MTV VMAs Push Nihilism and Despair

The internet, following the 38th annual MTV Video Music Awards, served up its standard fare: gushing over Shakira’s ten-minute long performance, Taylor Swift’s nine award sweep, and *NSYNC’s reunion, and spilling tea over Megan Thee Stallion and Justin Timberlake’s alleged “fight” and Selena Gomez’s shady reaction to Olivio Rodrigo’s subpar performance. The content on display at the MTV VMAs has, over time, have become progressively less substantive. Whether in its more grotesque or banal forms, the vibe is starkly nihilistic, opting for cliche virtue signaling and blandly predictable spectacles.