Shots Across the Bow

Now it seems that there's a woman who has filed a class action lawsuit against nearly everybody because of the Super Bowl halftime flashing of Janet's breast.

Via Brian Arner comes this from the Knoxville News Sentinel:

A Knoxville woman filed a proposed class action lawsuit Wednesday against Janet Jackson, Justin Timberlake, MTV, CBS and Viacom, contending she and other viewers were injured by their lewd actions during the Super Bowl halftime show.

Her lawyer, Wayne Ritchie, had this to say:

"As a direct and proximate result of the broadcast of the acts, (Carlin) and millions of others saw the acts and were caused to suffer outrage, anger, embarrassment and serious injury," the lawsuit filed by Knoxville attorney Wayne A. Ritchie II states.

And:

Because the game is broadcast worldwide, Ritchie also wrote that the actions harmed the "standing and credibility" of Americans throughout the world.

I went to school with Wayne. I thought he had more sense than this. Although it is funny seeing a Democrat file a lawsuit against big media for failing to censor an artistic performance.

Can we please get just a little consistency here, or is that too much to ask for from the left? I mean, come on people! It's OK to display a portrait of the Virgin Mary painted with human excrement, but it's not OK to flash a nipple?

I'd laugh if it weren't so damn sad.

And what serious injury was caused? Carpal tunnel from hitting the replay button on your Tivo? Whiplash from shock? Or maybe eyestrain from getting too close to the TV screen to get a close up look?

Give me a break!

And as for damaging the worldwide "standing and credibility" of Americans, maybe Wayne needs to get out a little more. Much of the world is rather bemused by our sick fetishization of the breast, since in many places, breasts are freely exposed. Grab a tabloid in Britain; check out billboards in france and Italy, walk on most any European beach. Our credibility is threatened more by our insane over-reaction than by Janet's jeweled sun.

So why is a smart, liberal lawyer backing such an obviously ridiculous lawsuit?

Carlin's lawsuit seeks compensatory and punitive damages worth billions.

That's a heckuva payday, isn't it Wayne?

That part about damaging America is pretty funny.

This just seems to me like a strange case. I'm not sure why you're injecting political ideology into your analysis.

It's simple. Wayne is a registered Democrat. He was a Democratic State Rep. He campaigns for Democrats. Therefore this case made a wonderful way to demonstrate the classic inconsistencies of the democrat ideology. Offensive art is tolerated only when they take no offense, unless there's money to be made.

I think wayne has a good case. Janet Jackson and J.T. planned this with intent to disgust the world. And she didn't even go over this with the producers. It was an ignorant act and disgusted many people. Of course the people it disgusted probably had more morals than you. Who cares what other countries do? Your country is the US and in the US it is offencive to flash millions of people who wanted to see a football game. I believe it does harm the last bit of standing credability of you Americans. You should come to Canada. You never see kids blowing off other kids heads using a gun their parents gave them. You never see canadian bands and musicians doing porn just to sell a few CD's. I think you should look at the facts before you judje someone elses lawsuit. She had every right to sue the ppl she did, and if i were in her shoes i would have done the same thing!