Chronic Murmuring

My sister found this story on it this morning...go to - www.msnbc.msn.com - look for "CBS Sorry For Janet Jackson's Flash."

I believe it was actually a stunt breast, Scott. Check the credits at the end of the show.

Timberlake called it a "wardrobe malfunction." Heh. Hard to believe it wasn't meant to rip away. No, he didn't rip off her bra, or her top. It looked to me like a velcro type thing.

Anyway, the main reason I'm commenting is surprise over you saying this was "hugely offensive."

I can't stand halftime shows because they always contain the same pimptastic music/choreographed lowest-common-denominator pop acts. OK.

But why should an adult professional *married* male get offended by the sight of a teat? I mean, can't we just laugh this stuff off as Christians? Aren't we giving MTV and CBS tremendous power over us by letting them offend us?

You could, of course, just turn the boob tube off.

I remember one time when I ripped off my bra. People found that hugely offensive.

I still do.

I'm always amused by the "you prudish people, it's just a body part" argument. In Europe one hears this all the time vis-a-vis Americans, "you prudish Americans."

But I don't see many American women (or European women, for that matter), on the bus or on a sidewalk with one of their breasts showing. I DO see see nudity (and/or quasi-sex) in commercialized venues, with the manifest intent of selling things.

It's not just funny; it's sad and exploitative. Women deserve protection from market-driven sexploitation like this. But I'm particularly tired of people (even, apparently, Christians) who refuse to distinguish sex from sex-for-sale. Shame on you.

Jim, let me try to unpack this:

1. Europeans think all Yanks are prudish.
2. Women don't normally expose their breasts.
3. Sex sells.

Then you jump to "you can't distinguish sex from sex for sale." Shame on me!

"Women should be protected." That's sure to be a no-miss in any forum. Terrific.

I don't know what you saw, but apparently it was not the same thing that I did. I saw the flash of a breast (it seems the nipple was covered).

Sorry, but your overflow of offence isn't migrating to me. Maybe I'm jaded, but the older I get, the more it takes to offend me. Is my conscience seared? I don't think so.

You see one tit, you've seen 'em all.

Well one reason why I was offended was because, as I mentioned, my son was in the room, as were around half a dozen other kids. Ordinarily, I like to have a little notice before someone is going to rip their clothes off on television. I've tended to become much more sensitive to sex-for-sale since becoming married and having a son. Now, when I see this crap, it pisses me off. I'm frankly surprised that you not only aren't offended, Daniel, but that you actually subtly mock Christians who are.

Scott, there isn't a trace of mockery intended in anything that I said, and if you're reading it into what I said, you're misreading.

For the record, I agree that we live in a sex-drenched culture. I also agree children shouldn't be exposed to sexual suggestiveness.

I concede that my opinion might be completely different if I had kids.

Then again, if I did have children, they wouldn't be watching the halftime show. I think the reason this whole thing has cause so much gnashing of teeth is because the American Football Religion is enjoyed by so many Christians.

The only way this will change is if the advertisers figure out that Christians will opt-out of future Superbowls. Will that happen?

Nah.

First, saying something is "offensive" strikes me as weak. It's an aesthetic, emotive category, not a moral category.

Secondly, in some senses I wish Stoddart's oh-so-sophisticated post-modern shrug was available to Christians. It'd make things easier. But the Scriptures commend modesty to us, so the response, "you've seen one breast you've seen them all" just isn't available to us.

But, really, the idea that we can't distinguish between an ad executive and a pimp isn't a sign of sophistication, it's a sign of moral exhaustion. And if a guy can't distinguish one breast from another, then I pity his wife.

Oh, bye the bye, I forgot that the Superbowl was on yesterday. I didn't watch a second of it.

Like I said, Jim, if I were married, my opinion might be different. I don't see any female breasts at my house, ever. I'm not even a football fan. I wouldn't have even seen Janet Jackson if I had not been invited, like lots of Americans, to a SuperBowl party.

Yes, the Scriptures do enjoin modesty. But when rank pagans get immodest, is my reaction supposed to be outrage, and the more they ratchet up the sexuality, is my outrage supposed to rise exponentially according to what they do? Are we supposed to let them jerk our chains like that? Why is the Christian attitude always a response of outrage?

What I'm suggesting here is that I personally would rather not give them that power. Your taking my remarks out of context to imply that I'm just contemplating rows of breasts with a jaundiced eye and a seared conscience is predictable, as is the implication that I'm some sort of modernist. If you knew me in person, I really think you'd realise how ridiculous that thought is.

Feel free to have the last word on this thread.

All the talk of nudity and all that aside, why on earth would watching the Superbowl be a religious issue? I mean, by enjoying football played well, not to mention the often original and groundbreaking television work that is done in the commercials, are we necessarily buying in to "the American football religion"? By enjoying a sport, we're compromising faith?

I often joke that back in Alabama, college football is the state religion - and, sadly there's some truth to that. But it doesn't have to be that way, and individual fans aren't necessarily a part of that.

There's nothing inherent in football itself, or in the watching of football on television, or in the playoff system, or the superbowl, that once can find to be contradictory to Christianity (if there is, and I'm just not seeing it, please let me know. I mean, I guess the Sabbatarian case can be made, but I don't buy it). It reminds me of the strains of puritanism that objected to game-playing or performance of some kind on the basis that it isn't essential to the well-lived Christian life - rejecting entertainment as a distraction from the staid pursuit of Godliness (notably a tenet of Lollardy, by the way - read the twelfth of the 12 conclusions, or the 'tretis on miracle pleying').

But this isn't the first time I've heard this claim about Christianity and football in a modern context - why is it that some set these two ideas in conflict with one another? And do we extend this to Baseball? Hockey? Skiing? Little League? Video Games? Blogging?

Now, I know that's a bit extreme, and I don't want to cariacature what you're saying - I pretty much have the utmost respect from whatever comes out of your keyboard, Daniel - but I just have a problem with something that seems like a call out to Christians to reject football. I think it would be much better justified if the game was played badly, for example, but I will continue to watch and enjoy the game as long as it's played like it was last night (well, at least as the second half was...)

Jim...chill out. I was being sarcastic, y'know? I was suggesting exactly the opposite...that Christians can enjoy football.

Going to bed now...this is clearly not worth the effort.

Jim...I don't have your email address anymore and I don't know if you're still at school, but I did comment here:

http://wyclif.net/lollardy/index.html?cm_id=731

I'm not against football at all. I enjoyed the game itself immensely. I didn't enjoy halftime. I think the breast thing is blown out of proportion and as long as we continue to do so, we're filling the coffers of the advertisers.

Most of the Christian bloggers I read today (except for one) neglected that this issue is bigger than just an exposed breast. The whole thing revolves around trashy pop culture.

I think she wanted beads.

Hey Stoddart-
Sorry, guess I just mis-read you, man... I noticed your post.

I've still got the school email, or you can get me at whatever at poshlost.com - anything gets pulled to the main mailbox.

i dont get it, its just a breast! why get so overly offended and worked up about it. not like your kids havent or wont in there life see a boob or boobs. Who cares why bother complaining about a one night thing maybe even an accident. whether or not it offended people all i need to say that if it does you guys need to pull that uptight stick outta your ass and quit ur bitchin about it. who cares!

I am amazed how people were offended because a breast was shown on T.V. We have sex on T.V. every day. Maybe in November when we vote for a new president, maybe Bush and Kerry should show a breast. Focus on the election instead and real issues in America. (drugs, war, unemployment) Instead Americans sit on their butt and complain about the stupid things in life.

u boring ppl