Twerk Jerk

Miley Cyrus is the Antichrist.

Okay, she's not, but she is yet another symbol of American popular music's accelerating decline.  I knew she had a lot in common with Madonna (oh, that's right - she's the Antichrist!), but I didn't know she shared with her the insufferable trait of pretending to have a social conscience.

At the MTV Video Music Awards (which have nothing to do with promotional videos, music, or even the awards; it's a fashion show masquerading as an evening of artistic recognition), Miley had a young homeless man accept her award for Video Of the Year (see what I mean about how the VMAs are not about artistry?) and speak out on how tough it was to be homeless.  Miley got all sorts of plaudits for bringing attention to the plight of the homeless for this stunt, but she didn't seem to be interested in helping this poor fellow get back on his feet.   Like Madge, who associates herself with neo-liberal causes and opinions, Miley tries to look saintly for calling attention to a horrible social problem without offering to do much about it. 

This is not the sort of posturing that the late Harry Chapin had in mind.  Chapin raised a lot of money to combat hunger and poverty in the United States and performed at more benefit concerts than people could keep up with.  He gave away money as quickly as he made it, and while he lived on Long Island, you never saw him in the Hamptons.  He was too busy trying to make the world a better place.  He was on the Long Island Expressway in 1981 on his way to perform at yet another benefit concert, driving there in his own car - a 1975 Volkswagen Rabbit - when he was rear-ended and killed by a truck in an appalling crash.  The last thing we need is yet another pop-tart - and a spoiled-brat pop-tart at that - lecturing us about social issues while she gets rich from her soft-porn records.

If Miley Cyrus wants to demonstrate her sincerity about fighting homelessness, she can devote her free time to shelters and soup kitchens, and if she performs at benefit concerts, let her drive there herself in an old subcompact - though I wouldn't wish her to get in a car crash, of course - with just a synthesizer player instead of a huge entourage of dancers and choreographers.  But until then, I don't want to hear a peep from her about not-so-controversial causes she's probably not so committed to.