The teen choice awards and the pole

3.1 What happened?

This is a section I plan to keep brief. Mostly because what happened leaves people with the same after effects, and those after effects have already been covered in the previous two sections.

In 2009 at the teen choice awards Miley performed her single 'Party in the U.S.A.'. In it she was doing something she described as a parody of her upbringing. Basically it had an Airstream trailer in the back, she came out in leather biker shorts and boots, and sang her song. In this song she paid tribute to Michael Jackson, who had recently passed on. And at the end of her number she thanked God and her family for allowing her to be on the stage. Her parents, who were in the audience, applauded her.

But none of that mattered. Not the thanks to God. Not the tribute to Michael, none of it. The only thing that mattered was two seconds where she stood on an ice cream cart, did a dip, and rode the rest of the way doing hip shakes she had done before in previous numbers. As she rode the top of the ice cream cart to the next part of her number she used a pole for balance and support as the cart was pushed on. Outraged parents, and the media, compared it to Miley doing a pole dance, doing a stripper move...oh hell they basically said she danced a stripper pole in a risque performance.

And of course the usual accusations flew. "She's a slut. She's a bad role model. The return of 'Slutty' Cyrus." The haters were empowered again.

3.2 Looking at the incident overall

Like I mentioned before everything else about Miley's performance was overlooked and ignored. Only the dip and hip shakes was given any attention. Yes, I said dip and shakes. I did not see any stripper move being performed. Her clothes also remained on. Miley also had more clothes on than other supposed pole dancers. And she didn't twist around the pole or grope it, or anything provocative, although some might consider the dip to be provocative.

But again that is of no relevance. All we see is outraged parents, empowered haters, and a media seeing a figurative fire and pouring gasoline on it instead of reaching for the fire extinguisher. "The return of Slutty Cyrus" quote was actually done by blogger Perez Hilton, and an internet article quoted him on it. And of course the haters get air time. Mostly on YouTube, but some 'journalists' get in their two cents asking about the parents. One outright asked "Why didn't Billy Ray and Tish stop it?" He also asked "Who authorized this performance?" Good questions, and I did think this was the best approach to do this with. Taking the problem up with the parents, not bash the kid.

However there were some that bashed the parents. One blogger on YouTube said Billy Ray and Tish were "robots". Personally I have found YouTube to be a bit of a hater haven at times where the worst seems to be glorified in the comments section. Even a few so called blogs and 'comedy' spots. One most notably tended to make a career out of bashing Miley aliciously before moving on to other celebrities. I won't go into his name.

And what about the outraged parents? Well it seems like they just look the other way on this. Their ideals, or the ones they wanted Miley to have, were not met so let Miley face the consequences. Their logic, seeminbly being, "If she stayed good she wouldn't have these problems." Do they believe that she deserves the hate thrown her direction? Do they believe that "She didn't stay wholesome. She deserves to be hated?" That is a question only the outraged can answer, and I for one hope the answer is 'no'. However it is also possible that if she 'stayed good' she would have a new set of problems.

As for the dip on the ice cream cart, I've seen that dance move done once or twice before. One example was in a low budget B-movie I saw years back called 'Bad Channels'. A movie that had a classic cheesy premise of an alien and its robot looking to come and take human women back to their planet. To do this the alien takes over a radio station, sends music into a woman's mind causing her to dance, then she gets transported to the station where she gets shrunk down and placed in a bottle.

One of the characters, a girl named Bunny (don't ask why they named her that), did a dance that called for a dip, and it was done without a pole for balance. So I don't necessarily compare that to a stripper move. Maybe a little risque, but that's about it. So I do think that the pole could have been there for balance.

I saw the dip done once before on an album cover, another done on a video with a microphone stand. Who else did the dip? Demi Lovato did a dip on the back of her album cover 'Don't Forget' making use of a mike stand. Ashley Tisdale also used the mike stand in a video of hers using the stand for balance much like Miley apparently used the pole for balance at the teen choice awards. I will be discussing more about Demi Lovato in a later section, but for now I think that the bit about using the pole for balance, and the dancing just being dancing, holds a little more weight.

And if you want to see women actually pole dance might I recommend a few minutes at the beginning of the Iron Man movie with Robert Downey Jr. or a few scenes in the Rob Schneider film 'The Hot Chick'. There's some actual pole dancing there.

3.3 Pole and Risque DOES NOT equal 'bad'.

I've seen some instances where being 'sexy' or 'questionable' does not mean that they are a bad person. Of course they mostly are in Sci-Fi. Two stick out the most.

The first that comes to my mind is Cassiopia on the original Battlestar Galactica. She is designated a 'socialator', which is a Colonial term for prostitute. It is considered an honorable profession with the blessings of the elders. However there are those that do not share this belief, as an old woman demands that she be taken away and 'fed to the daggits'. She kept up the insults saying that Cassiopia should be jettisoned with the dead, and that there was no place for refuse.

