Tuesday, February 10, 2004
Page 7
AFFAIRS OF STATE (Column)
Will Jackson Be Remembered for Cleaning Up Television?
By DAVID KLINE
Wouldn’t it be nice to go back to the days when Michael Jackson’s nose was the most-talked-about body part in the Jackson family?
But in our return to the past, we wouldn’t want to go too far back, lest we end up in the period when Jack Paar got in trouble for saying “W.C.” on television as part of some literal toilet humor.
Nor do we need to go back to when the characters in “I Love Lucy” couldn’t utter the word “pregnant” and the married folks in “The Dick Van Dyke Show” had to sleep in separate beds.
For that matter, we probably don’t even want to go back as far as the 1970s, when network censors forbade the inclusion of a toilet in the Brady Bunch’s bathroom. With six kids sharing a bathroom with no toilet, it’s a wonder that nobody called Child Protective Services.
Yes, things were a bit too strict back then. But as the recent Super Breast incident vividly illustrated, we have gone too far in the other direction. We’ve crossed the line, and it’s time for the referee to call “offside” and let us replay the down.
Indeed, the Federal Communications Commission is investigating the offensive halftime show and may levy fines against the participants.
There are those who believe the FCC should stay out of it. “The federal government has better things to do,” the argument goes. Yes, there are other more pressing issues facing this country. But the FCC isn’t fighting the war on terrorism or rebuilding the economy, so it should be able to regulate the airwaves without putting a dent in other government activities.
It appears that Janet Jackson may be fined for staging the nude scene and Justin Timberlake may get dinged for portraying the part of a man assaulting a woman by ripping her clothes off against her will.
Many of the other entertainers deserve at least a stern lecture about their role in society. Urging young people to “take off all your clothes” and simulating sex are inappropriate activities during a Sunday afternoon football game, and that message needs to be pounded into the performers’ heads.
If nothing else, the offenders should lose their day’s pay. That is how it works at all-ages shows in Cesar Chavez Park here in Sacramento. Performers sign contracts stating that cursing or obscene behavior will result in non-payment for the gig, and this system has kept the shows relatively clean.
During the Super Bowl, parents and children tuned in for what they had every right to expect would be a G-rated show, and they ended up seeing R-rated material. That is a real problem. Older viewers can handle seeing a bare breast and lurid dancing, but young people shouldn’t be bombarded with sexual content before they are mature enough to handle it.
As we celebrate the anniversary of the Beatles’ appearance on “The Ed Sullivan Show,” let’s remember why that occasion is so important. That one television appearance spread the band’s songs and style throughout this country, and it wasn’t long before every teenager wanted long hair and a loud guitar.
In the ‘80s, MTV spread the gospel of Madonna throughout the country, and teenage girls were dressing like her and paying great attention to her every move.
Yes, the combination of television and pop singers can have a great impact on impressionable young viewers. If we ignore this and allow sex and drugs to take over the airwaves, we’re just asking for a generation of young people who have more sexual diseases, more unwanted pregnancies, more psychological problems and more addictions.
While the focus now is on Janet Jackson’s overexposure, let’s not forget that during the Super Bowl, even the commercials were inappropriate for young viewers. There was an overabundance of flatulence jokes, erectile dysfunction ads and men getting hit in the crotch with various objects. (Whether the last two items are related is a matter for medical researchers to address.)
Then there was Kid Rock, who not only sang songs unsuitable for young listeners, but also wore a ripped American flag as a poncho. Leaders of the Veterans of Foreign Wars have rightly criticized the rapper/singer for defacing the flag, but so far he has not publicly responded.
In his defense, Kid Rock is known for displaying the flag in more respectful fashion during concerts, and he sings “America the Beautiful” and professes his love of country on stage. He probably wishes he had a time machine to take him back a few weeks to rethink his Super Bowl wardrobe.
But time machines aren’t rolling off any assembly lines now, so we have to look forward instead of back.
After years of TV getting raunchier and raunchier, Jackson’s breast finally got our attention. Now we, as a society, need to take action so there will be a clear, respected distinction between content for adults and content for children.
It would be sweetly ironic if future generations could look back at this year’s Super Bowl Sunday as an important date in cleaning up television.
—Capitol News Service
Copyright 2004, Metropolitan News Company