A wonderful, if infuriating, example of race- and gender-baiting was delivered earlier this year by pop culture pundit Emmanuel Hapsis, and a more ridiculous analysis you will seldom see. I missed it, but the post was no more valid then than it is now.
Returning, for some reason, to the infamous episode during the 2004’s Super Bowl halftime show, when Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake conspired to turn the supposedly family-friendly Super Bowl into a strip tease, Hapsis’s piece is called “Nipplegate Revisited: Why America Owes Janet Jackson a Huge Apology.” During a choreographed duet with Jackson and while singing “Better have you naked by the end of this song,” (talk about rape culture!) Timberlake ripped a pre-rigged portion of Jackson’s bustier to reveal her naked breast. Jackson was severely criticized, as she should have been: after all, it was her breast, and she obviously agreed to allow it to make a surprise appearance, however brief.
Never mind. Hapsis sees the episode as exemplifying America’s “patriarchy,” “racism” and “sexism,” because obviously no white singers flashing ten-year-olds in TV land would be criticized, and no male singer who decided to let Mr. Wiggly make a guest appearance would be similarly pilloried.
“Janet’s first crime was being a woman and the second that she was a black woman,” Emmanuel writes, apparently in total seriousness. No, you astounding, progressive nonsense-addled fool, her “crimes” were 1) baring her breast on live television, 2) embarrassing the NFL, CBS and every parent with a kid watching, 3) breaching her contract, and 4) lying about it.
To make his race-and gender-baiting even slightly plausible, Hapsis lies too, writing that what was later called by Timberlake, “wink-wink,” a wardrobe malfunction,” was truly an accident. Nobody believed that at the time, nobody believes it now. If there was even the slightest chance that it was an accident, then Jackson was indeed mistreated. There wasn’t. This is another example of a dishonest social justice warrior distorting history to recruit millennials who don’t know about a historical episode and lack the curiosity to find out what really happened (hence Bill Clinton’s “alleged” affair with Monica).
In fact, I made Janet Jackson the first winner of a Jumbo, back before Ethics Alarms, when I wrote this about her self-evident lie (she could have been sued by CBS and the NFL, and perhaps did pay an undisclosed settlement)…
Janet Jackson has now appeared on the David Letterman Show to deny that her infamous Super Bowl breast-baring was anything but an accident. Before we discuss what a ridiculously transparent lie this is, let us also ask, “Why bother?” The damage, whatever it is, is done. Nobody is going to believe her. This was a fine opportunity for Jackson to stand up, admit an error in judgment, and use her celebrity to endorse some ethical values, like honesty, taking responsibility for one’s actions, and contrition.
But nooooooo!
Janet wants us to believe the incident was an accident, completely unchoreographed or planned. Never mind that:
- Justin Timberlake’s move uncovering Ms. Jackson’s breast occurred on a musical beat, corresponding to song lyrics referring to his “having her naked by the end of this song.”
- Her costume conveniently had a detachable flap that would expose the breast without doing any damage to the rest of her outfit.
- Her breast had a large, uncomfortable-looking decoration of some kind stuck to it, raising the obvious question of what it was doing there if it wasn’t intended to be seen. [ Ethics Alarms NOTE: This is conclusive evidence, unless you think Janet routinely wore that thing (above) under her bra.]
- Timberlake’s comments immediately after the show confirmed that the moment was choreographed…
Oh, just never mind. If this were a crime, any jury would find Jackson guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Even the most dishonest people, when confronted with undeniable proof of their misdeeds, will usually confess. Not Janet Jackson.
Here’s your elephant, kid. This Jumbo’s for you.
Jackson also got a career boost from the fiasco, which is exactly why she agreed to the stunt, and if she paid something for the contract breech, she could afford it. As for the public criticism of her unannounced peep show, race and sexism had nothing, zero, nada to do with it. When you have to reach this far back and distort reality this absurdly to make the case about how racist and sexist America can be, you really need to find another cause, because you’re lousy at this one.
There are real examples of racism and sexism out there. Using fake ones like this to caterwaul about just makes it easier to deny them.
Not only does America not owe Janet Jackson a “huge” apology, America owes her none at all. Emmanuel Hapsis, however does owe America a huge apology, for trying to further divide it, and for trying to make the public more ignorant than it already is.
_____________________________
Pointer: Pennagain
Ethics Alarms 
Hopefully Hapsis will get his tit in a ringer over writing the stupid article. I seriously wonder where he got his degree in journalism.
