This post is not about Miley Cyrus...ok maybe it is.

Before you start, yes I'm fully aware the Miley thing has been done to death.
Don't worry I'm not going to give yet another opinion or slant on "That" performance. There are people out there with far greater intelligence than I who will outline all the intellectual interpretations of "That" performance.

For those of you who were living under a stone/ trekking around India finding yourself or maybe you were taking a break from the internet. Welcome back, here is what you missed. Miley Cyrus, daughter of Achey, Breaky Heart, Billy Ray Cyrus - remember him- performed with Robin Thicke at the V.M.A's. Quite a lot of people had opinions about it. There were lot's of questions asked: Was it racist? Was it sexist? Are we racist, slut shamers for even discussing it? What's the story with the tongue?.

Personally I'm still not quite sure how I feel about the whole thing and I have taken a near vow of silence on the matter until all the compartments of my brain declare a ceasefire and come to a rational conclusion.
I do have one observation to make however and that is that there appear to be a significant number of Irish parents giving Hannah Montanna a pretty important role in the lives of their daughters.
The cry of the Irish mammy lately has been a Helen Lovejoy inspired "Won't somebody think of the children!!!" "Hannah Montanna is hooring and touring in very skimpy clothing and shaking her arse all over the place." "It's practically feckin porn" and so on...

Can I point out one teeny tiny bit of information which may be relevant to this little story?
Brace yourselves people now because this is breaking news!

Hannah Montanna is not now or has she ever been a real person!
I know it is quite the shock!
This little fact means that you cannot get pissed off at the things the person who once played her is now doing. This is because ...once more with feeling ... she is not real.
Well you can get as narky as you like, it's a free country and if it makes you feel better then why not.
However consider this: Why not channel this wasted anger into something more productive. Like showing your daughter some real female icons to idolize. While your're at it show your sons too! Teach all children that there is so much more to the world than the sputum they are force fed by corporations that is passed off under the guise of entertainment.

Lets take a little personal responsibility for what is happening here. Last time I checked Hannah Montanna or Miley Cyrus doesn't have a vested interest in any child's personal and social development. That there would be the vested interest of their doting parents!

While we are at it lets have an actual conversation with young people about what is going on. It goes without saying that you should keep it appropriate for you and the child. I'm not suggesting that after little Jimmy or Gemma's 5th birthday party you bust out the karma sutra and suggest they take notes.  It's a very Irish thing to tut expressions of sexuality or pass it off as filth. This can lead to homes where sex and sexual health education is not discussed and children are left to find out the facts for themselves. Generally this information comes from some other misinformed class mate or infinitely more damaging, from porn.

Why wouldn't children want to emulate the celebrities they've seen near naked and behaving like strippers? They are adored, they are what's cool and nobody is contradicting them or showing them anything different!

The bottom line is you can be pissed with Miley, but let's be honest behind Miley there is a corporation making lots o money on the back of her nudity and Twerking.

Alternatively you could show children and teenagers all the other wonderful creative people that exist on this planet. Broaden their horizons! Show them that there is so much more out there for them to experience than Disney strippers and limited views on what it means to be female in this world. Cause what we need now more than ever is a new generation of kick ass women who won't tolerate nonsense such as this!