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May 7,
2004
I may be the only
person in America who wants to thank Janet Jackson for her trashy NFL
debut.
I have nothing to
add to the volumes already written about Janet’s breast. How many
times can you say disgusting? Inappropriate? Filthy? Degrading? My
thesaurus is worn out!
Besides...I really
need to thank Janet. She accomplished more in the flash of a moment
than all the letter writing campaigns and citizen phone calls did during the past twenty years.
I know. I tried.
A short five years
ago, while changing channels, my husband was assaulted by a porn-fest
on our basic no-frills television service. Up to that moment we had
considered our home porn-free, having rejected any and all offers for
HBO and similar pay-for-filth stations. We just wanted the basics.
We had no idea that
basic service would funnel XXX movies (relabeled NC-17) into our home
right along with the Disney, Toons, History, and Food channels. Right
there, passing from channel 40 to 44, an IFC movie with blatant oral
sex was in full swing. And we decided to take action.
We called and we
wrote. I have a fat folder of all the letters and faxes demanding a
change. Our little battle campaign took months and involved everyone
we could think of: IFC, ABC, COX, FTC and FCC. The answer in each
case was the same. WDC.
WDC…We Don’t Care.
The universal response to the filth funneled into our home, unbidden
and unwanted was, “We don’t care.” Each person had their own version
of WDC.
The program
director for IFC (Independent Film Channel) said she hadn’t seen the
XXX movie because she didn’t “watch that kind of filth.” She would sell
it. But she wouldn’t watch it.
The cable network
said it was our fault. “You should have known it was there before you
turned on the television. Read the television guide. All of
it.”
The Federal
Communications Commission (FCC) representative told me to buy a new
television…"with a V-chip."
They all agreed on
the basics. Basically, according to them, my husband and I were the guilty parties. Our
problem could be easily solved.
We should, they
explained, carefully pour through the TV guide and make note of all
the programs, on all 300 stations, all 24 hours, each and every day of
the year. As conscientious parents, we would then know for each and
every minute of the day what potential filth might be there ready to
attack us. Like media sentinels, we would stand guard 24/7 in front
of the household television ready to pull the plug at just the right
moment.
Or…they told us...we could get rid
of our television. Really. After all, being an American does
not guarantee us the right to watch television.
I wrote the Federal
Communications Commissioner. What in the world was he doing to
guarantee basic standards of network programming to homes
with children? What did he intend to do about stations that put
nudity, profanity, and porn onto basic television service?
WDC. His
answer? Silence. We don’t care.
What did five
months of letters, phone calls, faxes, and newspaper editorials
produce? Nothing. Actually…worse than nothing.
Five months after
writing the first letter of protest, while studying my television guide,
I found the
same XXX movie slated for rebroadcast, once again as a basic program
option for all families. There it was in the program guide, three
separate broadcast dates in October, three opportunities to teach
children the basics of sadistic sex and porn on family television.
Five
years ago, the
Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission put his stamp of
approval on porn for families when he failed to care, when he failed
to take action.
As much as it pains
me to say it, “Thank you, Janet.” You did what I was never able to
do. You got their attention. Maybe you were crass, maybe you
tarnished the image of America abroad, and maybe you defiled the
ultimate family entertainment known as the Super Bowl. But someone
had to do it.
At long last, we
have the attention of the FCC. Legislators are serious about
taking care of the needs of families and children. Finally, we
are ready to draw a line in the sand and stand for decency.
If we had been
doing our job all along, we would never have suffered through this
year’s Super Bowl fiasco. And for that, we
owe you, Janet. Thank you.
Copyright © 2004 Jane Jimenez
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for past editorials.
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