Kid Rock’s stunt makes statement, covered up by Jackson’s wardrobe malfunction

COMMENTARY
Erin Cooksley

All the buzz about the Super Bowl has hardly been about strategy or scores. The Janet Jackson-Justin Timberlake halftime incident has certainly been identified as the play of the game. CBS, MTV and even Justin Timberlake all have issued statements apologizing and giving varying excuses for the “wardrobe malfunction.” And just for the record, I will say that I do not think that any of us are as gullible as MTV and CBS think. However, I am disappointed in the lack of interest in another center stage stunt during the halftime show.

Am I the only one that paid any attention to Kid Rock making his arrival on stage wearing an American flag as a poncho? In case you missed it, Kid Rock jumped on stage, ready to perform, wearing an American flag over a white undershirt. Kid Rock apparently cut a hole in the center of an American flag, put his head through the center and wore it as a poncho. After I witnessed this, I am surprised there has been almost no coverage or debate about this appalling act. I know that nudity at a family event is startling and certainly should never happen, but when showing concern for young impressionable minds, what kind of standard are we setting allowing the American flag to be cut up and worn as clothing?

Showing your patriotism is one thing, but I do not think that cutting a hole in an American flag and wearing it as the new fashion trend is either appropriate or respectable. American prints worn on clothing are not the same as an actual flag with a hole intentionally cut in the middle worn to make a statement and sell more records. Kid Rock is hoping to cash in using the desecration of the very symbol of all that our nation stands for.

And did anyone else see him remove the flag and throw it behind him after he was on stage? Thank goodness someone in the background caught it. I do not think Kid Rock was showing the deserved reverence toward the American flag.

The American flag is a sacred symbol, not a fashion statement or a marketing ploy. Men and women have sacrificed and died for the flag Kid Rock decided to wear as a poncho and perform a rock song in. Have we as a nation lost sight?

I think America is losing touch with our values. I hope we have not forgotten that there are men, women, fathers and daughters fighting under this very flag today. It amazes me still that we continue to analyze and evaluate Janet Jackson’s “costume malfunction,” yet there has not been one discussion of Kid Rock’s irreverent use of the American flag in his performance. I think maybe we should all take a little time to reevaluate our priorities and what we truly hold dear to our hearts.

Erin Cooksley is a freshman political science major from Texas City.