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Halftime Outrage Mike GallagherThe Super Bowl halftime show created the kind of rage and disgust in Middle America that was, I suppose, intended by those who staged the show. After all, when pop star Justin Timberlake pulled open singer Janet Jackson's top to expose her bare breast for the grand finale of the show, it was no accident. Teams of people had to be involved in the planning and execution of this single act of contempt for every man, woman and child who would find this crass and vulgar display offensive. But strangely enough, I'm feeling another emotion besides anger. I feel overwhelmed by sadness at this most recent (and most prominent) example of the flush of our nation's cesspool we call prime-time entertainment. Sure, I was shocked and appalled by what these performers did. But I can't shake this pervasive feeling of sadness. So many people to feel sorry for, so much hurt and harm done by one tasteless, classless act on an international stage like halftime of the Super Bowl. I feel sorry for Janet Jackson herself. One day she may have to describe to her grandchildren why she allowed herself to be treated like a second-rate whore in front of millions of people. I feel sorry for Justin Timberlake. This simple, immature young man who was blessed with some marginal talent and great opportunities decided to go along with the plan to degrade and exploit the sexuality between a man and a woman in order to shock a worldwide audience full of impressionable children I feel sorry for CBS-TV. An otherwise impeccable broadcast, complete with a down-to-the-wire finish between two fine football teams was forever tainted by the network's apparent desire to titillate and pander to the lowest common denominator. I feel sorry for America Online, the sponsor of the halftime show. I've got to believe that AOL has thousands of employees who cringed and winced at the very idea that their company presented such a filthy display. This powerful Internet company had the chance to put its best foot forward in front of a huge audience and it just blew it. I feel sorry for the National Football League. No matter how much NFL executives want to pat themselves on the back over the zillions of dollars they're raking in or the huge ratings they may be amassing, they can't escape the fact that one brief, unneccessary act of depravity at halftime overshadowed all the first downs, field goals and great commercials we enjoyed. The NFL should be ashamed of allowing that to happen. I feel sorry for parents all over the country who were sitting in front of the television with their young children. I think of proud dads watching the big game with their young sons for the first time and having to explain what happened. And most of all, I feel sorry for America's kids. Our children are being dragged, kicking and screaming, out of the protective blanket of innocence and into the dark despair of sleaze. Please don't give me the "we need to monitor what our children are watching" excuse for defending this act of pornography aired on free TV. Sure, we know how sordid much of prime-time television has become, but the Super Bowl? Yes, I feel sadness over the Super Bowl halftime scandal. And the worst part of it all is that deep down, I know that this downward spiral still has a long, long way to go. Mike Gallagher is a syndicated radio talk show host and appears regularly on Fox News Channel as a contributor and guest host.
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