Janet Jackson's Exposed Breast

[maplesyrup]

Activists Dominate Content Complaints

Remember that massive avalanche of complaints the FCC received concerning Janet Jackson's exposed breast during what was it, the Super Bowl last year? Well as it turns out the overwhelming majority of them came from one conservative activist group.

I always thought the whole uproar was absurd. After all most women have a couple of breasts, so what is the big deal. Now we know, there was none, as it was all smoke and mirrors.

[kimmy]

Interesting and not very surprising. I wasn't able to get to the web-page you linked, but I'll take your word for it; it makes perfect sense.

The number of people who claim to have been offended by the breast must exceed the number of people who actually saw the breast by several orders of magnitude.

I submit simple common sense as evidence: it was Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake. How many people would be watching THAT close enough to see a split second of breast? Some, I'll grant, but not many; certainly not nearly the number who claim to have seen it and been offended. I watched the Superbowl with my family and some friends; we had a nice little party with beer and chips and decorations and stuff (more or less a typical Sunday for us ) and the TV was on during the whole half-time show, including the infamous breast segment, and of 10 people in the room, not one of them saw the exposed breast or knew of it until it was mentioned later. Not a statistically significan sample, of course, but character evidence demonstrating how much attention people pay to halftime shows.

This wasn't about moral outrage, it was about seizing an opportunity to advance an agenda. I am sure that the same is true of the recent "Desperate Housewives" promotional skit on Monday Night Football, in which a towel-clad woman attempted to distract a star player from playing against her favorite team by using sex-appeal, and then dropping her towel and jumping on him (though no actual nudity occured.) It was certainly sexually suggestive, so offended citizens made a big ruckus over it, some of the moral outrage being an organized effort, I suspect. They got an official apology from ABC. The offended citizens, however, would do well to note that the resulting publicity earned the next episode of "Desperate Housewives" the highest ratings of the season.

-kimmy

[August1991]

Well as it turns out the overwhelming majority of them came from one conservative activist group... Now we know, there was none, as it was all smoke and mirrors.

And when thousands descend into the street to protest Bush, they are not organized activists?

The fact that either protest was organized is not relevant. As far as I can see, these are individuals who have chosen to make their opinion known.

[maplesyrup]

99.8% of the complaints about Janet to the FCC were from one conservative activist group. The US is starting to become a scary society.

[Newfie Canadian]

I think it is just indicative of the conservative trend in the American public in the last 5 years or so. Or a better effort on the part of a conservative niche that has remained the same size.

I don't remember much of an uproar when "NYPD Blue" first showing flesh, for a lot more than a split second too.

[kimmy]

And when thousands descend into the street to protest Bush, they are not organized activists?

The fact that either protest was organized is not relevant. As far as I can see, these are individuals who have chosen to make their opinion known.

Both comments are true, but my quibble is that when you see groups organize protests against Bush, it's recognized that they're organized, and they're generally dismissed a bunch of activists who aren't representitive of the population as a whole.

For the flood of FCC complaints, one might get the impression that they're a broad-based popular opinion rather than one group that's mobilized. What's the normal response rate of people? About 1 in 10 or something? If 1 person makes the effort to register their opinion, there are likely about 10 who feel the same way? Just a guess. 1 in 10? 1 in 50? What's the response rate among members of activist groups participating in an organized plan of action? Close to 100%?

Sure, they've got the right to express their opinion, but the manner they've done so makes it seem as if it was a groundswell of public opinion rather than an activist group. If the same number of people had expressed their opinion as an activist group, what would the response be? A big fat yawn. Activists bitching and yowling has become boring to the general public; the response would be more or less the same as the organized anti-Bushites get. So what to do? Pretend that you're a random sampling of the population instead of an activist organization.

-kimmy

[maplesyrup]

One of the problem with loading the deck like this conservative group did in the US (99.8% of the complaints to the FCC) is that the FCC began an investigation and have fined or are threatening to fine big bucks for the non-uproar. It seems like McCarthyism is alive and well in the US.

[Big Blue Machine]

It's kinda late to complain about the superbowl thing. It was stupid and it won't happen again. You don't need activists for this kind of thing. The complaints were enough and that is that.