Why are Americans scared of breasts?

So I heard on the radio today that during the halftime show Janet Jackson popped her top. I gave it a little chuckle and thought it was funny. Until they folled up by saying that CBS is pissed off and that everyone involved might be fined.

Over a breast?

Serously, is the country that prudish? Keep in mind, this is not an America bashing thread, I am honestly asking. The way the news is making this out to be, its one of the biggest scandals of the year. Hell, even if it was done on purpose and not an accident (which it obviously was), then would it really be that big a deal? Would the world as you know it cease to exist if Janet Jackson's breast was allowed to be shown during a football game?


I'm locking based on the author's request and the fact that this thread has veered off track into personal attacks.

 

Yes, the laws regarding nudity on TV are very strict. So what?

 

But why are they so strict? Does the television viewing public not like nudity?

 

People are mad because kids were watching the game. Many of them little kids. People think that little kids seeing Justing Timberlake yanking a woman's clothes off is a bad message.

I'm not sure, myself, I'm just thinking Janet should have kept her top on for other reasons.

Janet's Breast: "I'm Janet's Breast"
Justin: *Riiiip*
Janet's Breast: "Oh, hello knees"

 

I mean, I can see if Justin bent her over the speaker and started going nuts (pun intended), but seeing a single breast? So what? Most of us breast fed as infants.

 

Personally I think the entire half-time show was a disgrace and sent a bad messege to kids.

As for the FCC, they are pretty strict when it comes to nudity on public television and they were fairly strict about language. . .until recently.

 

Time and place for everything.

 

Also, Janet Jackson is old. No one needs to see old boobies.

Amazing.

 

I think they were upset that she only flashed one booby.

 

did you guys notice she had some sort of silver spiky thing on her nipple? I saw a pic online and the article said it was a tassle or something, but it looked all pointy and weird.

What?s taters, Preciousss?

 

It's not a pasty. It's called a shield. It's a sort of piercing. I saw a close-up.

It's hard to explain, but i'll try, it's star shaped (hers anyway) and the nipple goes through the middle, then the pin is inserted from one side of the shield to the other piercing the nipple within.

I'd post the pic but the mods... you know...

 

yeah, I'd just never seen anything like that before. My buddies and I were like "what the hell (can we still say that here?) is that?"

What?s taters, Preciousss?

 

No you cannot. I suggest you edit before trouble ensues for you. Quickly now!

 

It's not just breasts.

I'll tell you this. I was in Nevada just over three years ago, and I switched on the TV to watch something or other - I think it was Whose Line Is It Anyway?, and while searching hrough the channels, they had this programme 'for the guys'.

This 'entertainment', which was supposed to be on the, shall we say, saucy side of things, involved two or three ladies in bikinis washing a car. Odd enough perhaps, but what was really bizarre was that, because they were wearing g-strings, their buttocks had to be pixellated for TV!

How crazy is that? It would have been perfectly legal for these ladies to wear said bikinis in public, on a beach or at a swimming pool, where kids might see them scantily-attired, but on TV(even late in the evening after the children are tucked up in bed) they have to have their buttocks pixellated because their costumes are too rude for broadcast to adults.

This made no sense to me, since it kind of undermined the whole bloody point of the excerise.

And no, it wasn't exactly a huge turn-on, which I'm led to believe was the purpose of the broadcast.

It simply appeared confusing and laughable.

 

Can't we deal with this in one of the other 22 threads discussing it?

And that breast was scary, no matter what anyone says.

 

I heard on the news (from the BBC) that it was planned and that it was supposed to happen.

I've seen a picture, and I have to say this, she's far from pretty.

 

America as a whole is not scared of breasts. It's the small number of people that are scared that "little Johnny" will see or hear something they don't want him to. It's these people that cause the ruckus that leads to the limitations on what can be shown on television. Because they can't (or won't) keep track of what their kids are watching, they want someone else to babysit for them.

 

Once upon a time Janet was hot.

Once...

Now she's drooping badly.

 

Uhh, that thread title is pretty inaccurate. Sweeping generalizations like that make baby Jebus cry.

It's not that Americans are afraid of them. It's the standards and practices that old men have adhered to for decades and haven't changed.

The reason people are up in arms over this is that so many kids watch the Super Bowl, and right or wrong, they want to protect their kids from seeing stuff like that on network TV in association with something like the Super Bowl.

 

Tobey,

But in the super bowl? I could see your point if there was some warning or it was in a different context, but the Superbowl is supposed to be a family thing.

It's a sad day when a parent has to forbid their kids from watching the Superbowl.

 

And I thought England was prudish, I guess now I see the stuff after 9pm in the UK being rather open minded now

 

"Sweeping generalizations like that make baby Jebus cry."

That's true. It says that in Luke.

"And I thought England was prudish, I guess now I see the stuff after 9pm in the UK being rather open minded now"

I take it you'll have seen Carry On films, Amber? There are exposed breasts in some of those - eg Carry On England - and they're considered 'family entertainment'. I used to have that film on video when I was about 9. My parents had no problem with me watching it. As far as they were concerned, they were just boobs and what was the fuss.

I mentioned Carry ON films to j-m-t about a year and a half ago, and she told me that a lot of the material in them would never make it past the censors in the U.S.

Strange though, quite a lot of British comedies from the '70s indulgedthe audience in the odd exposed breast here and there. Up Pompeii! for example.

 

Referring to baby Jesus makes me cry

 

Exactly...When I have kids I will keep track of what they watch, but a football game shouldn't be something I have to ban them from watching. If you want to be indecent, fine, just let us know ahead of time.

 

Because they can't (or won't) keep track of what their kids are watching, they want someone else to babysit for them.

Wait a minute, though..that's not completely accurate either.

While I don't think that this incident should be a big deal, most people aren't upset about the actual breast-display, but because the incident occured during the Superbowl.

Those parents that do monitor what their kids watch didn't expect this. Context is the key.

The FCC does have a sliding scale of standards that's dependent on when a show airs, and what it's content is.

That's why mature shows like NYPD Blue can get away with partial nudity, while a show on at 6:00, cannot.

Overall, I think the entire act was pointless, and a big <Yawn>.

Maybe if musicians started to return to actually caring about music, rather than what body part they are going to flash, or who they are kissing, the industry as a whole would improve.