Superbowl

The Janet-Justin-halftime issue is well covered over at Farrell's Blog, from a traditional conservative perspective. I agree with everything he says; I'm just as annoyed. But then a friend tried to downplay the flap, comparing it to Jack Paar's suspension after referring to a "water closet" on live television about 45 years ago. And that's when I lost my cool.

This was not Jack Paar (RIP). It was simply not art.

The whole art scene, especially Hollywood, has made the fundamental error of reversing cause and effect. Because so much of modern art was shocking, they assume that anything that shocks is art. Actually, modern art was so good that it was shocking. Utterly the reverse. Hence, galleries exhibit, and museums buy, so-called art like "Piss Christ," the elephant dung on the Virgin Mary, half a cow in aspic, etc., etc. It's fair to say that--other then the happy-but-bug-eyed-children school--art is little more than shock.

Picture today's "artists" and "stars": "Oh, those comfortable middle-class and labor bourgeoisie. They don't understand the noble artist and his struggle against the oppression of modern times. We have the right--nay the duty!--to jolt them out of their comfortable suburban living rooms. We have an especial duty to the children, already being brainwashed by the litany of learning, achievement and responsibility. Pfui, I say! We'll show them!" [All to the tune of some song from "Rent" (because they've never bothered to see Puccini's original La Boheme) about artists suffering for society's sake.]

Well show they did. Now, the FCC's gonna fine Viacom, and MTV if they can. Soon, artist contracts once again will include a "morals" clause, this time with a "liquefied damages" clause. Further, the NFL's going to stick to country music from now on. Could this be (I hope!) the beginning of the end for rap . . . ?

This year's half-time show was the television equivalent of the movie "American Beauty," probably the single worst film named Best Picture. How many times must we hear "the suburbs are a confining, secret plot to strip humans of their individuality, possibly turning them into mutant cyborgs?" How many movie or TV plots are encompassed in that sentence?

Janet and Justin's show had nothing to do with evolving standards of decency. Rather, it's the sort of temper-tantrum "edgy" folks throw when they realize their parents may have been right. "Conformity is bad" might have been an interesting slogan in 1964, but when all of Hollywood conforms to non-conformity, which side is the more clueless? The issue is maturity, not decency. And, measured thusly, Janet, Justin, MTV and all the rest are just spoiled children.

Update:

Spike Lee agrees with me! Maybe I'm wrong.

More:
Lisa de Moraes provides proof, in the WaPo, that MTV didn't view the strip show as a "regretable incident" as it and Justin now claim.

Still More:
Steven Den Beste identifies something worthy of praise apart from the great football game.

[Footnote] Somehow overlooked by "artists" and most Californians, millions of people from dozens of countries still emigrate to realize the American dream—a house in the suburbs. That's what great about this country. And that's why Al Gore and the "progressive" left do great mischief when they whine about the horror of "suburban sprawl." They, of course, already have a 5,000 sq. ft home, plus an SUV and a Porsche. Nope, newcomers aren't allowed--the ladder's been pulled up behind. America's not for them. (I have no idea how liberals oppose sprawl yet favor amnesty for illegal immigrants.)