The VMAs were filled with memorable moments—The Weeknd’s performance, Justin Bieber’s breakdown, Miley’s outfits (all of them), Kanye’s announcement, and of course the spat between Nicki Minaj and Miley Cyrus. Everyone is talking about these moments, but no one is talking about what really happened—Cyrus used racism to get ratings.

First issue at hand is the unscripted quarrel between Minaj and Cyrus. It all started back in July when Minaj tweeted her feelings about being snubbed for the Video of the Year award while simultaneously calling out the misogyny and body-shaming that goes on in the industry.

However, some people were offended by Minaj's tweets, claiming that they were too harsh. The biggest advocate being Cyrus, who in an interview with The New York Times stated that Nicki's comments were "not very polite."

Cyrus' comments regarding Minaj's tone is what is commonly referred to as tone-policing: Focusing more on the tone that someone says something, rather than what they are saying and consequently monitoring their tone. Our society has become more concerned about nomenclature and political correctness that we have ignored the message and intention of our words. Cyrus misread (didn't read) Minaj's tweet and basically "politely" called Minaj an angry black women both in "The New York Times" interview and at the VMAs. By completely ignoring the actual issue and telling her to get over it is a form of racism.

Although this was her most notable transgression of the night, it wasn't the only one. Cyrus showed up to the VMAs in a scantily clad outfit and platinum dreadlocks. On its face, her outfit is seen more eccentric and provocative than racist, but allow me to briefly explain the history behind race and hair. Hair is usually involved in many aspects of one's culture, yet it is often racialized. Women of color are told to straighten their hair in order assimilate. But, in asking them this, society is asking them to ignore a part of their history, their struggle and their identity. It is insulting when celebrities take elements of a culture's struggle and make them "trendy." (It also makes you look really ignorant, so please inform yourself before you embarrass yourself).

Also, another one of Cyrus' egregious-yet-subtle racist actions was her use of the word "mammy." A mammy is a caricature that has been used to degenerate black women. It portrays them as subservient, illiterate, frivolous women who spend most of their time tending to the children (usually the white ladies children) and cooking. The word "mammy" is often associated with minstrel shows, cartoons of the 1930s, Hattie McDaniel in "Gone With The Wind" and Juanita Moore in "The Imitation of Life." The history and negative connotation behind this word is something most people (hopefully, at least most people) are aware of, so why would Cyrus choose this specific word to address a loved one? Ignorance or bigotry?

I guess the true tragedy is that MTV and Cyrus had to resort to outlandish and offensive actions that discriminate black people. What does that really say about our society?