A Rugged Elegance Inspiration Network Exclusive by Jennifer King

Viacom -- the corporate owner of CBS, the network that broadcast the Super Bowl and MTV, the entity which produced the Super Bowl Half-time show -- needs to take a serious look at itself in the mirror. While the game itself was a classic, the 12-minute Super Bowl Half-time show was downright disgraceful.

During Jackson's number, male Cabaret dancers were dressed in red garter belts. The choreography between Jackson and Timberlake, as well as their back-up singers included bumps and grinds, crotch grabbing and sadomasochistic acts. Kid Rock's songs referenced hookers, methadone clinics and beer commercials. Timberlake's song was entitled "Rock Your Body," with lyrics that included "I'll have you naked by the end of this song."

In a statement released by MTV today, the network said, "The tearing of Janet Jackson’s costume was unrehearsed, unplanned, completely unintentional and was inconsistent with assurances we had about the content of the performance." This appears to fly in the face of comments made several days ago by MTV Choreographer Gil Duldulao who had been quoted on the MTV network's Web site saying, "There are some shocking moments in [the Super Bowl half-time show] too."

NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue can't be serious if he thinks Timberlake and Jackson didn't plan to rip off the right side of her leather brassiere. It is interesting that her nipple was conveniently covered with a decorative bauble. Clearly, the CBS broadcast violated indecency laws. Hopefully, the network will face penalties and financial fines for allowing the half-time producer, MTV, to turn Jackson & Timberlake's performance into a "peep show."

According to the FCC, non-cable TV channels cannot air "obscene" material at any time and cannot air "indecent" material between 6 am and 10 pm. The FCC defines obscene as describing sexual conduct "in a patently offensive way" and lacking "serious literary, artistic, political or scientific value." Indecent material is not as offensive but still contains references to sex or excretions.

Cynthia King-Guffey, Executive Director of Thrive Foundation for Youth has sent the following letter to CBS:

Dear CBS:

For several hours after the half-time show, my children (ages 5, 8 and 11) kept coming back to the end of Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake's duet. They and I were confused and shocked. Simulated sex ending in exposure is a lazy and unconscionable form of entertainment in that venue. I will do my best to try to explain the lack of judgment to my young girls.

My second complaint is the Budweiser beer commercial with the referee. Why such hatred towards women? Is that funny? Everyone in my little family, including my husband, found it tasteless and sad.

My eleven year old wanted me to add that we loved the "Choose.... to be different, to care, to vote...." spot. And she liked the commercial about talking to your kids about drugs, but found it so inconsistent with much of what came before and followed (beer, beer, beer, violence, sex, Survivor).

Thank you for considering my point of view. A mother who is trying hard to raise loving, joy-filled, confident children wishes the media wouldn't make it so very hard."

Sincerely,

Cynthia King-Guffey

Ms. King-Guffey, who is also a professional marriage and family therapist, encourages parents to turn this unfortunate circumstance into an opportunity from which both parents and children can learn.

Three things, she suggests, that you can do or say to your kids include:

1) Talk with your children about what they saw and why it is wrong. Let them help create a set of family rules that define the values that each member can stand by. For instance, Cynthia's eight year-old daughter suggested that they use TV and the Internet for learning rather than just entertainment.

2) Recognize that you can't protect your kids from everything. However, by creating a strong set of "scaffolding," much like is used when building a house, children will learn how to deal with uncomfortable and "wrong" situations. Hopefully, they can use that which they saw during the Super Bowl as an example of how not to behave.

3) Celebrate the fact that freedom of speech is what makes our country unique and vibrant. However, with freedom comes responsibility. Each go hand in glove. You can't have one without the other. Jackson and Timberlake's performance is a dramatic abuse of freedom. If they are not held accountable and the media is not held accountable, then perhaps parents and kids together can turn this negative situation into a groundswell for positive action -- starting with forcing the media to police themselves. If they don't, then perhaps enough families in America can get together to come up with a creative way to have their voice heard. This is as good a place as any to mount an effort to inspire the networks to a higher standard.

