Super Stupid Bowl

Well, was that the most offensive, disgusting, immoral, depraved (what else can I come up with?) Super Bowl halftime show ever? It started bad, got worse, and ended completely in the gutter, with Justin Timberlake ripping off half of Janet Jackson's costume top, revealing her right breast.

I watched the game with my family over at my brother-and sister-in-law's house, with some of the rest of Mrs. Pete's family. That included my 10-year-old son, and my two 20-something nieces, and my older niece's husband.

The actual football game was exciting and enjoyable, with the game undecided until the final seconds. A few of the commercials were entertaining. I liked the donkey that studied to be a Clydesdale, despite the fact that it was advertising beer.

But the halftime show was in incredibly poor taste, to be charitable. As a parent, I thought it was completely inexcusable. For crying out loud, it's a football game! The most important game of the season. Millions of kids watch the Super Bowl. Why must I be worried about my 10-year-old son watching the Super Bowl? As a father, shouldn't I be able to enjoy watching a football game with my son, without exposing him to three-plus hours of blatant sexual suggestion, foul language, beer commercials, and men acting like louts and fools? Despite what network executives, advertisers, and athletes say, kids imitate what they see on TV.

When "the incident" occurred, most of the rest of the family was distracted, talking and enjoying pizza. My younger niece and I both noticed it, though, and sat there dumbfounded, asking each other, "Did I just see what I thought I saw?" I don't think my son noticed, but he may have, and he certainly saw the rest of the foulness of the halftime show, to my dismay.

There are those that will say, "well, you have to monitor what your kids watch." I agree, and I do. Unfortunately, it isn't possible to do during a live broadcast. I am given a binary choice, either watch it all or watch none of it, since I have no way of knowing ahead of time what the content of the show will be.

It wasn't just Janet Jackson's bared breast - it was the whole thing. It was full of bumping and grinding, crotch grabbing, clothes being torn off and just plain bad music. I couldn't understand any of the lyrics because of the over-amped soundtrack, which, frankly, is just as well. I'm not interested in the depravity that was spewed from the "artists" mouths.

CBS issued an apology for the garbage displayed on their network, denying responsibility and blaming MTV, which produced the halftime show. In my opinion, the apology is bogus and not acceptable. Why? Well, CBS is responsible for the content that is broadcast on their network. Someone at CBS knew and approved the plans for the halftime show. It wasn't a surprise to them. Even if the breast-baring was accidental (which I am not convinced is the case, despite Justin Timberlake's statement), CBS, by their approval, condoned the content of the whole show, which was in its entirety, an offensive and depraved spectacle.

Those responsible for the planning and approval of the halftime show should be called on the carpet and fired. This probably sounds harsh, but I don't think they should work in television again. The constant lowering of moral standards, the continual seeking of ever-more-shocking images and language, the poor writing and directing throughout all lead me to the conclusion that the broadcast industry is out of control. The leaders of the industry are moral midgets, seeking profits above any consideration of the responsibilities that they have to the American public.

One solution to the problem would be to tighten the regulations on the television networks, as they have shown that they can't handle their responsibilities and don't take them seriously. In general, I am not in favor of censorship. However, when the network gives me only a binary choice, then I think prudent regulations that ensure that prime-time television remains appropriate for young children are probably necessary.

The other solution is to watch television not at all and not allow my son to watch, either. Is that what the broadcast industry executives and advertisers really want? Television viewing audiences have been shrinking year by year. I'm quite willing to stop watching television - I don't watch much as it is. Television networks depend on advertising money for their profits, but advertisers (who are as much a part of the problem as the networks) won't pay as much when audiences are smaller. If the television networks want to drive themselves out of business, one effective way is to continue to offend those people that make up large segments of their audience.

At this point, I'm sorely tempted to ditch the cable connection and stick to renting DVD's, so I have better control over the content that is displayed on my television screen. Losing one more member of the viewing public is unlikely to influence broadcasters, but at least I'll feel better. And perhaps if enough people vote with their dollars by choosing alternatives to television, the network executives will finally get it through their thick skulls that people are fed up with them.

I enjoyed spending the evening with my family. We had a good time, and I enjoyed watching the actual football game. I can't say, however, that I enjoyed watching the rest of the nonsense. It brings to mind Philippians 4, verse 8:

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things.

How did watching the Super Bowl help me in accomplishing what the Apostle Paul admonishes us to do? In fact, it didn't.

To be fair, some of the play of the athletes on the field was certainly admirable. I think athletics can give us a sense of what it means to persevere in adversity, to be self-disciplined, and to work hard to accomplish important and meaningful goals. The Bible uses images of athletic contests in more than one place as a means to teach us how to live Christian lives. So, the actual athletic contest on the field wasn't an issue for me. The rest of it I could have done without, though. It added nothing of value to my life, and in fact, presented destructive and immoral images that did not help my struggle to live as Christ lived, nor my efforts to raise my son in a such a way that he is kind to and respectful of women and lives a life pleasing to God.

I need to think about this further. I don't want my son to grow up unaware of the culture we live in. Having that awareness will help him relate to other people well, to be socially competent. At what price, though? As the Apostle John says in 1 John 2:15-17:

Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.

In the final analysis, is being socially competent worth the price? My son already has a fascination for media and popular culture - movies, television shows, video games, athletes and performers. They influence him, and he likes to imitate them. We limit the amount of television he watches, and we encourage him to do other things, but it seems at times like a losing battle. This, despite that he attends a private Christian school, that nearly all of his friends are Christian kids, and that he attends Sunday school at church regularly.

The depraved Super Bowl halftime spectacle angers me because of this. I am trying to live as Christ would have me live, and to raise my son to do the same, but in today's culture of essentially non-existent morals, it seems next to impossible.

Help me, God, to understand how to live in the world without being like the world, because I just don't see how right now. Only in Your strength is it possible at all. I certainly can't do it by myself.

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