My guess? MTV and Cyrus think they hit it out of the ball-park, with all the hubbub it generated, with her slutty-whore dance. Might even have some short-term benefits for them.
Yet, long-term, it’s another matter. I have a notion that the combined effect of the gross vileness and the embarrassingly pathetic and inartful stupidity of the performance will actually make this a watershed moment, in which American pop-culture itself will be seen as having jumped-the-shark.
If I’m wrong, the ante will undoubtedly be raised, and within five years we’ll be talking about the latest MTV awards show with performances including dancers involved in live gay-sex acts on stage.
Your second surmise is the correct one. We are almost there now.
The problem is the one-upsmanship inherent in the entertainment biz. Anything that has been done is old hat, so the next act has to do it one better, more outrageous.
I hate that aspect. It not just encourages trash, it is evil.
I turned off the sound and watched the part where she was wearing the horns. It was vile.