It’s almost Superbowl time again which prompted a thought regarding the infamous (at least in American eyes – the rest of the world couldn’t give a damn) wardrobe malfunction whereby a naked nipple was missed – sorry – I mean seen by almost everyone. The resultant uproar was laughable. I dare say most people would have ignored it but were they allowed to? No. Of course not. The media went into an absolute frenzy of damnation thus inciting the “outraged” right wing religions to join in. Talk about a storm in a frigging teacup.
I have lived in many parts of this world and visited many others but nowhere have I found such a prudish and screwed up attitude towards sex and nudity as I have here. I have now become familiar with “greyed out” areas on my TV screen as the self-righteous censors strike. I will go into censorship in another article but not right now. Actually I’ll go into the attitudes regarding sex and nudity over here too at another time as well.
What I find absolutely amazing about the whole business is that all those “shocked” (and obviously psychologically damaged for life) people are not shocked by other stuff on TV – to which children ARE exposed. The Sci-Fi channel for instance (and I’m not picking on them – they just do it so often and with such gay abandon that I chose them as an example) frequently shows the actors being disemboweled or having their heads ripped off in glorious technicolor close-up. Now I am not saying that children should be exposed to non-prurient nudity as a matter of course on TV, but which do you think is more likely to do them the most damage psychologically? A glimpse of a bare ass or a head being ripped off? Get a grip America and get a sense of proportion.
The puritans are alive and well… excellent points….
Funny and it brings to mind just one recent contrast (at least it seems so to me) . It’s a bit of a tangent so come along if you like.
Condoleezza Rice has returned to Stanford University. The former Secretary of State took time to “relax in February by playing the piano, some golf and watching Stanford basketball. “I want to have a little time to exhale,” she said.
She said she’d welcome debate over the ideas she promoted while serving in the Bush Administration.
“We did some things very well,” she said. “There are certainly a lot of things I would’ve done differently…I’m sure there will be dissertations written on that subject, and many of them I’ll oversee at Stanford University.”
I heard Ms. Condoleeza, on Public Radio, specify that these dissertations and discussions “should be civil” and that they should learn to be civil with each other.
I find this er, request? from the woman stark in irony when contrasted with her involvement and support of the agression in Iraq alone which has involved untold civilian deaths and casualties we are sold, I mean uh, told in the name of freedom. She also supported what many, including myself from what limited knowledge I have, to be dehumanizing and debilitating torture of which we have yet to hear the reverberations of from the Muslim world. With credentials like these, maybe she should write a children’s book. Maybe a scary one.
Please Condi, a nipple so the press may tell us how shocked and awwed we are.
I wonder – amongst the confusion of “ideals” in our time, many formed through the energy of corporations considering profits and other “ideals” pressed upon us by social, economic, political, environmental, ad nauseum, pressure groups who may very well have a valid statement, but often and generally seem to end up being the persecutors and muzzlers via legal twisting, I wonder, in this environment of so many exteriorly imposed ‘considerations’ I guess I’ll call them, to what extent, do we as a people, in a living and connected way with ourselves and our world, generally process what hear in our heart of hearts and true minds?
Did I say that right?
Like, nipple slip by sexy star BAD. Constant SEX in advertising GOOD. Nipple slip by sexy star BAD. Meaningless sex constantly promoted as IDEALISTIC on primetime TV GOOD.
You know, the moral math just doesn’t work here. How about some silence.
It’s the double standards that get me. I don’t mind sex in advertizing – I’m quite happy to look at a pretty girl – but if they think that that will actually SELL their product to me they need to think again.
I am not allowed to see a naked nipple on TV over here at any time whether in an advert or a movie or whatever because of “family values.” Well… my personal view is that I’m an… oh… what’s the word I’m looking for? Ummm… oh yeah! an ADULT. I can make up my own damn mind whether I want to watch nudity or not. I do not need the almighty zealots of US censorship to “protect me.” I’m a big boy now and all grown up.
And as for “children may be watching!” What? At 11PM? Midnight? What happened to PARENTAL responsibility over here? Children should be in bed by that time.
As my original post said, apparently…
Ripping people’s heads off in glorious technicolor slowmo = AOK for kids to watch. (Perhaps it’s character building and turns them into good little Americans?)
A glimpse of nipple = Their sensitive little eyes will explode and they’ll go to hell.