In any case, Janet Jackson's right nipple, seen by somewhere in the environs of 100 million people on the evening of Sunday, February 1, 2004, has now separated itself from the herd to become unique, inarguably the most famous living nipple in the world -- arguably even better known, and surely more hotly debated, than that of the Mother of God. And yes, there's no question that (their ridiculous claims of "wardrobe malfunction" notwithstanding) she and Justin Timberlake pre-planned this as part of their halftime act for Super Bowl XXXVIII; the lyrics they performed go, in part, "I'll have you naked by the end of this song."

And yes, there's no question that this action revealed not only her bare breast but her nipple, though delightfully and snugly decorated by a silver sunburst nipple shield held in place by a piercing rod. Had the breast been covered by the somehow-vanished red bustier the stars' spokespersons claim to have expected, no problem. Had the nipple been entirely covered by a pastie of some kind, the act might have shocked, but the question of nudity wouldn't arise -- technically speaking, nowadays, it's the bared nipple that separates an uncovered breast from a naked one. In the event, both the nipple itself and the areola showed clearly, as the image below makes evident.

Franz Schubert described the key of E minor as a young girl with rose nipples visible through a white school uniform. If so, then Janet's nip probably defines the key of C major: bold, brash, forthright, and unabashedly celebratory. In any case, the fierce argument taking place nation-wide (perhaps even globally -- I haven't checked the overseas response) doesn't concern whether she did flash her nip but whether she should have.

I watched the Super Bowl, along with all those millions of others. In my case, not because I had a commitment to either team (I rooted for the Panthers simply because I considered their quarterback Jake Delhomme the underdog) but simply to share this cultural event with my fellow citizens. I saw the breast flash as it happened. The question before me, then as now, is: What do I think of it?

More to come . . .