Going to try real hard here to not get on my soapbox, but....
The Superbowl has "historically" been a family event. I have watched it since SB IX when my beloved Steelers won their first. The entertainment at halftime has "historically" been geared towards all ages (anybody remember the 3-D show where we had to run out and get our glasses?). The SB is shown on regular TV, not cable, and during a family hour. The incident happened at dinnertime on the West Coast and early enough on the East Coast when many impressionable puberty-stricken kids are not in bed quite yet.
So, I don't think it's reasonable to say that parents should have known, should have been better informed, etc. If this was a cable event, maybe....if it was being shown later at night, maybe...if it was on MTV, HBO, etc., definitely. Parents typically don't do research on traditionally "clean" events like the SB half-time show. I wouldn't expect PBS to start showing condom commercials during Sesame Street because sex is a fact of life.
But we'll be smarter next time, that's for sure. One thing they've guaranteed is that more folks in the future will tune out of the SB half-time show and into more "family-friendly" entertainment. When the advertising dollars carry less weight because we can't trust them to use good judgement, maybe the powers that be will know that America is looking for less controversial performances.
The Superbowl has "historically" been a family event. I have watched it since SB IX when my beloved Steelers won their first. The entertainment at halftime has "historically" been geared towards all ages (anybody remember the 3-D show where we had to run out and get our glasses?). The SB is shown on regular TV, not cable, and during a family hour. The incident happened at dinnertime on the West Coast and early enough on the East Coast when many impressionable puberty-stricken kids are not in bed quite yet.
So, I don't think it's reasonable to say that parents should have known, should have been better informed, etc. If this was a cable event, maybe....if it was being shown later at night, maybe...if it was on MTV, HBO, etc., definitely. Parents typically don't do research on traditionally "clean" events like the SB half-time show. I wouldn't expect PBS to start showing condom commercials during Sesame Street because sex is a fact of life.
But we'll be smarter next time, that's for sure. One thing they've guaranteed is that more folks in the future will tune out of the SB half-time show and into more "family-friendly" entertainment. When the advertising dollars carry less weight because we can't trust them to use good judgement, maybe the powers that be will know that America is looking for less controversial performances.