Dean Calls FCC Probe of Breast Incident 'Silly'

Reuters News Service ^ | Feb. 2, 2004 | Reuters

[Rennes Templar]

PHOENIX (Reuters) - Sometimes a breast is just a breast. Howard Dean, a physician and a Democratic presidential candidate, on Monday dismissed as "silly" a government inquiry into whether indecency rules were broken during the broadcast of the Super Bowl halftime show when pop diva Janet Jackson's bodice was ripped to expose her right breast.

"I find that to be a bit of a flap about nothing," the former Vermont governor said. "I'm probably affected in some ways by the fact that I'm a doctor, so it's not exactly an unusual phenomenon for me."

During the break in the National Football League's championship game, singer Justin Timberlake reached for Jackson as they sang a duet and tore off part of her black leather bustier.

Federal Communications Commission chairman Michael Powell promised a "thorough and swift" investigation of the stunt aired during one of the most popular American television broadcasts, which also attracts a major worldwide audience.

"In general, I think the FCC does have a role in promoting some reasonable standard of decency," Dean told reporters aboard his campaign plane. "However, considering what's on television these days, I think the FCC is being pretty silly about investigating this."

Dean, who does not have cable television at his home in Burlington, Vermont, said Americans could inadvertently turn on "far worse things" while "cruising through cable at regular viewing hours."

"I don't find it terribly shocking relative to some of the things you can find on standard cable television," he added. "I think the FCC probably has a lot of other things they should be pursuing."

The CBS broadcast prompted widespread outrage and the FCC launched its inquiry after receiving complaints from the public.

[ambrose]

Your response had nothing to so with my concern; I wasn't talking about the "breast." I was talking about the act of a male essentially ripping a woman's piece of clothing from her body. In all other circles, this would be labled as some sort of violent act against a woman. Only in the entertainment industry is this defended as art...while Kindergartners get expelled for unwanted touching. Not only do you not see the appropriateness of this occurring during the Superbowl, you see nothing wrong with the mixed signals?

1- I did not see the incident in question. I was working out on the treadmill during halftime. Never watch halftime shows because they always suck.

2- How I feel about what happened and what I think the government can and should do about it are entirely different things.

[isthisnickcool]

But don't ask the government to do the dirty work for you.

I didn't. I don't ask the government for anything. Never have. Never will. You must presume I wanted them to make CBS pay. I mean they should pay in the marketplace. The Feds are not going to make them pay enough to get their attention. Why? Dan Rather works there.

Nah, turn CBS off.

[new cruelty]

Not every wrong in life can be remedied by Big Guvment.

I pay the guvment good money. I would hope they would do something about this. janet and justin were caught going 75 in a 20 mph zone. Ticket them.

[ambrose]

Finally!

[GodBlessUSA]

However, and please correct me if I'm wrong, are there laws in place over this kind of programming? Wouldn’t this just be enforcing them?

[Dan from Michigan]

Then boycott advertisers. The market will decide.

[Dan from Michigan]

The free market, and not Washington bureaucrats, should decide what is and is not "acceptable".

Agreed 100%

[Mike Darancette]

The mock sexual assault of a black woman by a white man on world wide television during the Super Bowl halftime show is silly?

[hosepipe]

[ Dean Calls FCC Probe of Breast Incident 'Silly' ]

SILLY = Al Gore throwing his political support to ANYONE..

[Darnright]

"Is it legally indecent exposure, since she had that thingy stuck on there? Not sure. In some localities, it's not even technically indecent exposure without the thingy."

Please visit drudge's site, and take a gander at the closeup shot of said "thingy".

Then, make your decision on whether or not Ms Jackson is innocent in this case.

[new cruelty]

It is just a breast. It isn't evil and it won't make your hand explode if you touch it.

1- I did not see the incident in question. I was working out on the treadmill during halftime. Never watch halftime shows because they always suck.

2- How I feel about what happened and what I think the government can and should do about it are entirely different things.

From your comment posted minutes earlier, you don't really think anything wrong happened. Now you say there is a difference in how you feel and what you think the 'guvment' should do. So what do you really think?

[Dan from Michigan]

Apples and oranges.

Do you mind if I start posting porn pictures here on FreeRepublic
Jim Robinson's place to decide. If he wants it there, his property. If not, his property.

And for that they should "pay". They used our airwaves to rub our noses in garbage.
The advertisers paid money for the ads. If you don't like what they did, then the responsible thing and right thing to do is to boycott the advertisers of the Super Bowl(and CBS) and call the NFL and CBS.

The chicken!@#@ way is to run to government.

[jonno]

Not every wrong in life can be remedied by Big Guvment.

I believe the Big Guvment entity in this case is the FCC. My guess would be that something like this does fall within their purview.

[EternalVigilance]

No, I edited Dean.

[JoJo Gunn]

I've said it before and I'll say it again - if everyone would turn that damned TV off, we'd have the industry on it's knees. Some of the suits and ties would be throwing themselves out of windows after the first "overnights". In a month the sewage and bread and circuses would be a memory.

But people don't seem to realize the absolute power they have, or they apparently don't really and truly want to wield it.

[new cruelty]

When it comes to my kids seeing a man rip away a woman's clothing, I'll take the chicken !*#* way - AND boycott the advertisers of the Super Bowl (and CBS) and call the NFL and CBS.

[EternalVigilance]

'Repulsive' is the perfect word for them, yes.

[streetpreacher]

And what you say is true! :) The only person that will remember anything she has done will be some weird guy in a jail cell.

Hey, leave Michael out of this!

[marvlus]

Wow, everyone is really getting into a titsy, er tizzy over this!!

[Dan from Michigan]

12 years later.

"President Granholm(after the foreign born amendment)'s appointee to the FCC Charles Schumer today announced that SPIKE TV's "The A Team" has been fined $100,000 for indecency. "Guns cause violence, and it sends a bad message to kids," according to Schumer.