Sunday’s broadcast of MTV’s annual Video Music Awards (VMA) collapsed five percent to just 6.4 million viewers across 12 cable networks.
In other news, the VMAs aired Sunday night. You probably didn’t know that.
We’re a long way from 2011 when 12.4 million tuned in.
Viacom broadcast this debacle on 12 networks. Twelve.
Why? If people want to watch the VMAs they can tune to MTV. Oh, yeah, no one watches MTV anymore. So they must be hoping you run across it accidentally and stick around for the trainwreck.
Because that’s all it is — a big, joyless trainwreck filled with scolding and lectures and virtue signaling.
Man, I’m grateful to not be coming of age in this era.
When I was a teen, music was cool and fun and sexy. Madonna. Michael Jackson. Blondie. Tina Turner. Van freakin’ Halen. Even Bruce Springsteen believed in the healing power of rock n’ roll. Sang about things like driving 800 miles without seeing a cop with rock and roll music blasting off the t-top. Now he sings like his mouth is full of shit and America’s gunna make him swallow it. Dude’s got everything. Everything anyone could ask for. Earned it all himself. Should be the happiest American in America. When did he stop believing in the Promised Land?
Crybaby.
Like any old fart, sure, I’m a little wistful for those salad days. The eighties ruled. That’s not it, though… I swear. I just hate to anyone, especially young people who should be having the time of their lives, being abused this way.
What happened to teaching young people to loosen up and have some laughs? Instead Lady Gaga shows up like a good little slave wearing a mask.
From rebellion to conformity. From Hot for Teacher to Do What Your Told. From David Lee Roth to this guy. From Do Ya Think I’m Sexy to Save the Post office. From this to this. From women to little boys.
Yeah, but 6.4 million viewers, someone might say.
Sure, across 12 cable network.
You could broadcast video of an old woman trying to pound in a nail across 12 cable networks and pull something close to that.
No wonder the most spoiled and privileged generation in the history of the wide wooly world is out there rioting. Man, they got everything. Things those of us who grew up on Led Zeppelin and AC/DC never dreamt of. Access to all the knowledge in the world right there in their hands, right there in that iPhone. An abundance of food, clothes… But all the youthful energy our institutions should be directing towards dancing and snappin’ towels and cruising the strip and grab-assin’ is converted into angst and guilt and conformity.
Tell a teenager to go out and have fun and anything’s possible in America, he’ll be just fine.
Tell a teenager to wear a mask and lie about how the planet’s doomed, you get Antifa and Black Lives Matter.
You get Portland.
Follow John Nolte on Twitter @NolteNC. Follow his Facebook Page here.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.