The recent Video Music Awards didn’t go all that well for Miley Cyrus. Her dedicated fans probably loved her hosting gig, but that’s about it. The exhibitionism was tired, the jokes were bad, and then there was the weed.
We know certain things about Cyrus. She’s popular, she uses her sex appeal (ad nauseum), and she really, really, really loves drugs. Especially pot.
Not that that’s in any way a bad thing. In a perfect world, everyone would love the ganja and get along. But that’s just the thing: Most people already do.
Is Miley Cyrus even helping the reform movement?
In other words, Cyrus isn’t exactly a breath of fresh air in the marijuana community. And she may be doing more harm than good to her fellow stoners – and to the cause of cannabis reform.
Here’s the thing: It’s cool to like weed, but it’s not cool to talk about it so much that other people get bored. And that’s just what Cyrus is doing. We already knew she loves weed. We knew that a long time ago. Now she’s just trying to make a point.
Part of the appeal of legalization is that you no longer have to make that point. Smoking grass is just smoking grass, it’s not a political statement. Some Republicans smoke up too, believe it or not.
Lack of audience reception to numerous weed references
The first reference of the night came during her opening monologue. It fell flat. Later, she ate brownies (supposedly edibles) provided by Snoop Dogg. That didn’t work, either. There were other mentions, none that landed.
And it isn’t just weed. Cyrus loves ecstasy (exactly the same drug the under-25 set now calls “Molly”), she’s tried other club drugs, presumably, and maybe even some harder stuff. And she wants to make sure you know it.
The problem with this behavior is that it’s just plain annoying. And the more annoying potheads are perceived to be, the harder it becomes to get things done at the political level. If Cyrus is our public face, we’re in trouble.
Kanye West also dropped a mention of the icky at the VMAs, but he actually got real laughs when he admitted he smoked a J backstage. It worked mostly because he didn’t press it. It was just a fact, and he thought the world should know.
Cyrus may not realize this yet, but there isn’t exactly a mob clamoring for her to lead the marijuana revolution. We have better celebrities for that: Kristen Stewart and Susan Sarandon, to name just two. And when it comes to Miley Cyrus, that’s all we need.
