By Beauty Damned

Build A Bridge and Get Over It

I have thus far refrained from commenting on Janet and Justin's superbowl antics, as I think far too big of a deal is being made about it and I would just prefer to move on, but when I saw this in the Smoking Gun today, I knew I could no longer stay silent.

"Terri Carlin, a 47-year-old Knoxville bank employee, contends that Jackson's exposure and other 'sexually explicit conduct' during halftime festivities caused viewers to 'suffer outrage, anger, embarrassment and serious injury.'" and "Carlin's complaint seeks compensatory and punitive damages, though an exact dollar figure is not specified."

First of all, with all the crap that people are exposed to everyday, if it were meritorious to file lawsuits against every person that offends you, the courts would be inundated (more than they already are) with complaints about every last curse word and sex scene shown on tv. Give me a break lady. You could also sue if you happen to flip past Howard Stern on the radio in the morning to hear him say the word "breasts" or any other thing that's likely to offend.

Second of all, a breast is not the worst thing this world has ever seen and I am far more shocked at the response to the bared breast than I was by the actual sight of it. And I will even dare to say that I think the fact that it was a black woman's breast really sent people over the edge. People need to learn to get some fucking perspective and a much tighter grip on reality.

I understand that it was a shock to those who had children watching and were not expecting to have to explain what they'd just seen, but then again, I don't think there's that much to explain. "Honey, that's some people's idea of entertainment. But modesty is also a virtue..."

Yes, the breast is a part of the human female body. It's not a crime and it's not disgusting. The breast does not need to be condemned. The sight of one does not cause normal, healthy people to experience profound "outrage, anger, embarrassment and serious injury" and in my humble opinion, it does not constitute grounds to procure punitive and compensatory damages.

To think that this woman probably watches tv every single day and THIS is the thing that really, seriously damaged her psyche... I do not buy it for a moment.

Finally, I think that by behaving as if this was the most offensive theatrical move of the century, we put an even more dangerous notion into the minds of children: that women's natural bodies are dirty, disgusting and offensive and that to witness a thing like that could potentially cause a person real damage. Which is absolutely ludicrous, not to mention sad.

Meanwhile, god forbid any of these people who are so offended and outraged, ever step foot into a museum, gallery, theatre production, foreign country, or any other location or venue where they might be exposed to the sight of a naked boob, lest they should just drop dead from the shock of it.

Posted by Maria at February 5, 2004 05:01 PM | TrackBack