Peggy Noonan: Janet Jackson and the Frog

Opinion Journal ^ | 02/05/04 | Peggy Noonan

[Pokey78]

Has our culture gone iredeemably to pot, or can we jump for our lives?

On Saturday night Sept. 8, 2001, I did something unusual. I went to Madison Square Garden to watch the taping of a Michael Jackson special that was soon to be aired on CBS. A friend had come to town with tickets and we decided to meet for dinner and go together. We thought it would be fun because we thought it would be strange.

[Pokey78]

Peggy ping!

[WorkingClassFilth]

A man I once knew was fond of saying that there was nothing wrong with the country that a million executions wouldn't straighten out in a hurry. I'm beginning to see some wisdom in things I previously overlooked.

[old-ager]

> How? How to turn it around.

Revelation 1
7 Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail[1] on account of him. Even so. Amen.

[Frank_2001]

Good article!

[jla]

^

[jolie560]

News, Music, Sports, and even the Weather Forecasts have become part of "Show Business".

"Show" business used to be a creative, artistic expression.
It was expressed and presented as "entertainment".

It's hard to tell any differences today.

[goodnesswins]

A word in Ms. Noonan's piece struck me...."mean"....she used it as in what something "means"......but, it makes me think of Sunday nights ridiculous behavior by the boob as MEAN.....nasty.....a kick in the gut when you're not expecting it. But, we'll see. Heck, maybe we'll elect another Democrat who can talk about his underwear to MTV and diddle interns in the Oval Office. Or, maybe not. We'll see. We are at a turning point, that's for sure.

[thesummerwind]

Was it deliberate? No, the Goth pastie, the lyrics "I'll have you naked before the end of this song," and Janet Jackson's slowness to cover her breast and quickness to enact what she thinks is a look of shame, make it clear it was all an accident. Did MTV know it would happen? No, when they put out the announcement promising "shocking moments" from Ms. Jackson, they didn't mean anything by it. Did the--let's be generous--perhaps retarded Justin Timberlake realize he'd gone too far? Of course--that's why he issued the winking statement about "wardrobe malfunction." Was the NFL taken aback? Gosh, they must have been--who would think MTV would do something vulgar and highly sexualized?

Yep, Peggy.

Plain and simple. To the millions of little children who were watching, it was an ASSAULT of a woman at the Super Bowl. A celebrated assault! Plain and simple.

Just wonderful. I've been saying for years that many of these 'movers and shakers' in the "entertainment" business should be "strung up" or thrown out of the country. Same goes now!

Dr. Laura was on one of the talk shows tonight, and after much discussion, she said she was glad that it happened. She was right. Now, the s**t may finally hit the fan, and the rest of the world will see what is true. The entertainment business owners are destroying the country. Plain and simple!!

String 'em up!

[thesummerwind]

A man I once knew was fond of saying that there was nothing wrong with the country that a million executions wouldn't straighten out in a hurry. I'm beginning to see some wisdom in things I previously overlooked.

I hear you.

ping to post # 9

[over3Owithabrain]

My in-laws are as liberal as they come, and very dismissive of "prudes" and the Christian right. Yet y'all should hear what they have had to say about that halftime display. One direct quote from mom-in-law: "It's a shame EVERYTHING has to be about sex now". She has many teenage piano students and spoke of their mutual outrage and disgust over that debacle. Perhaps dear Peggy is right - the frog has jumped and the worm is turning...

[Wild Irish Rogue]

Prediction- there will be a standing " O " at the first mention of Janet and (as Peggy refers to him),the retarded Justin Timberlake, at the Grammys. The only question is whether CBS will edit out the ovation.

[thegreatbeast]

Tell you what, the first sign that ANYTHING has changed is whether or not the two "artistes" are still allowed further exposure on the Grammys. My bet is that they will.

[goodnesswins]

The "boob" has been "dis-invited" from the Grammy's from what I've hears (there's a thread here somewhere.)

[nopardons]

Kerry is a kept man.That used to disgust Americans. Will American elect a GIGGILO over a moral man?

[JoeSixPack1]

Shame.

It has been erased from our society

If any of these sleaze buckets that consider themselves entertainers had the slightest capacity for shame, the legion of the offended could finally relax.

Timberlake & Jackson can apologize till the cows come home, but the offensive nature of their actions remain shamefully unapologetic in lieu of the premeditated secrets they kept during rehearsal.

[carlson]

Why do we care about a womans breast? Janet Jackson, It was not a "thing" that should have been at the Super Bowl, Get over it, please. More media attention will get your kids to watch the (secret porno vidios){JK} we all have !It was a stupid stunt, let CBS get fined for it and lets shut up !

[thesummerwind]

But the question is: How? How to turn it around. I wonder if all the sane adult liberals and conservatives couldn't make progress here. But how.

I lurked here for 6 years before I started to post. (I was afraid of Clinton retribution if they disliked my comments.) For years, I noticed that when any poster would get too "personal" about WHO REALLY OWNS AND OPERATES the entertainment business, they were called names, vilified, threatened, and I watched as some were suspended and banned for confronting this subject.

Peggy asks, "How to turn it around?"

I say, along with all those shunned voices who confronted this issue here in the past, start naming names of these owners, directors, and operators, and make these sleazy people either clean up their act, or go f***ing away. They must at least be publicly embarrassed, so they change their evil ways, or if not, just disappear.

[Wally_Kalbacken]

What do you mean "we" kemosabe?

I have never contributed to any of the Jackson's enterprises, do not buy rap music, and will not support trash like Elizabeth Taylor, etc.

[thesummerwind]

Prediction- there will be a standing " O " at the first mention of Janet and (as Peggy refers to him),the retarded Justin Timberlake, at the Grammys. The only question is whether CBS will edit out the ovation.

That would truly be disgusting to find out to be true!!!

Btw, that pencil-necked Timberlake IS a no talent retard.