I think it's safe to say she thought Cassiopia was 'dirty', and she even said so as well. The woman that hated Cassiopia was a member of a sect among her people who believed that 'there should have been no physical contact among genders unless sanctified by a priest during high worship of the sunstorm, which occurs only once every seven years'. Essentially it's Galactica's version of Pon Farr.

However we find that Cassiopia is not a 'bad' or 'immoral' person. We find she does have a code of ethics, especially as she wonders if she's not the 'other woman' in Lt. Starbuck''s life. Starbuck being a womanizer and a rogue. And Cassiopia says that next time she sees him (yes I said him) that it's office rates. Of course the next time she does see him he's helping her escape some Cylons that want them dead, and Ovions that want them for dinner. Literally.

After the escape Cassiopia finds a way to have a new beginning. She becomes a med tech. A nurse, so to speak, that helps out in the Galactica's life station. She may have started out 'questionable' but Cassiopia never lost sight of her caring nature.

There is another example of heroism in the most unlikely of places. In the movie 'Independence Day' Will Smith's girlfriend, an exotic dancer and single mother, takes it upon herself to try to gather as many survivors as she could and lead them to a place of safety. One of those survivors is the President's wife, who is critically injured, yet makes it to say good bye to her family. Not to mention getting the survivors she finds to Area 51 where the final offensive is about to take place. Some may find 'exotic dancing' questionable, as the President's wife thought Will's character's girl friend studied ballet, but when push came to shove she had the strength of spirit to lead those she found to safety. Courage in the face of adversity.

And sometimes the use of a pole does not mean 'sexual'. There are incidences of dancing around a 'may pole' as celebration. I also saw a bit where one was using a pole as an exercise routine that was part of a video. It was just intended as a workout. Nothing 'sexual' was portrayed, or impressions given to give any sexual meaning. Just exercise and movement. Nothing more.

3.4 How do people come to the conclusions they do?

People see the world differently. Something I've come to realize a lot lately. Some may see one thing as innocent, yet be offended by it.

And some may see everything and rely on their own perceptions to see, giving credibility to the expression 'Perception is reality'. And I wonder exactly what they base those perceptions on. Hope? Love? Fear? In the case of the outraged I'd say fear, but fear of what?

The answer?:that the best aspects of us as a people have fallen, and the worst have taken power. The best to the outraged being our morals, ethics, codes of honor, compassion, and perceived decency. The worst being the self serving, malicious, hate filled individuals that use the negative Hollywood imagery to justify their own behavior. Who look at moments Miley and treat them as excuses to validate their own malicious behavior. Hollywood can try to distance themselves from responsibility to an extent, but if someone looks for a justification for bad behavior people can tend to find one. They can also find rationale for such behavior.

And the fear is not just about Hollywood. People also fear that the politicians in government does not care about them, and only go for their own agendas. If someone is laid off from their job and the government doesn't help them as a person gets a job in their field, or desired field, they don't seem to care. If they work at a local McDonalds cooking fries, then fine. As long as they are working, there is no perceivec problem. News outlets also promote stories of political scandals leading one to question about government officials in office, and can we trust them.

The news also promotes buisness scandals, where executives get big fat pay raises while companies go bankrupt. I could go on here but I think the fear is that the Hollywood industry, the political world and the buisness world have a certain attitude towards John Q. Public. Or at least those in certain key places of those institutions and industries have that attitude.

That attitude:We are above you and the morality you preach. You don't matter, nor do your morals.

As of late Miley has been firing back at the accusations of the outraged, to the point where it could be considered going on the defensive. I don't want to think that she is taking the 'You don't matter' stance that people may believe she is taking, but she is not ignoring things either. She said many things in an article for Harper's Bazaar, as well as an article for Parade Magazine, especially in regards to the stripper pole as the interviewer cites a quote made by Mika Brzezinski co-host of Morning Joe on MSNBC.

“My impulse is to say, ‘Get off my case, Mika. Get over it.’ But then I think, ‘Well, that makes me just like her. I’m acting just like everyone else who has some kind of chip on their shoulder.’ My job first is to entertain and do what I love, and if you don’t like it, then change the channel. I’m not forcing you to watch me. I’m not forcing you to talk about me. I would do that pole dance a thousand times again, because it was right for the song and that performance. But, dude, if you think dancing on top of an ice-cream cart with a pole is bad, then go check what 90% of the high schoolers are really up to. It’s funny. I don’t know if a lot of parents remember what they were like as kids. But I’m like, ‘Dude, as if you were an angel!’”

