When Janet Jackson’s breast was exposed during her routine with Justin Timberlake at the 2004 Super Bowl, the world seemed to explode. Suddenly, every channel was carrying censored footage of the event. Newscasters rambled about it. The exposure was the hot topic, everywhere from news stations to the work water cooler.

The reaction was almost violent in its intensity. The FCC fined CBS a record $550,000 for the incident. The NFL swore to never let MTV—surely the most qualified for the position—ever produce a halftime show again. The FCC called the incident “disgusting” and “indecent,” and swore that stricter codes of morality and decency would be enforced upon entertainment media. But who has the right to decide what is decent? More importantly, is it even a relevant issue?

The top 5 television shows in a current Nielsen Rating were:

1. CSI
2. Desperate Housewives
3. Lost
4. Without A Trace
5. Grey’s Anatomy

Let’s review what the driving force behind each is, shall we?

1. Violence. Death. Gross stuff. Really, really gross stuff.
2. Sex. Quirky sex. Forbidden sex. And Sex.
3. Violence. Death. Sex on the beach.
4. Violence. Crime.
5. Sex. Doctors doing gross stuff in operating rooms. Doctors having sex right after doing gross stuff in operating rooms.

Obviously, Americans are not as concerned with ‘decency’ as the FCC may like to believe. Perhaps it’s time to step off the soapbox and examine the real evidence: Americans want their sex, and their violence too.