There was never really a chance that the Parents Television Council was going to enjoy the MTV Video Music Awards, but boy oh boy, did they hate Sunday’s show.
“MTV had an opportunity to use its powerful VMA platform to stir a young audience to aspire to something positive and uplifting,” PTC president Tim Winter said on Monday. “Instead they chose to perpetuate blatant sexualization — much of it self-inflicted by the artists — and to celebrate the use of illegal drugs.”
“MTV rated the content of the program as appropriate for a child as young as 14, though most parents of teens that age would find such a content rating preposterous,” he continued. “In the end, the network succeeded in what it wanted to do: stir up controversy without regard to its impact on an entertainment environment that is increasingly toxic for children.”
Winter then specifically tore into the host, who made many of those aforementioned drug references and even suffered a nip slip — whether the latter was on purpose or by accident.
“Are we surprised that Miley Cyrus exposed herself to millions of viewers, and to more people who will inevitably see the news in the mainstream media? About as surprised as we’ll be if the sun rises in the east tomorrow morning,” Winter went on. “We had hoped she would have proven us wrong and demonstrate her considerable talent as a performer, rather than rely on her own sexuality to entertain the audience.”
Winter then shifted from pulling parents’ heartstrings to their purse strings, and complained of carriage fees: “It’s also unfortunate that the VMAs were underwritten by the vast majority of Americans who were forced to pay for MTV on their cable bills, but who don’t give a damn about the VMAs.”
“MTV and Cyrus could both be forces for something positive, but tonight’s VMA partners relied on exposing millions of children to graphic, inappropriate and far-too-frequently offensive content,” Winter concluded.