No, Hapsis’ article is correct. This article is bull. How can you talk about ethics, but not know simple facts? 1) Justin lied to cover his own mistake and left Janet to take blame. 2) Janet is pierced. That’s a nipple ring that she talked about years before this incident. 3)Janet didn’t benefit, she was BLACKLISTED terribly, while Justin skated free. 4)Beth McCarthy Miller’s interview is on youtube and she even says that Justin ruined the performance!! The rip was planned and Janet said it was. His timing was off and you were never meant to see Janet’s breast. 5)America did her so dirty! Just FOUL!
Uh huh. Yup, that was the cover story. It’s a lie, and unbelievable. That’s not a nipple ring, it’s a pasty. I just answered these same spinning claims. This is the last one I’m allowing to get published. When a woman arranges to flash her breast, she’s the one accountable. It’s her choice, 100%. Timberlake was not the one flashing, and the argument that it was an accident is so obviously a lie that anyone trying it should be embarrassed. It looked staged, she didn’t act surprised (and he didn’t), and the description of the “malfunction” makes no sense….nor would it have made sense to talk about making her naked and then stripping to her bra.
You people are ridiculous…
Final word, since I just banned you. Again, Janets eighth studio album Damita Jo was released in March 2004, right after her Super Bowl stunt…which was probably intended to give the album a boost, since it was largely about sex. The albut debuted at number two on the Billboard 200, and was certified platinum within a month. It sold over three million copies worldwide. She didn’t suffer horribly. I wish I would suffer like that.
Her director was sent out to lie. Happens all the time in that business.
Hapsis’ article is CORRECT! Janet’s career didn’t soar. She tanked! She was blacklisted while Justin got nothing. Justin really did ruin her performance. Beth McCarthy Miller already said it and her interview is on youtube if you want to know. The rip was planned, but Justin’s timing was off and he ripped off too much of her costume. Janet is pierced. She mentioned this years before this incident. America totally overracted over something we barely even saw. You never even mentioned Justin Timberlake and just because you didn’t you are making Hapsis’ point by the America criticizing only Janet.
Oh, baloney. He timed it exactly right, right on the beat. This is historical revisionism, and disgustingly so. Jackson’s eighth studio album Damita Jo was released in March 2004, right after her Super Bowl stunt…which was probably intended to give the album a boost, since it was largely about sex. The albut debuted at number two on the Billboard 200, and was certified platinum within a month. It sold over three million copies worldwide.
That’s some “tank.”
Don’t play those games here. I don’t tolerate it.
NOTE: this tool has posted four times about this, using different names, the latest beginning, “You idiot!!! White people make me so sick at times!”
Banned.
So let’s take all the things that were basically exactly the same out.
“No, Hapsis’ article is correct.” “Hapsis’ article is CORRECT!”
“Janet didn’t benefit, she was BLACKLISTED terribly, while Justin skated free.” “She was blacklisted while Justin got nothing.”
“Beth McCarthy Miller’s interview is on youtube and she even says that Justin ruined the performance!!” ” Beth McCarthy Miller already said it and her interview is on youtube if you want to know.”
“The rip was planned and Janet said it was.” “The rip was planned,”
“Janet is pierced. That’s a nipple ring that she talked about years before this incident.” “Janet is pierced. She mentioned this years before this incident.”
“”His timing was off” “but Justin’s timing was off”
And let’s be amused by the same person making two contradictory excuses.
“His timing was off and you were never meant to see Janet’s breast” “he ripped off too much of her costume.”
And we’re left with scraps. It’s almost like the person with this kind of mindset assumes quantity over quality matters.
The music industry is also known to employ paid posters who search the internet and attack anyone who criticizes particular artists…
Which occurred to me in this case. The Janet Jackson and Timberlake denials were hilarious, so obvious were they. Did these people believe the cover-story, or are they just loyal liars?
I suppose there could still be a few super-groupies out there, but it’s unlikely that a super-groupie would find the way to this particular site.
You don’t see the comments I trash. It’s amazing who or what finds their way to this site.
No I don’t, but I have a pretty good idea.
No, Hapsis’ article is incorrect. This article is not bull. How can you talk about knowing simple facts, but not know simple facts? 1) Justin lied to cover his own roll and left Janet to lie about her roll too. 2) Janet is pierced. That’s a pastie covering a nipple ring that she talked about years before this incident. 3)Janet did benefit, she wasn’t BLACKLISTED terribly, while Justin also skated free. 4)Beth McCarthy Miller’s interview is on youtube and she even lies about how Justin ruined the performance!! The rip was planned and Janet said it was. His timing was spot on and you were totally meant to see Janet’s breast. 5)She did America her so dirty! Just FOUL!
