One of Janet Jackson’s breasts appeared for two seconds on national television while American families were viewing the Super Bowl halftime show last year. One breast of a woman at Wal-Mart breast-feeding her baby yesterday is seen for two seconds by people walking in the front entrance. The first case is considered intentional. The second case is just a way of nourishing one’s baby. How would you penalize these two women for revealing a part of their body in public, something many view as indecent exposure? Can this viewing by young boys confuse their state of mind and cause them to lose respect for women by thrashing or assaulting them in the near future? The answer is “yes,” according to the FCC.

When it was announced days ago that pop sensation Janet Jackson’s breast-flash during last year’s Super Bowl would cost 20 CBS-owned stations $27,500 each – $555,000 total – I thought it was a joke.

I thought if there were anyone who should be fined $555,000 for indecent exposure, then President George W. Bush should be issued a fine for verbal indecent exposure for promising hardworking Americans and young children that he would make America safer, improve health care and bring more jobs.

But back to talking about the breast. My dispute is not that Janet Jackson should not have received some punishment for her actions. Instead, my issue is that there are worse things the FCC should have gone after in terms of indecent exposure. Before the Janet Jackson incident, they just ignored them.

Illinois Entertainment Magazine reports the FCC’s definition of broadcast indecency is “language or material that, in contest, depicts or describes, in terms patently offensive as measured by contemporary community broadcast standards for the broadcast medium, sexual organs or activities.”

Well, what about Madonna kissing Britney Spears on television or the exploitation of women in music videos? If people are going to have breathing problems because of the Janet Jackson situation, why not make the world a better place and censor all sexual content in movies and put an end to derogatory music? Parents should complain about the beer commercials their sons view on television during football games. The NFL should put an end to the exploitation of women in skimpy outfits cheerleading on the sidelines for boys and their fathers to lust after.

What type of signals are the corporations sending to boys on how to treat women with these messages? When boys become men, they will talk about Janet Jackson’s breast for two minutes. This will not influence their how they treat women.

But when these boys become men, the beer commercials will be an example of art imitating life because of the mixed signals seen every Sunday for years. Every beer commercial seems to send the message that if you drink the right beer, you will get the lucky girl.

Be careful what you advocate.The FCC might decide what we read, watch and view in the media.

Columns reflect the opinion of the author and not necessarily that of the Northern Star staff.