Peggy Noonan: Janet Jackson and the Frog

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

[imfleck]

Here's a plain and simple question:
How can it be an ASSAULT of a woman at the Super Bowl when it was her action that CAUSED her breast to be seen? I'll answer my own question, it wasn't assault and it was only a breast.

Why oh why does anyone care at all about this?

[thesummerwind]

This only confirms to the young, angry Muslims that they were absolutely RIGHT in cheering the plunge of airliners filled with fuel and American passengers into the WTC and the Pentagon on 9/11/2001. America is the Great Satan, out to twist and pervert the sensibilities of the world.

Yeyp, it sure doesn't help. But, I'm not so sure about the last sentence of your post, knowing nothing of what is on Arab TV, except all that lying propaganda on Al Jaweezera (spelling?).

[thesummerwind]

but is in actuality a patsy with only a partial glimpse of his own role in the preplanned events does have a certain charm.... Think of it as *Justin Timberlake as Lee Harvey Oswald.*

Very possible, if it is true that he was unable to rehearse it, and only was told that the red lace was suppose to remain on her. But, I doubt it. He's too much of a jerk!

[xp38]

I saw an online poll which had these choices about the incident. A. Not offensive. Get over it. It was just a breast. B. Offensive. There were children watching. Online polls can easily be skewed but A was leading B 2 to 1 (responses were around 5k at the time I saw the poll) so I wouldn't dismiss a standing ovation the next time Justin and/or Janet appear somewhere.

[thesummerwind]

"You just keep thinkin', Butch, that's what you're good at."

[HonorInPa]

Was his name "Hitler" by chance?

[Aggie Mama]

I really pray that is true. I have a feeling it will, and that's why there is so much controversy about it pre-release.

[Taliesan]

I wonder if all the sane adult liberals and conservatives couldn't make progress here.

Peggy, your constituency is a minority. That you don't realize this is so charmingly naive.

You folks are too nice to delude yourselves. Nothing is turning around. There is a huge percentage of the population who want to see boobs.

[trustandobey]

Okay Peggy, you asked for it. If we are to turn this nation around and get out of the boiling pot, we are going to have to turn to the Bible, take it LITERAL, believe it means just what it says. No more, you see it your way and I will see it mine. After that I would suggest get over this notion that it is okay for adults and not children. If it is unfit for children to see or hear it is unfit for adults! I would suggest that everyone start with Mark 16:16 if you find that so hard to do, you will find the rest of the word impossible to adhere to!

[thesummerwind]

How can it be an ASSAULT of a woman at the Super Bowl when it was her action that CAUSED her breast to be seen? I'll answer my own question, it wasn't assault and it was only a breast. Why oh why does anyone care at all about this?

I often wonder how some people can be so unable to see the point, or just be so vapidly undiscerning and unable to know. Maybe it's the public schools you attended.

One more time for the challenged.

The problem wasn't just a breast showing, not just that a guy exposed it, the problem was that millions of young children perceived it as an unwanted assault. Got it? Too complicated?

[AmishDude]

With title, I thought: "So who's the French guy she's talking about?"

[7thson]

This might be a frog-in-the-water moment. You remember: You put a frog in a nice cool pot of water, and he's happy and swims around. But if you put a flame underneath the pot and slowly raise it, chances are he'll boil to death. On the other hand, if you dump a frog in a boiling pot of water, he'll jump right out and be saved.

This is not true. Years ago, back in the 70's, my sister was boiling water and pouring it into the sink to sterilize the bottles her baby used. Our neice came in the house to show us a frog she caught. When she opened her hands, the frog jumped directly into the boiled water in the sink. It instantly died, becoming a somewhat rubberized frog. That is what happens when you dump someone directly into boiling water - they die!

[7thson]

I think the movie coming out Feb 25 will set a lot of people back on the straight path.

[steve-b]

Never mind the message it sends to international audiences--say young, angry Muslims, to pick a random example, who may have been wondering whether America really is immoral.

People just need to quit mixing this bit of Neville Chamberlainism into their complaints.

The only "message" we need to send to whackjobs, Wahabiwackjobs or otherwise, is "if you attack us we will stomp you into gelatin".

[7thson]

I agree. Charlton Heston did the right thing years ago at a WB stockholders meeting, when he stood up and read the lyrics of rap songs that WB produced for rap artists. It shamed them! We, as a nation, need to do that.

[7thson]

Thank you. That was a quite appropriate reply.

[BibChr]

My thoughts:

1. Goodness — Peggy Noonan almost writing like Ann Coulter! (That's a good thing.)
2. The explanation of everything she says, and a great more besides:

   No repentance
   = No change!

Have we nationally repented of anything she laments? Of Clinton and the fawning support of him? Of the moral trainwrecks and trainwreckage we celebrate? Heck, look here at FR, where we've a remarkable assemblage of conservatives and libertarian-types. But the language, the obsessions....

No, I'm not reassured. I'm reassured personally by the hope I have in Jesus and His coming kingdom.

But I'm not terribly optimistic about America.

Dan
Biblical Christianity web site

[thesummerwind]

Why oh why does anyone care about this

"The issue isn't nudity but the implicit endorsement of acting out male fantasies of violent and invasive non-consensual sexual behavior. Never mind the message it sends to international audiences--say young, angry Muslims, to pick a random example, who may have been wondering whether America really is immoral." He added that this year's game was telecast to 229 countries and territories, including China for the first time."

[7thson]

Some years ago, before I retired from the military, my last duty station was at TELCOM in DC. This was back in 93. If you remember PC's and the internet back then, it was pretty basic. We used Lotus cc:Mail. There was some woman who would do a daily quote of the day thing and send it to all throughout the command. It was the usual hippy, peace, love, brotherhood bs that nobody got too concerned with. About a month or so after I was there, she put up a quote from Chairman Mao. Here I am, a RM1 in the US Navy, and I have to read some puke quote about peace from a man who killed millions of his own people, and if he possessed the power, would have killed us. I replied to all to her quote and basically said as much, and ended by stating that if you want to stick to peace and love, perhaps she should find some individual who actually practiced it. She posted no more quotes after that day but I also got a reputation.

[7thson]

You also are correct. Thank you for putting it appropriately in the right words.