(There, I fixed a few typos for Smh… “and” Jackie)
We need a stronger term for “race-baiting.” I nominate “race warmongering” since we have, after all, now reached the point where people are dying, and the race warmongers don’t seem to care. Doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue though.
I’d like one.
I know the commenters who brought this up were banned, so I won’t reply directly to them, but… if that’s a nipple ring, Janet’s breasts are made of steel or something. If you tried to attach that with a hook, it would bend a Christmas tree branch. The only way it’s not pulling her nipple off is if it’s glued on, distributing the weight. In other words, a pasty, exactly like Jack said.
Thank you. Good lord. I get so tired of tortured arguments that just deny the facts. So tired. This one was especially annoying.
I’m certainly unqualified to comment about “nipple rings” or piercings of any kind, but for sure, it looks more like ornamental armor plate. Seems way too robust for a piercing to properly support. In other words, if it’s not some kind of heavyweight pastie, Janet’s poor jug is surely badly maimed.
To Jack’s point, and to yours, the explanation based solely on visual evidence seems to be only slightly more likely than flying monkeys suddenly flocking from my nether regions.
The interweb is sure a mysterious place.
Is a breech of contract when the contract comes out bottom first?
Couldn’t resist.
She didn’t bare her breasts, Justin did. Why would she be punished for doing nothing? And 10 year old children are not that far removed from having a breast in their mouth. Why would seeing one be indecent, if they used to feed from them? A boob is not equivalent to a penis. That is by far the dumbest thing you’ve said. A vagina, is the anatomical equivalent to a penis. Which she kept fully covered. This has been the dumbest waste of my life, reading your ridiculous words.
You canNOT be this clueless…are you? Jackson wore a rigged costume! It was staged! It was her boob, and she arranged to expose it.
The rest of your comment is too silly to warrant a response.
Madonna’s white ass has been showing her boobs, coochie and anything else that is of a sexual nature all through the late 80’s up until today…and though she got criticized for her antics, even pissing off the Catholic Church with her attention seeking ways, as soon as a black woman gets’ exposed by a this privileged white boy, then the whole white world screams OMG, OMG, hang her, nail her to the cross…blame her, blame her…this whole fiasco is reminiscent of how whites back in slavery times would lynch blacks for solely being black and then again in modern times how white people can cuss a police officer out, spit in their face, fight them and get taken to prison to cool off with only a slap on the wrist…but a black person get’s pulled over and by a white officer for having expired license plates or a busted tail light and they never make it to jail, they are taken straight to the morgue, because like what White Boy Privileged Justin did to Janet, it becomes a black issue and she was the only one who got blamed, black balled and even her apology was not enough for the privileged whites, she had to PAY and pay dearly. So for all those white privileged reading this article, and saying she does not deserve an apology, I GET IT, you all want her HANGED…It’s what you all believe to be punishment to the full extent for this black woman, who has NEVER, EVER been in any trouble, caused any drama and had been low-key, and private all of her life until that one milli-second to be torn to shreds by the white privileged…well for those of us who are WOKE, we see What Madonna has made a career of doing, Janet should get the death penalty. So white privileged of you all.
Ohh, this is so wacked out that I think I’ll make it a Comment of the Day! Another birthday present!
Troy,
See, when you make fantastic untrue comments that depend on the reader to disbelieve their own eyes (yes I was an adult with small children watching this in 2004, where you were obviously a small child) you lose your audience.
Things like what you wrote got us Trump. Good job.
There have been far worse things that have happened in pop culture, MJ said it best (look it up when u have time). This happened because Janet is black, the whole world knows that. America is the only country that reacted so ridiculously. Around the world the performance was not viewed as it was in the states. Look a it logically, since, the super bowl yearly polls always end up in the same position & by the public, either Michael or Janet are always 1 & 2 when it comes to the public’s votes on the greatest performances ever for the event!
1. The contention that flashing breasts in the Super Bowl would only be an issue with a black performer not only isn’t obvious, it’s total race-baiting nonsense.
2. The episode took place in the US, and US traditions and culture are the only ones that matter. Who cares how “the rest of the world” reacted.
3. When did you write this, ten years ago? Michael is dead, Janet is way past her pull date.
4. Her popularity is irrelevant to whether a) she was lying and b) shat she did was wrong, or c) whether the criticism was justified. (She was, is was, and it all was.)
5. Really dumb comment, but luckily for you, in the context of worse ones, it snuck through moderation.