Robert King, Founding Trustee of Menlo Park, California-based Thrive Foundation and grandfather to Ms. King-Guffey's children (as well as mine) wrote:

CBS can and must do better. For the last eight years our family has supported Thrive Foundation for Youth. Our objective is to change lives by emphasizing positive youth development. When our younger family members are confronted with such sexually explicit programming as part of a national championship, we feel we are being undermined.

In most sports, when a player severely breaches the rules of play, he is suspended. At what point do you think CBS should have its license suspended?

What ideas do you have to upgrade the standards of media responsibility?

Sincerely,

Robert E. King

The publishers of The Rugged Elegance Inspiration Network, Timothy Fredel & Jennifer King, encourage you to contact Viacom, CBS and the FCC.

Write to Viacom's:

Sumner M. Redstone
Chairman & CEO
1515 Broadway
New York, NY 10036-579

Use the CBS Feedback Form and let them know what you think.

Michael Powell
Chairman
Federal Communications Commission
445 12th Street SW
Washington, DC 20554

or call his office toll-free at 888-CALL-FCC (225-5322)

Send an e-mail message to Powell at: FCC Chairman

or go to the following page, and send your message via a pre-drafted email by the Family Research Council:

FRC's Suggested Letter to FCC Chair, Michael Powell

To learn more about the Chairman to whom you are writing, go to his bio at: FCC Chairman Powell

Related Articles:

Family Research Council: CBS Must Be Held Accountable for Super Bowl Half-Time Show

WashingtonPost.com: No Place for Titillation on Super Bowl Menu

Mounting Efforts Continue:

After posting this story last night, I received a copy of the letter that my, brother, Brad King, sent to the Powers-that-Be. John Bradford, a progressive movie producer in Los Angeles, recently helped raise the financing for and managed the production of Teknolust, Tilda Swinton's latest film. I add his letter here, as I believe it deserves a broader audience, and it serves as an example from which other parents will surely resonate.

Dear CBS, MTV/Viacom and The National Football League:

I generally think of myself as a fairly progressive person when it comes to media. In fact, I produce content - independent films - and I spend considerable time advising and educating fairly conservative groups on how to understand, appreciate and view content (sometimes even R rated) with an open mind and with less criticizing lenses.

But what I saw on CBS Sunday crossed so far over the line, I feel compelled to speak out. Just as we lost our innocence as a country on 9/11, I too wonder whether we as a nation have lost the moral fabric that makes up this great country. It wasn't so much the fact that Janet Jackson was exposed but more the manner in which it was presented and I believe premeditated. The fact that on one side of the field you presented a tribute to those who lost their lives on Columbia and on the other side presented forty five minutes of degrading and sexually explicit content that has no place on national television no less connected to a national championship football game.

But even more saddening is the loss I feel as a parent. Sunday was my first opportunity to introduce my son to the traditions of Super Bowl Sunday. The fact that I and eight other parents had to take our children out of the room and explain why they were unable to watch the half time show of the Super Bowl was extremely upsetting. Not only for the kids but also for the parents. What ground do we have to stand on as parents, trying to provide our children with the understanding of morals and values, when one of our greatest national sporting events is tainted with such explicit immoral behavior. What is our compass? What is decent, good and respectable?

I believe each one of you (CBS,MTV/Viacom,NFL) are equally responsible for allowing such content to pass through the wires, into our television sets and through the eyes of our children. I hope someone within each of your organizations finds it in themselves to make changes, take chances and stake a claim on moral and ethical responsibilities. I believe each of you deserve to be financially penalized and possibly even banned until you prove you can change.

I can say with absolute certainty that the great Vince Lombardi would never have wanted his name connected to such explicit immoral actions. I know the kind of person Jim Nance is and I can only imagine his feelings. We as Americans deserve better and you as broadcasters of content have the responsibility to make it better. I hope you do!

Sincerely,

John Bradford King
Parent and Football Fan

People,

Are you crazy? Ms Jackson is young, talented and beautiful. There is nothing shameful about her body or accidental or even intentional nudity from her part. Lets protect the kids (every adult hangup is resolved in the name of kids, isn't it?): lets hide every nude statue, painting etc.

Seems in this country people have only two extremes: either everything is in blurred squares or explicit adult material. Maybe normal view of the body, something in the middle, would work best.

Leave Janet alone