Looking at this I'm thinking what their responses would be. Maybe 'they' were angels, and maybe they weren't. It's possible some were, maybe not out of choice, but some were. And they wanted Miley to be one as well. Mostly because in a world of shock value and reality TV they hoped for something 'safe and sane', or something 'good' by their interpretation. And they wanted Miley to be it.

They probably went into the teen choice awards thinking that would be 'safe and sane' entertainment. Did Miley take that away? Or did those who okayed the performance take that away? Regardless, Miley presses on especially with this quote from the Parade interview.

“I’ve learned I can’t live for what people are going to say. People are so judgmental—especially parents. You can say what you want about mine, but I think the world of my mom and dad. They are the best. I am not afraid to tell them anything. Sometimes they’ll say, ‘Miley, we’re not completely stoked about your decisions,’ but at least they’re not worried at 3 in the morning, wondering where I am. It’s all about communication. I don’t care what stories are written about me or what other parents think, because I know how close I am with my parents.”

And if anyone calls her 'slut' or 'Slutty'? Well she has a response for that too.

“People are always looking for you to do something that is non-Christian, But it’s like, ‘Dude, Christians don’t live in the dark.’ I have to participate in life. If I wear something revealing, they go, ‘Well, that’s not Christian.’ And I’m like, ‘Yeah, I’m going to go to hell because I’m wearing a pair of really short white shorts.’ Suddenly I’m a slut. That’s so old-school.”

Well apparently for some 'old-school is cool', yet Miley doesn't seem to worried about that. And for those that call her a 'slut' or 'slutty'? I am reminded of this quote from a character in Marvel's G.I. Joe comic, the mercenary Kwinn who once said: "A man who whips a dog will pull his own sled someday."

And for those wondering if I'm calling Miley a dog, don't. The saying is supposed to mean if you mistreat someone you depend on or love, then they will leave you. And you will have nothing.

3.5 Harpers Bazzar article and pics

Also in her retaliation Miley had appeared in Harper's Bazzar, doing an interview and photoshoot that was a far cry from anything done with Annie Leibovitz. In the article she adresses the ups, downs, and some of the controversies in her life amidst a set of photos that seemed ideal. The pictures in the magazine were reminiscent of a downhome country girl amidst a beautiful setting. It was like the wholesome Miley had returned. The Miley I think the outraged didn't want to see go.

But also amidst that return came feelings. Feelings of regret and sadness. For I found myself looking at the photos in Harper's Bazzar and I found myself imagining what some would say to these pictures. Or rather what questions they would ask. Questions like:

'Why couldn't she have been this?'


'Why didn't Billy Ray and Tish keep her this way?'


'Why don't people see this as beautiful?'


'Why do people think scenery like this is fake?'


'Why can't this be real?'

Good questions I think. I take a look at shots like that and compare it to the shots of before: Annie Leibovitz, the teen choice awards, etc and I wondered how things have gone from one place to the next. With the Harper's Bazzar pics being what was before to the other pics being the 'now'. Well Miley addresses some of the problems in the article.

"People like controversey because that's what sells. My job is to be a role model, and that's what I want to do, but my job isn't to be a parent. My job isn't to tell your kids how to act or how not to act, because I'm still figuring that out for myself. So to take that away from me is a bit selfish. Your kids are going to make mistakes whether I do or not. That's just life."

True, the kids are going to make mistakes whether Miley's there or not. And she seems to have learned the Eric Bischoff motto of doing buisness:"Controversey Creates Cash". Cash for who however that's another story. And while I can get someone trying to find themselves there is an apparent 'higher standard' that Hollywood stars are expected to set, and Miley is one of them. There are people expect those stars to know what that standard is at day one and have an iron clad dedication to it. Especially the young stars.

I find myself thinking of Filmation cartoons and their 'morals of the day' after reading (and writing) this. Do people expect Hollywood to know each and every one of these morals? The rare exception to this 'rule' is that star that decides to go the 'bad route' at their day one. The moment they step out into the spotlight, and the audience seems to react to them. Favorably or not.

So how is this 'higher standard' set? How do those stars attain it? Well first off one needs to put the audience's wishes above their own, or find a way to work those wishes into their own. Something a lot of people in Hollywood can't, won't, or don't want to seem to do.

Next step, get inside their heads. How does one do that? Here are a few recommendations:

1. Watch the news to determine what's 'bad', and why. Then seek to avoid such 'bad' even minimally. For there are those that will take something considered 'minimal' and make it 'maximum scandal', which could lead to irreperable damage to celebrity reputation and audience respect. Essentially, if there's a fire there will be those that seek to pour gasoline on it. So it's best to make sure a fire is prevented, or preventable.

