Ever since the infamous “wardrobe malfunction” during the Super Bowl halftime show, people have turned Janet Jackson’s breast into, sadly, the most pressing news story and social issue of 2004. There is much to be said about the fallout from this ill-advised publicity stunt. But one of the most interesting sub-stories is how Janet is being treated during her subsequent media stops. Shows are putting her on five second delays, as if they expect her to whip off her top at a moment’s notice. But here’s the real kicker: On last night’s Letterman show, nervous censors made sure to bleep out every offensive word spewing out of that harlot’s mouth.

Foul words like…uhm…”Jesus”.

Let that sink in for a moment. Because this is the reality of the post-boob era. Congress pats itself on the back by passing sharply increased fines for indecency, as if they didn’t have more pressing issues to focus on. But there is no definition for indecency; the standards are arbitrary. The media is so fearful of finding themselves on the wrong side of this fuzzy line that they are willing to self-censor themselves to an almost comical level.

Think this is going away soon? Hardly. Welcome to the new world of communication, pre-sanitized to avoid even the tiniest hint of offensiveness.

It’s pretty fucking ridiculous.