#MileyWhatsGood Is Both Meme-tastic And Important For Social Justice
1 September 2015, 13:05 | Updated: 8 May 2017, 17:09
Miley, what's good?
It seems that no one knew quite what to make of this year's MTV VMAs. One thing people can't seem to let go of, however, was the iconic moment Nicki Minaj destroyed everything with three little words: "Miley What's Good".
#WhatsGoodMiley pic.twitter.com/Zrp4MwIYXW
— oh. k. (@gimmiedreams) August 31, 2015
Since then, "Miley What's Good" has spiced up the minutiae of post-award show memery.
Someone merged memes for a mega "in joke" moment. 
When Tumblr had its way with 'miley, what's good?'
Some people have also taken #MileyWhatsGood and turned it into a real and honest conversation about how someone like Miley has benefited immensely from black culture and seemingly betrayed the people she stole from with her New York Times interview.
When you claim to have black friends, but you constantly derail or mock their culture. #MileyWhatsGood
— X (@XLNB) August 31, 2015
When your schtick is to illicit shock and disgust, but you tell a black woman to be polite. #MileyWhatsGood
— X (@XLNB) August 31, 2015
When you use black culture as a method to reinvent yourself, but don't see why you gotta speak up for our struggles #MileyWhatsGood
— X (@XLNB) August 31, 2015
I'm using this hashtag to refer to racist people or cultural appropriators #MileyWhatsGood
— Ty Ty (@Heauxno1currr) August 31, 2015
nicki: MILEY WHATS GOOD? me: pic.twitter.com/Wyy1x0CTxO
— dean winchester (@philsadelphia) August 31, 2015
baby: "m..m.." mom: "Her first word is gonna be Mommy I know it." baby: "m....mi....MILEY WHATS GOOD"
— MILEY WHATS GOOD (@floraIcIifford) August 31, 2015
And then, of course, comes the merch.
@JadeReindl #MileyWhatsGood Made By @pauly_steez #DesignedByPaulySteez Cop @ http://t.co/rYk7SkAcqo pic.twitter.com/umUheIOq5w
— Ed™ (@caintaughtme_) September 1, 2015
Shout Out To My Pastor , #MileyWhatsGood Tees Available Now At http://t.co/zsRThMPre8 . . pic.twitter.com/IZPMIaSkZj
— Coolie™ (@300REZ) August 31, 2015
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While #MileyWhatsGood is a fair bit of fun, it's good to remember that Nicki Minaj's frustration comes from a very real place. After multiple attempts to carry on a real conversation about race, Nicki has had to face attempts to shut her down from Taylor Swift, the mainstream media, and now Miley. "Miley What's Good?" is not just a rhetorical question cleverly meant to generate buzz for MTV. It's a real call to either have the conversation in a real way (that isn't brushed over with faux feminist platitudes) or stand down and let women who know about racism and inequality talk about racism and inequality.
