America's Best Representatives?

It is hard to have missed Miley Cyrus’s erotic behavior at the VMA’s this summer. Almost everyone has seen the video or heard someone talk about the performance. Widespread controversy has circled regarding it and many concerned parents of American children claim that the performance is setting a terrible example for Miley’s easily influenced young fan base. What many people have not however begun to think about is the bigger picture. The idea that halfway around the world, foreign people are seeing Miley’s performance and getting the impression that this raunchy celebrity, as well as many others, are the best of the best of American citizens.  Everyone knows how hard it is to make it big in Hollywood, so then the ones that do make it big must be our best correct? Well although the logic is sound, it seems to me that these Americans are not the ones that I know and love. While traveling to Spain this summer, I had the pleasure of meeting some long lost friends in the Catalonian countryside. While sitting under their terracotta roof I had the chance to really get to know some young Spaniards. The girls of the family had grown up speaking Catalan, Spanish, and English so it was not hard to communicate. After arriving at the house however, the youngest of the girls Lola, greeted me as if I was some sort of divine being. Grabbing my hand and leading me through the doorway she uttered,

 “So your American! Who do you know that is famous?!”

Although the girl was a bit young and naive, her comment brought up a valid point, people across the world think that our society is made up of these stars, or people trying to be like these stars. They assume that these famous names are the best America can offer, and that everyone else in the states, is just trying to be like these people. Assuming that these people are what all Americans are like, I cannot help but wonder, do they think that these songs really represent our society?

            In a New York times article from right after the VMA’s, Jon Caramanica discusses how Miley is not the only one who seems to be putting bad examples into the press. He discusses other hits from the summer, and summarizes that “these songs are about caress, from the lyrics to the fatty bass lines to the lustless singing. For the most part, they’re adult-oriented records seeping down into the pop universe” (Blowing the Smooth out of the Summer).  Caramanica hits the nail on the head when he accuses not only Miley but many other musicians of releasing songs containing indecent lyrics. It is these lyrics that people see and associate with American culture. What Caramanica seemed to miss however are the performances and music videos that go along with these songs. Even the less obvious suggestive lyrics can be explained through an “X” rated music video just a click away. After all, it was Miley’s performance at the Video Music Awards that sparked the discussion. These videos depict twisted pictures of what real American society is outside of some billionaire’s LA recording studio. Such as the controversial video behind the song We Can’t Stop by Miley Cyrus. That flashes between images of people eating Marshmallows, Spaghetti OH’s, Wonder Bread and French fries, and sexual dancing, and teens drinking and smoking. The two elements being in such close proximity appear that they would make it even easier for foreigners to look on and incorrectly make a correlation between these grotesque stars and everyday Americans.

            There would be no issue if there were to not be a fan base supporting the billion-dollar industry. Which makes us Americans look even worse because we are the ones supporting it. When its all said and done the artist really only wanted the money, and if Miley can make 150 million dollars by age 25 doing what she’s doing, she will.

            Cyrus and Thicke came together at the VMAs and preformed the now infamous show. A show that concerned mother’s worry will influence their daughters, which to me sums up how the American society views these people. Although the mothers sitting on their couch in suburbia shielded their daughters’ eyes, they watched in amazement. Both disgusted and intrigued, and maybe intrigued in the disgust, we support this business unknowingly. We support this crude business by falling for their trap; we fall in head first while watching half-naked Americans make fools of themselves in front of millions. And millions who are ever-judging and making opinion’s at whole of our society based on what they see. But hey, we are the ones who gave Miley two million YouTube hits, so from a screen in Lleida Spain, Miley Cyrus is the best of the Americans, and according to Lola, “Miley and (I) are like neighbors!”