I can tell you're sincere, so I don't want to be rude, but I'm really not here to educate you. The information is out there, and you can find it if you look. The two links I posted are a great start, and here's one more. Part of being an ally means doing the work, and that include taking the time to get the…

That's actually kind of the point! That even though ratchet culture is just a subset of black culture, it's being touted as the pinnacle, so even the black people who don't identify with it are faced with having that label applied to them. Basically, the white misrepresentation of black culture is what perpetuates the…

Lol. Unless the race fairy came in the middle of the night, I'm still very much a black lady, thanks.

Can we talk about how not a single black person won an award last night even though the people who did win awards have been mining black music and culture for years?

And all that happened on the anniversary of Aaliyah's death.

Fucking YES. I was watching the performance with my jaw dropped, but apparently not for the same reason as everyone else.

Okay.... but can we talk about the problematic and racist nature of her performance? Her literal use of people as props? Her association of her newfound sexuality with the traditional codifiers of black female culture, thereby perpetuating the Jezebel stereotype that black women are lewd, lascivious and uncontrollably…

Exactly. Thank you.

You cannot defend a woman's right to do what she wants and then suddenly demote her to the position of a defenceless young girl when she does stupid shit. Part of being a woman is being allowed to do idiotic things without someone thinking you've been forced into it.

You know what? KIDS SHOULD STAY OFF MY GODDAMN LAWN.

Nothing to add because this is very well said, except word.

That means a lot coming from you! I've noticed lately that people have been trying to link Trayvon's purchase of the Skittles and Arizona Iced Tea as evidence that he was planning on making and selling 'sizzurp'.

Perfect point in your last paragraph. Really, spot on.

It is profoundly typical that the media ignores the dancers as exotic bodies trope and the response is zomg slut-shaming (ignores the trope as well).

Agreed 100%. I do not give one shit whether Miley is wearing a thong or a parka, or if she's grinding on a dude or joining a convent; it's the ridiculous minstrel show (as BurtReynoldsIsMySpiritGuide put it last night) that's sending me over the edge into the "do not like" camp. She flat out smacked a black woman's…

Being annoyed about that tongue crap is not slut-shaming... it's just bloody annoying.

So pretending to lick the ass of Black woman with the sterotypical "big bootie" and slapping said bootie (repeatedly) in front of millions of people is somehow ok? I don't care if Beyonce/Rihanna/Michelle Obama/Oprah/Kerry Washington/Mother Theresa did it—-It's. Not. Ok.

Seriously, kid? It was an embarrassingly bad, phony, phoned-in "performance" calculated to have us all talking today, had nothing to do with pop music, and that's what makes her so stomach-turning.

The reaction to Miley's performance has little to do with her outfit. It has everything to do with the fact that she can't dance, and she can't sing, and last night made her look as if she thought being "wacky" and "edgy" were enough to compensate for the lack of talent.

And people were criticising Britney's performance too. I don't even care about what Miley wore - though the plastic granny panties were incredibly unflattering. Her performance was just embarassing - trying way too hard to show how cool and edgy she is.

You know, I was thinking the exact same thing when I saw everyone freaking out on FB about Miley last night. Then I finally got to see the whole thing during the encore performance... I think the difference was that Miley was just awkward with the whole thing. Was it even choreographed at all? She was just jumping…