I'm calling bullshit

Take a look at this.

Somehow, I failed to comment on the Owens-Sheridan-Desparate Housewives skit when it happened. I vaguely recall starting a post several times before giving up in disgust. Maybe you'll never see this because I will discard it as well. Nevertheless, I feel the need to call people on their bullshit. The producer of the piece, after revealing that he originally cast John Madden for the skit, said this:

"I didn't want to upset people. I didn't realize that 'Monday Night Football' was such a family viewing experience. I wouldn't let my 5-year-old watch beer commercials with big-busted cheerleaders, but that's just me."

That's right on. Sexually speaking, that skit was no more offensive than about 50% of the commercials that air during football games. Please. Let's call a spade a spade -- many of those who were indignant about the ad were bothered by the fact that Owens is black and Sheridan is white. It's just specious to suggest that Sheridan's back from the waist up, coupled with suggestive dialogue, is worse than, say, beer commercials featuring models in bikinis being ogled by referees. Let's not even talk about the commercials featuring attractive thirtysomethings with a woman's voiceover saying, "when you need a prolonged erection..." before hawking the latest super-erectile pill.

If you are troubled about explaining the locker room skit to your 7 year old, but have no problems explaining the virtues of a pill commonly called "the weekender," then you may need to engage in some critical introspection and ask why the former bothers you, but not the latter. You may be a bigot.

UPDATE: I failed to mention the impetus for the post. It was the thought, percolating in my brain, of how much more offensive the skit would have been with John Madden in it, instead of Terrell Owens, combined with my belief that the outcry would have been something (much) less.