Not sure I'm ready to comment on what Wiz Kalifa and Juicy J might find appealing about Miley, but I will say that it probably has to do with what Dodai Stewart mentioned here: Miley's use of "black" culture to be a "rebel." Wiz Kalifa's brand is all about WEED. Juicy J is about TWERKING. Miley may be pals with…

I'm writing an article now on the "feminist letter wars" (Sinead O'Connor and Amanda Palmer's open letters to Miley) and how they illustrate troubling trends in contemporary feminism—either "Feminism means whatever I want" or "Feminism means exploitation!" Take that in context with the righteous critique to the…

Probably all three, Callie. That's what makes her interesting. And by "her," of course, I don't mean Miley-the-person. We will never, ever know the real Miley. What we do know—and feel ownership over—is Miley the pop star, Miley the symbol.

It's an interesting idea, the continuum of white musicians/pop stars profiting off of black culture and black artists, but honestly, the continuum would be so long/large/deep as to be impossible to create. I'm less interested in figuring out who's "worse" or "less worse," too; as a sociologist, I am concerned with…

Again, the syllabus is still under construction, and given the recent media spotlight, won't be available for public consumption or comment til the course begins. But yes: critical media literacy is a crucial component of this course. The course is a seminar, 200-level/special topics, not an introduction or a survey…

I'm less interested in parsing "worst" and more interested in exploring what we learn about race, racism, and racial and cultural appropriation through the example of Miley. Much of the mainstream media criticism of this phase of Miley's career focuses on her "out of control" sexuality, while the most interesting and…

Sociology FTW, LittleRoo. FOR. THE. WIN!

See Luce Irigaray for critiques of phallogocentrism. This course uses the framework of intersectional, media, and other schools of sociology. A gender studies, lit crit, psychology, and philosophy class could certainly go to town with these ideas.

Yep, Dodai, it's part of how white privilege works in America (as well as the pop psychology of the perpetual teenager)—choosing to perform a marginalized and "risky" identity without being subject to any of the very real consequences people of color in the US face in what Michelle Alexander calls the racial caste…

So far, no worries at all. The students I teach at Skidmore are creative, sophisticated thinkers willing and able to think seriously about the real world (pop and theory).

It may, actually. I'm finalizing the syllabus. I have to make choices, since we meet 3x/week for about a month, so I can't cover every topic I'd like. Her tongue, her hair, her bottom, and her ladyparts are all important symbols for understanding Miley, her haters, and larger issues in cultural conflict.

I don't think her Disney roots have much to do with the cultural appropriation critique. See NinjaCate/battymamzelle's piece posted on Jezebel for a brilliant, succinct take on the Miley minstrel show at the VMAs. If anything, the association with Disney is more grist for the mill, what with their history of racism,…

Brand new course, especially designed for summer session, which is more of an immersion in a disciplinary perspective. Students so far are very interested, even before the media storm. As for what we'll do, it's sociology, so yes, yes, yes, and more: we'll read social theory, more popular texts, look at videos and…

Miley's whiteness really seems to shield her from some of the racist and racialized criticism her pop peers of color seem to get. "White" is a race, and one that needs serious interrogation, especially in the music industry literally built on the voices and talent of people of color (largely black and African…

Some of the reactions I've gotten have been very positive—mostly from journalists, cultural critics, and other people who think about how society works. There was some of the silliness of the Internet, which is to be expected (do you know Dave Chappelle's joke about how if the Internet were a real place, it would be…

All set, @Dodai.