oh MTV... what happened?

So… apparently the MTV VMA awards were a week or so ago. I didn’t watch them, did you? I don’t care if you did but for some reason several of my friends have asked me if I had viewed the so-called award show wondering what my take was. With this in mind I still refuse to watch the VMA’s because it is an insult to my intelligence and a waste of my time. I’d much rather watch reruns of the Dog Whisperer or Iron Chef America. There is a great deal of things I would rather watch than the VMA’s like paint dry, babies crying, another (not funny) Dane Cook comedy special or C-Span.

By the by, doesn’t a video award show on MTV kind of seem like a joke? The only times I have seen videos on MTV is when flipping thru channels and catching a video on MTV classic or MTV rock or MTV hip hop. Videos are no longer part of the programming except for the occasion ninety second clip on the hopelessly annoying TRL. MTV should no longer be associated with music television but be renamed media television or teenagers and young adults desperate for fame television.

If this blog seems at all bitter it is because MTV at one point was the trend setter. It was the mode, the beacon, the signifier, the bar for what was cool when I was growing up. When I was a little boy till about my teenage years I wanted to be on MTV because you met cool artists, went to awesome concerts, needed little talent to be a VJ and partied like a rock star. Back in the early 90’s it was a channel not obsessed with reality TV but created cutting edge shows and annimation. It revolutionized music as well as spring break, the x-games, fashion and even politics. It might be wrong of me to insist that MTV could have held onto its influence forever because nothing ever really does but I do believe that MTV could at least be relevant. It was once the voice of a generation and now is nothing more than a sad state of affairs with dating games for teenage rejects, dating games for celebrity losers, kiss ass commentary and the promotion of bland musical acts.

But maybe this is not the cable giant’s fault. Maybe bad television or reality television and a lack of music videos is now the voice of this generation. Why play music video’s when there is YouTube or why create television when you can exploit the youth of America for bad reality programming? Let’s face it, MTV has not been influential in quite some time but has been influenced by Girls Gone Wild. If children are the future and if the children are watching MTV then I sincerely weep for the future. We are not teaching the children well if we have them sitting down to watch MTV.

Am I being a bit dramatic here, quite possibly but understand this MTV became popular during a very critical time in many people’s lives. The dream of the 80’s was dying and for some it was never really a dream at all. The 90’s were upon us with Generation X not only looking for jobs or definition but a place in history as well. I cannot compare which was a worse time in history for some Americans, then or now but now is certainly a time when the youth of America truly needs a voice and a podium to which that voice can be heard. War, poverty, natural disaster, struggling economy, healthcare and education are just some of the topics concerning this great nation and MTV may do a great service by allowing us to forget our worries and have a good time but at the same time provides a tremendous disservice by failing at relevance for the youth of this nation. I am sure Rob and Big, or Pimp My Ride, or the Real World (which has not or ever been very real) are super fun but is this entertainment representative of the world we live in? A world where the youth of America only cares about fashion, supped up cars, skateboards and ridiculous stunts for a simple laugh? I hope not.

Maybe I believe too strongly in the power of music. That music can be the voice of the people, educate and promote ideas not widely expressed by other forms of media. Music can be a powerful thing and at this moment, well for the past decade or so, music has lost one of its greatest outlets and that is MTV. If the music industry wants to save itself maybe it shouldn’t blame the internet or teenagers for illegally downloading music but should blame MTV for failing to promote musical acts.

Now I could care less about the VMA’s. I don’t care if Britney Spears makes a comeback of if she has lost some weight. I don’t care if some video which is never played on MTV wins 7 awards that have no value other than self promotion. And I am not stupid enough to think that if you do watch MTV or the VMA’s that you are shallow or could care less about things that really matter. It is not one way or the other. You are not an idiot if you watch MTV and you are not a better person if you ignore it, even though I like to think that I am a better person by not watching. Entertainment is key to a thriving metropolis. Entertainment is vastly important but maybe entertainment should do more than just put a smile on our face, a shake in our rump and fever in our hearts but also put a spark in our brain. MTV at one point provoked discussion even if it was simply about music and discussion leads to debate and that provokes thought and intellect.

In the end, MTV was once pretty awesome but unfortunately is now nothing more than a constant string of product placement and celebrities lacking personality. MTV was on the cutting edge because it informed the youth of America about important topics like safe sex, ethnic, sexual and religious acceptance/tolerance, and the importance of knowing the world around you. Hard to believe, maybe especially since the channel has fallen off in the past few years but MTV was smart enough to recognize their teenage audience and not only provide them an outlet but a place in which information, encouragement and relief could be found. That MTV no longer exists and that is sad and unfortunate. I think in the end I just want the return of the music videos. If video killed the radio star then who above video killed the video star. Maybe it was our lack of attention span in this media food chain that killed the video star? I don’t know, just speculating but if you haven't guessed I sure do miss the old days of MTV.