An Open Letter To RWHN

[LMNO]

I was thinking, what if both sides are right?  What if this whole thing was designed merely to be part of the Spectacle, and a child-star pop artist did the standard "outrageous" thing in a sort of latter-day debutante's ball... and it went so far over the top it started eating itself?

The taste-makers and the Media Powers set this in motion to grab eyeballs and wallets and Miley agreed and went for it... but the end result turned into a dark mirror, reflecting the system back into itself?

That's a valid possibility, and it leaves both of the main points on either side intact.

Or do you have to be the right man?

[AFK]

On page 3, without protest, it became a discussion on the interpretation of the video along with her VMA stuff.  A discussion, which incidentally was sparked by someone other than me.  And so I joined the discussion. 


And there have been what 7, or 8 pages of discussion since my last post? 


And there was discussion happening at the same time I was discussing the topic.  And it was all very civil, even despite being labeled a snob and a retard. 


So I don't understand the complaint, other than the need to complain and revert to making me some villain simply because I have a different opinion. 

[AFK]

I was thinking, what if both sides are right?  What if this whole thing was designed merely to be part of the Spectacle, and a child-star pop artist did the standard "outrageous" thing in a sort of latter-day debutante's ball... and it went so far over the top it started eating itself?

The taste-makers and the Media Powers set this in motion to grab eyeballs and wallets and Miley agreed and went for it... but the end result turned into a dark mirror, reflecting the system back into itself?

That's a valid possibility, and it leaves both of the main points on either side intact.

Or do you have to be the right man?

Of course it is valid and I think I said more or less the same thing in that thread.  In this viral-age to get views you need to throw all kinds of crazy shit out there to get views.  They picked Miley as the vehicle for that. 

[LMNO]

But do you see the other half, there?  The part where the it starts eating itself?

[AFK]

You mean where it ends up providing sort of an Exhibit A of how awful and crass popular culture has become?  Sure.


I just don't agree that it was a deliberate, calculated troll. 


It was just THAT bad.

[AFK]

But I also think Hannah Montanna was Exhibit A of how awful and crass entertainment for tween girls has become so I suppose Miley Cyrus was the best choice for that spectacle. 


I mean, you should watch an episode or two of that show.  It is pretty offensive.

[AFK]

Actually, in a way, it is far more offensive than anything she did on the VMAs.

[LMNO]

And it doesn't interest you in the slightest that a calculated, industry crafted, audience-manipulating spectacle like that could fail so miserably at the VMAs?  It doesn't make you ask, "what the hell was going on that it got greenlighted?"  It didn't make you question, even a little, whether this carefully planned event might end up killing the genre?

If this were all staged and planned by the powers that be, weren't you even curious?

[AFK]

And it doesn't interest you in the slightest that a calculated, industry crafted, audience-manipulating spectacle like that could fail so miserably at the VMAs?

Fail?  Everyone was talking about it the next day.  They succeeded beyond their wildest dreams.  I mean, c'mon, that's what the VMAs have become.  The music-video era is dead.  This is how MTV clings on to their relevance in the new paradigm.

It doesn't make you ask, "what the hell was going on that it got greenlighted?"  It didn't make you question, even a little, whether this carefully planned event might end up killing the genre?

Killing what genre?  Popular music?  It is an unkillable genre.  It morphs and changes from one generation to the next, but it will always be there.  For better or worse.

If this were all staged and planned by the powers that be, weren't you even curious?

Curious about what? 

[AFK]

I guess, in a way, I see Miley Cyrus' VMA performance as sort of the William Hung of VMA performances. 


As opposed to say some of the Madonna performances that created buzzes the next day, which are kind of like your Kelly Clarksons and Carrie Underwoods of VMA performances.


If that makes any sense. 

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

On page 3, without protest, it became a discussion on the interpretation of the video along with her VMA stuff.  A discussion, which incidentally was sparked by someone other than me.  And so I joined the discussion. 


And there have been what 7, or 8 pages of discussion since my last post? 


And there was discussion happening at the same time I was discussing the topic.  And it was all very civil, even despite being labeled a snob and a retard. 


So I don't understand the complaint, other than the need to complain and revert to making me some villain simply because I have a different opinion.

Basically, it's that you keep saying the same thing over, and over, and over again, and it amounts to "nuh uh, you guys are wrong".

You are entitled to that opinion, even though it does betray a very low level of esteem for the thought processes and observations of those you disagree with, but do you really need to repeat it ad nauseum? After a certain point, it just comes across as contrary and deliberately disruptive.

[AFK]

Perhaps you've missed where I have stopped posting in that thread and have been discussing it in this thread.


And also where there have been like 7 or 8 pages of content since my last post so it wasn't disruptive.


Not sure what the beef is other than to have a beef with me.

[AFK]

Also, if you were really tired of me "restating" my position over and over again why did you make this post?

I haven't missed it, I don't agree with it.

What, exactly, don't you agree with?

Was I supposed to ignore your question?

[Q. G. Pennyworth]

RWHN, I didn't like the show either. I didn't think very much of her. That doesn't mean that I should go into a conversation where people are successfully peeling back layers of why this particular gross spectacle is hitting the buttons that it did, when other similar ones have not. PD discordians (for the most part) are interested in how you create cognitive dissonance in an audience, and the VMA performance and wrecking ball thing succeeded in doing that. It doesn't matter if it was an intentional troll, or if we enjoyed it. Refusing to peel back the layers, both in the art and our own reactions to it, is as dumb as refusing to examine successful military tactics because you disagree with the general's politics.

If you're going to dig your heels in and say nothing's there, that's fine. Arguing the way you did comes across as an attempt to invalidate what other people are seeing, which is pretty rude.

[AFK]

RWHN, I didn't like the show either. I didn't think very much of her. That doesn't mean that I should go into a conversation where people are successfully peeling back layers of why this particular gross spectacle is hitting the buttons that it did, when other similar ones have not. PD discordians (for the most part) are interested in how you create cognitive dissonance in an audience, and the VMA performance and wrecking ball thing succeeded in doing that. It doesn't matter if it was an intentional troll, or if we enjoyed it. Refusing to peel back the layers, both in the art and our own reactions to it, is as dumb as refusing to examine successful military tactics because you disagree with the general's politics.

If you're going to dig your heels in and say nothing's there, that's fine. Arguing the way you did comes across as an attempt to invalidate what other people are seeing, which is pretty rude.

I would respectively suggest you read my last two posts ITT, above yours.