Keeping A Breast of the Superbowl 2004

OK, I'm just tickled about how angered people are about Janet and Justin and the exposure of a breast covered by a wee bit o' metal (which she was conveniently wearing I might add). What tickles me is that everyone is so righteously indignant about it and yet the entire spectacle was filled with the same sort of sensationalized sexuality. It really isn't much of a stretch from the high art of the quasi-SM costumery of Chicago or the various shenanigans of Ms. Jackson or Mr. Timberlake in the past. As my wife said to me, "the sad thing is that this will help sell their albums." Which is why, after all, they did it.

One other note though. Is it any surprise that our football halftime shows have become more sexualized? Perhaps it is only natural and fitting. IMHO, football in America is began as a Protestant sublimation of the Catholic success at integrating seasonal festivals into the Gregorian calendar. So that, our huge stadiums with their ritualized gladitorial combat, priests, priestesses, celebrants, congregations, etc. are really just autumn harvest festivals that have, by now, been coopted by commercial interests and thus been cheapened (or one might say broadened) and lengthened. Is it any surprise then that in addition to the chanting, the costumes, the ritualized behavior, the mock combat, and the traditional celebratory foods, that we are also bringing back the fertility dances and the exaltation of the human body? From a simply mythological point of view we started down this road when we began to make football central to Autumn in the USA.