The response to the Super Bowl halftime show by lawmakers is misguided and a waste of time and money. Efforts to strengthen laws regarding indecency on television miss the mark of addressing the problem and cannot explain why the problem exists. As society gets more progressive, it must do away with such puritanical notions.
The now-notorious halftime show in question involved Justin Timberlake revealing Janet Jackson's breast and rapper Nelly grabbing his crotch. Apparently, Federal Communications Commission chairman Michael Powell was worried that the definition of "indecency" was too vague, and fines for violations were not high enough.
While debating how outrageous the various gestures were, especially to the children, lawmakers failed to say why they are so offensive. Is a message transmitted when someone sees a boob or a crotch grab? What actions will that message influence?
The government should not be in the business of regulating what is obscene and what is not, and what children should or should not see. That should not be up to lawmakers, but rather should be the decision and responsibility of parents.
It is very difficult to define indecency, as different people find different things offensive. Some people find violence on television terrible, and cases can be made that it does effect actions. However, the major networks showed coverage from the war, showing graphic images of explosions and bleeding. Not only does the FCC want to regulate something it should not, but it also shows no consistency.
If people are worried about their children viewing offensive images, the solution is very simply to keep them away from television. Watching television with the child should be the norm and would allow for simple and quick education, but that is not possible all the time. There are many alternatives to keep children busy and active.
Sheltering children from such images is the opposite of what an ideal society should be doing. By pushing things to the back and making them taboo, it will only increase how offensive it is. Instead of continually refusing to talk about problems or touchy issues, we should embrace them and use them as a learning tool for a more open society.
The quick ascent of this issue to the front of the news, along with the creation of an exploratory committee to look into obscenity on television, directly contrasts the feet dragging involved with the Sept. 11 and Iraqi Weapons Failure committees. It is disturbing that a committee investigating indecency on television came together quicker than ones vital to the security and integrity of the United States. The priorities of this country need to be put back in order.
Much like many other things this government is proposing, cracking down on indecency is a tremendous waste of time and money. While a mild fine could be imposed on CBS or MTV for the planning and approval of the Super Bowl incident, there is no reason to extend the penalty to every CBS station, or force every station to follow new, stricter rules.
A mistake was made, but instead of learning from it and using it to create a smarter society, lawmakers want to move backward into the realms of puritan censorship. The FCC needs to stop treating television viewers like unsophisticated fools who need to be watched out for, and hopefully these new laws ill be rejected.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
