( CNN ) -- On Sunday night Miley Cyrus put on a performance at MTV 's Video Music Awards that appeared specifically contrived to elicit controversy and , by Monday morning , sure enough the controversy had arrived . For those who missed it ( and in fact I missed it until compelled to watch it on YouTube due to the controversy ) , Cyrus put on a performance that ranged from simply bizarre to crudely offensive , with plenty of twerking and rude gestures with a foam hand more reminiscent of a drunken frat party than good art . Such a performance is bait , and I use that term on purpose , for the more sanctimonious set to thunder about the degradation of our society . Outraged parents : Miley , what were you thinking ? As if on cue , the Parents Television Council , a nonprofit `` watchdog '' group and perennial foil of naughty media everywhere , issued a press release condemning the VMAs , which , of course , succeeded in little more than drawing more attention to them . The council called also for legislation that would allow viewers to select cable stations buffet-style rather than getting stuck with multiple channels they do n't want . I 'm actually sympathetic to this kind of a la carte cable system ( although adult viewers should have the opportunity to select more adult-oriented channels if they wish and efforts to scrub cable clean seem nannyish ) . On the other hand , if you went in watching the VMAs , particularly with Lady Gaga headlining , with no clue you might see something shocking , you went in uninformed . First , let 's put things in perspective . Were elements of the VMAs artistically dubious and in poor taste , particularly if you ( somehow ) did n't see it coming ? Absolutely . Are they the end of civilization as we know it ? Absolutely not . Opinion : Miley is sexual -- get over it . Although it 's common to imply that media images such as these are harmful to minors , evidence for this has been inconsistent at best . Two early studies linked watching sexy media with small increases in the likelihood of initiating sex earlier in the teen years . However , psychologists Laurence Steinberg and Kathryn Monahan reanalyzed one of the datasets and found that , with other variables properly controlled , the influence of sexy media was negligible . And we must remember that , though explicit media are probably more available now than at any time in history , teens have been having sex later than in previous generations , and becoming pregnant less often . We have to be careful not to mix moral outrage , which may be justified , with a public health crisis when one is not apparent . Miley upholds VMAs tradition . All of this outrage appears calculated to me , however ( it does n't help that Cyrus ' father sits on the board of advisers for the Parents Television Council ) . The performers who do outrageous stuff do so on purpose because scandal sells . And `` watchdog '' groups themselves often thrive off outrage . Such groups would wither financially if it were not for the public 's outrage and fear of media . The council 's website contains handy instructions on how not just to donate money but to include the group in your estate , give stocks , an automobile , etc . Fairly common for advocacy groups to be sure , but it still gives them skin in the game . Members of these groups may act in good faith , but let 's not mistake them for objective , financially uninterested parties . The irony is that likely all the furor has probably only encouraged teens to see what all the fuss is about on YouTube . If one is serious about reducing sexual content in the media , making a big fuss only draws attention . Telling teens they should n't watch only makes them want to watch more . If you would like to see less of Cyrus twerking ( and count me among those masses ) , the answer is quite simple : Change the channel . We need less outrage , less nannying and more apathy toward such silliness . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Christopher Ferguson .
Christopher Ferguson : Miley Cyrus ' performance was calculated to spark controversy . He says the performance succeeded in drawing attention and provoking objections from watchdog group . Was it in poor taste ? Ferguson says yes , but it 's not the end of it . Ferguson : There 's little reason to believe these performances cause lasting harm .