2. Try to maintain iron clad dedication to wholesome, or 'good', ideal if that is what is expected of young star, at least until star comes of age or when the old way of performing doesn't work anymore. If you're a young star then you can change your act as long as any changes made adhere to the expected ideal that has been followed. If that star seeks to change that ideal then they can move at a gradual pace so the audience can follow along. Essentially work the bars of the prison. Don't try to use a truck for a jailbreak. Disney has a history of wholesome, family friendly, entertainment so the ideal is expected more from them than from another company that has a more broad entertainment range. In another company a young star can probably have more leeway to explore boundaries without scrutiny than a Disney star might.

3. If the star comes to a point where they have no choice but to go against the wishes of the audience, appeal to the better nature of the audience and say how change is good for morale. Possible example-"I've come to a point in my career where to preserve my message of hope I've had to take a new direction so the memory of hope remains. And the memory can last forever." Or something like that.

4. Determine the audience's fears, for I believe that is what eyes a lot of people are looking through right now. Determine those fears at day one and see how the performance, and performer, can put those fears to rest instead of cater to them.

5. Above all put the audience first, and check the ego at the door. For if one is not there for the audience what is the performance for? Or who is it for?

There is an old saying 'The customer is always right'. However I have found that there are members of Hollywood that go out of their way to show how the customer is wrong. Some do it for the sake of artistic expression (dependingon one's definition of 'art') while others prefer the customer to be always wrong for the sake of individual egos. I don't think Miley is that person, but there have been some decisions made that have reflected on her badly. Decisions like the Vanity Fair shot. A shot her parents apparently signed off on if this quote is any indication.

"Here, my parents are thinking they're seeing a beautiful picture by a major photographer, and the people of America want to see something dirty in that? It doesn't make sense to us because my family doesn't look for negativity. But people don't want to say 'What a great performance' or 'What a great shot'. No one wants to look at something like that and see the positive because it doesn't sell a magazine."

In response to this statement what came to my mind was "People don't see the positive because in their eyes there isn't anything positive about it. And anyone that thinks there's something positive about the shot....is wrong." That may sound egotistical and condescending....no actually that DOES sound egotistical and condescending. And there are some that take that attitude, but there is one little bit of knowledge I would like to impart that may help avoid matters like this, and the pole, in the future.

'We're not you.'

We're not part of the Hollywood elite where we see shots like the Vanity Fair shot as beautiful. More often than not we're exposed to the ugly side of society as we go through our lives day by day. In some cases afraid of what might happen tomorrow. Anything positive they might see, we don't. Not because we're stupid, but because we aren't exposed to that sort of context.

On the news we are exposed to war news (with some questioning if we should even be in the war or some areas of it), stories about teen pregnancy, drugs, kids saying 'yes' to things they should be saying 'no' to without regards of the consequences, parents that hurt their children in terrible ways, and kids that call children's services and cry 'abuse' when the parent seeks to discipline them for something a kid wants to do. The list can go on and on.

And remember the 21 Jumpstreet episode I mentioned? That is the context where a shot like the Vanity Fair shot is seen, as well as the context the pole is taken in. A context that feeds fears without detatching the sexual references to the moves.

Also our lives are not a big Hollywood dream. For many of us the doors to our dreams closed long ago. We're going through our lives day by day trying to make the best of things. Looking for hope in a world that may have turned its back on hope. There are accusations of corruption in politics, executives giving themselves pay raises, stories of grown adults that touch kids the wrong way, unemployment, DUI's, parental divorce, kids not wanting to learn as they view expulsions like a badge of honor nd an excuse to party, And the big clincher....members of the Hollywood industry that believe they are above the people they are supposed to be providing for. Thinking the audience stupid that they don't think one artist's work is brilliant to the point that the artist looks down on them with unflattering names like 'idiot', 'clueless moron', 'small insignificant minority, 'etc.'

Don't laugh or roll your eyes. There are people in Hollywood that do that. I've seen them. In the Sci Fi genre especially. Fans there are looked down on constantly as they are seen as the 'redheaded stepchild' of the industry, if not the world. Some to the point where they are called 'small, insignificant minorities'. And that in the end they don't matter.' And it wouldn't surprise me if this attitude was reflected by Hollywood types that DON'T work in the Sci-Fi genre.

Ours is a world of fear, not hope. It is where the worst case scenario is all around us. It is where John/Jane Q public is left to fend for his/herself, where the institutions that are supposed to serve and provide for us think of themselves and their own agendas whether they be artistic, political or profit minded. And as a result John/Jane Q Public sees the world, and the people in it, decending to a level of hell with their views deemed irrelevant.

So while the Cyrus's can ask "How can you see this shot as 'dirty'?" from our perspective, and what we have to shape our perceptions we can ask "How can you not see this shot as 'dirty'?"