Miley.

Deciding which posts should come out when, is a lot like figuring out which cards to play in a game of spades, or hearts, or go-fish. Just so happens, my gift of good timing has made itself present again, and the post I had on deck was this one. Let us begin...

So there's tons to say about the ''new'' Miley, I'll skip most of it and simply go on record as saying that she'll be back. Britney, Xtina, and all their ilk returned from the dirty side. Even Madonna, who created the dirt itself, started Kabbalah-ing and is rumored to not let her kids watch TV or something. Let me also say I'm not personally mad at Miley, she's a young adult and she's having fun. Young adults routinely do stupid, crass, ignorant, ballsy, epic chit. She's Diet Vanilla Rihanna. She's not abnormal, neither is her looking like an idiot sometimes, and successfully edgy other times (see James Dean, Pre Iron Man RDJ, etc). I really do believe she's being genuine in this fascination with what she feels is black, urban culture. But, I understand fully (and share, mostly) the frustration of lots of people. I should go further and point out, that she did NOT invent twerking, nor is she particularly good at it. Regardless of if she's all up on a very much older Robin Thicke at the very beige VMA's or not, bless her lil' over-eager heart. 

So here's where the issue comes in. The fact that anyone even has to point out that she did not originate, or even make twerking popular points to the source of the main issue that people have with it. It's interesting how something is a new fad, or new phenomenon when some of us have been doing it for years, decades, centuries. It's not new. It's new to you. If people would just say that, I don't think it would hit such a sour note. It wouldn't be co-opted, it would be integrated, recognized, placed in it's historical space. You can't discover something that already existed in it's present form for scores of people. 

Just like America. 

There were already people here. It wasn't new, it was new to you. 

Miley's ''We Can't Stop'' video, had tons of modern art references (as pointed out by Complex Mag), some pretty steep ones, including Damien Hirst, For the Love of God (that whole french fry head was a shout out to him). I personally think that's cool. Not my cup of tea per se, but it wasn't as mindless as it felt. They did do alot of nonsensical stuff simply because they could, mixing ''cool'' with ''common.'' Living for the night, the moment, because responsibility, price tags, those are things they didn't have to think about. That's pretty much the trend with the privileged lot these days anyway. Like, ''hey I think I'll drink a 40 while in my villa's hot tub room or whatever.'' But that's the difference between those of us who have and those who have not. I'm always reminded that there is a whole heap of ish that most of us don't get to just do, because of our tax-brackets. 

To that I say: Get on her level.  *Trillville voice mixed with a Kanye Shrug* 

But man, people who aren't living the peasant life really seem to love the peasant ish, but they get to fly to Morocco the next day on the private jet if they so choose. Isn't slumming grand?!

But let me return to the point. 

Here's where the video and it's messaging, gets hairy for me: They are partying, she's kissing her doll self, there's narcissism and Pepto Bismal for everyone, there's the scene on the bed ---and then, there's Miley twerking with her black friends. There's nothing wrong with kicking it with your diverse bunch of buddies, there's nothing wrong with being the white girl in the bunch who can twerk. What's problematic, is that it's acceptable and/or forgivable for young Miley to shake her ass on camera, but I would be very shocked if those other girls could find their way from the land of Twerks & Caicos so easily.

And that is where cultural appropriation stops being laughable. 

So Miley, if you could, don't abandon the things that you like now, when it comes down to that Pepsi deal to bring you back, after your first kid. Don't be like the others and forget where you came from. Remember the time in your life when you released your forthcoming album, which you had hilariously named ''Bangerz'' ---with a Z. Like a circa-1994 BOSS (read: clown). You can be like Justin Timberlake, get a little gutter-lite for a while, and still remember whose cultural likeness you've built your new image on. Even if that image is based largely on caricature, a lack of understanding of the layers that the culture has, and a skewed personal perception (one which you share with scores of other people like you). 

Beyond that I guess I'll say, ''twerk Miley, Miley, twerk Miley"...and all the real twerkers too with vigor (except children at McDonalds).

*Addendum: I wrote this before the VMA's. I have to say, the best part of that performance was watching the audience reaction of her musical peers, particularly Drake's bowed head, and Rihanna's ''not impressed'' face, and of course the Smith Family. It wasn't a very good showing for little Miley. She looked tired, awkward, and was doing the most. There is one thing to be said for our other bad girls, 90% of their performances are TOP NOTCH. The staging, props, choreography, if Miley doesn't want to burn out, she better tighten up, and roll that tongue back in her mouth. 

The other best part was 2Chainz, but that's another conversation for another Wednesday.

As a final note: I grew up in the Madonna era, and managed to not become a tramp. The reason for this: parenting. That is not to say, Miley doesn't need some accountability for and apparaisal of her recent choices, but she needs that for HER personal development, as an adult. She needs that because she is at an age where she has to start evaluating her crazy and checking it. But she doesn't need it for anyone else's kid. So let's remember that when we have the ''artists are role models'' conversation. 

People should raise their own kids, don't let Miley do it.