Say It Ain’t So! Is This What We’ve Become?
By Gary Aldrich (02/06/04)
*Co-written by Gary Aldrich and Ashley Varner
Each year, the Super Bowl brings families, friends and teams of all kinds together for what is quite possibly THE great American event. On Sunday night, over 99 million people from around the world, including first-time viewers in China, had the opportunity to share in one of America’s greatest cultural past times.
And what greeted the audience? A half-time show that debased our reputation and made Americans look lewd, crude, and classless. In short, Sunday’s spectacle, devoid of talent, left little to be desired of “the American way”.
The Super Bowl’s entertainment got off to a great start. The pre-game show featured Willie Nelson and Toby Keith—two American folk singers who put on a clean, family-friendly performance. A celebration of American space exploration followed, as well as a memorial to the crew of last year’s tragic shuttle disaster. Before kick-off, we saluted the flag, as Beyonce Knowles sang a lovely rendition of our national anthem.
And then came the disastrous half-time show.
We shudder to think how our proud veterans reacted to Kid Rock’s American flag frock, torn to accommodate his head and arms. How was the flag disposed of after Rock’s routine ended?
And wasn’t it nice to have Nelly run through his entire spot alternating which hand grabbed his crotch? If you have a problem, seek a doctor. Otherwise, decency and manners go a long way in public.
Prior to any on-stage undressing came the sex simulation: an “S and M” orgy between Janet Jackson and her dancers, and the sexual display between Jackson and Justin Timberlake.
Then, of course, there’s that “thing” about Timberlake deliberately ripping off Jackson’s clothing, exposing her breast to the entire world.
How do you explain THAT to your young children?
The Super Bowl is set up as a great American event. Therefore, all elements of the Super Bowl should represent those things America stands for.
Did the Super Bowl half-time show reflect YOUR family’s values? No? Then whose values WERE THOSE?
Did the half-time show present the kind of reputation we want to put forward to the world? No? But what kind of impression do you think we made?
Was it absolutely necessary to let the kids at the MTV boardroom design a program for one of our country’s most hallowed traditions, and in front of a world-wide audience?
There’s no question MTV’s pop culture trash is completely out of place at a national celebration such as the Super Bowl.
At some point, we as a society must decide whether we are going to continue allowing our culture to be dragged through the mud by people who have no sense of decency, national pride, or common respect for others.
Pay careful attention to who is truly outraged by the half-time performance and who is not. It’s not a coincidence that political conservatives fight against mainstreaming outrageous, objectionable displays of this nature, while liberals approve and encourage it.
The truth is, there are people who love this country and try to protect it, and there are those who are more interested in tearing down our nation’s standards at every opportunity.
Politics certainly plays a role in the direction of our national culture, and we must elect leaders we can be proud of, we can trust with our children, and who truly have the best interests of our country at heart. We won’t get any of these out of a person who allows the sort of behavior displayed by the NFL’s Super Bowl half-time show.
Conservatives are coming out against this blatant attempt to sneak pornography and indecency into a family event, while Hard-Left Liberals give half-hearted apologies, make lame excuses, and chastise those who were offended.
We can either make the decision to fend off this garbage from becoming our mainstream American culture, or we can choose to accept and even celebrate it, as the Hollywood and Hard-Left Liberals do.
Sunday night’s “performance” was an embarrassment, and did not make us want to stand and sing Lee Greenwood’s words, “I’m proud to be an American”.
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