Well, there's a culture war going on in America, and I think one side of it has latched onto this one highly-publicized example of what general trends they dislike. I don't think all those complaining about this are blase about all the rest of the stuff (male "performance" commercials, etc), it's just that a lot of stuff creeps up on people gradually and there doesn't seem to be any coordinated way to express dissatisfaction, whereas this was just shocking enough to gain attention and act as an example for the larger culture war.
I haven't paid much attention to this -- did turn off the radio once after hearing a word I didn't want my 4-yr-old daughter to learn. But I've read enough to be certain this wasn't any kind of accident. Why else would Janet have been wearing a pastie under her clothes? They did
precisely the move they planned to make; they were just taken aback at the unexpected uproar and tried to make excuses afterwards. What did CBS expect, having the halftime show done by MTV?
The streaker seems positively quaint.
PJ
who would have been offended if she hadn't been so cynical
