don't watch TV that much,
I don't waste my time with lame, twisted and stupid crap. I hardly watch TV
at all, if I do, it's usually movies to be found on such channels as "Sundance"
or IFC (not sure what those initials stand for but I suspect it has something
to do with foreign films).
I couldn't say why other people DO watch these things. Maybe a lot of people
don't have much to do, maybe they don't have a whole lot (money, food, loving
homes, support and encourage, dreams... HOPE). So they do whatever they CAN
do, or seems to be a "fun/interesting/stimulating thing to do to fill in
their days. Some drink, some do drugs, some do both. Others gamble, still others
turn to sex... And then... maybe there's a VAST number of people who have no
hope, but can't really do the said activities above because they KNOW it's a
deadend. So they watch TV. TV's harmless, the worst to be said for it is that
a person wastes their time just sitting there doing nothing. And there's the
health issue (couch potato, lack of excercise... blah, blah, blah...).
People watch the idiot box because it doesn't take a lot in the way of mental or physical capacity, and they find it a way to relax and unwind from the stresses of everyday life. It never occurs to them to think that moderation is a good thing, and that too much of anything can be deadly in one form or another.
But nobody cares because a TV isn't killing anybody, nobody is lying there bleeding to death. Nobody is screaming in pain (or rage, hate, fear...). HOWEVER! It's not true! Somebody DOES care... the media cares. As long as somebody is watching they can make a buck. As long as they have the audience they can hope to make their millions. And since these people (who seem to be the ones watching) don't seem to care WHAT they watch... they decide what will be shown, what will be the "issues", what people should be getting upset about, and feeling warm and fuzzy over...
And the whole purpose behind the FCC was to regulate what the networks can and cannot broadcast, but I can't help but wonder if they're regulating the wrong things. Perhaps instead of paying so much attention to the Super Bowl halftime show they should pay more attention to the messages that modern programming is sending to our children. That kind of attention would make easier the lives of those parents (few and far between) who actually do give a tinkers fuck and who actually do spend quality time with their children.
I couldn't
way whether all this is good or bad, it's not MY issue. I don't have kids, I
CHOSE what I want to watch, and most of time my TV is off. I guess I'll just
grab my pole and go fishing. THAT is what I do when I don't have anything better
to do!
What about you?
I don't know anymore! :-) It's been a long time since I didn't have SOMETHING that needed to be done. The voices in my head tend to keep me pretty busy.
P.S.
Hey! It's GREAT to know you're still out there writting away. Sometimes you
write something and I find I JUST GOT TO RESPONSE. Does that mean your writing
is good? You betcha! Does that mean it's relevant to my life? Not always, but
it makes me think and THAT is a wonderful gift!
"All bow to the Tarnished God, blessing be upon ya'll"
The Tarnished God. :-) I like that.
The whole purpose behind the Musings was to get me thinking and to make other people think. If what I write causes just one person to think, whether they do anything about it or not, then obviously I hit the mark and that makes me feel pretty good.