American audiences have gone ape-shit over MIA ‘fliiping the bird’ during her Super Bowl performance with Madonna on Sunday (5th Feb).
The British singer gave the one finger salute to the camera during her solo part of ‘Give Me all Your Luvin’ in which she sings: “I don’t give a shit.”
Now, anybody with a brain would of course see this gesture as completely in context with the lyrics, but unfortunately for MIA, she was in America.
The NFL attempted to cut the shot but failed, and so promptly issued an apology:
“The obscene gesture in the performance was completely inappropriate, very disappointing, and we apologise to our fans.”
The incident has drawn comparisons with Janet Jackson’s infamous nipple flash during a raunchy show with Trousersnake back in 2004 and looks set to cause the same level of mindless hysteria.
Lucky for Madonna, who so past-it, nearly fell off the bleachers during the first four minutes, MIA’s gesture has completely overshadowed her first live show in three years.
Tim Winter, head of the Parents Television Council, branded MIA ‘selfish’ and a ‘desperate performer’ who was seeking publicity at the expense of millions of families:
“It has been eight years since the Janet Jackson striptease, and both NBC and the NFL knew full well what might happen. They chose a lineup full of performers who have based their careers on shock, profanity and titillation. Instead of preventing indecent material, they enabled it. M.I.A. used a middle finger shamelessly to bring controversial attention to herself, while effectively telling an audience filled with children, ‘F- you.'”
Having completely lost respect for MIA since she teamed up with Madge and decided to perform at America’s annual circus of braindead’s, she’s slowly going back up in our estimations.
By Rebecca Jones
Twitter: @RebeccaEJones
