Why Kanye Was Right!
Author: DavidJones // Category: Ethics, Movies, Pop Culture, Youth Culture
Kayne West has been called a lot of things in the past 2 days, including a “choice name” by President Barack Obama. The man who was once notorious for writing “Heartless” is now notorious for destroying the acceptance speech of Taylor Swift at the VMAs. And as far as Kanye is concerned…it’s been tremendous!
Have I caught you off guard yet? Maybe. Let me explain what I’m talking about. When Kanye stepped out during the VMAs and grabbed the mic away from Swift, it first probably seemed like a publicist’s nightmare. “He’s drunk!” “He’s gone nuts!” “What is the crazy idiot doing?” Like I said…nightmare, right? Maybe not.
Two days after the incident, EVERYONE is still talking about Kanye West and Taylor Swift. What should be a publicist’s nightmare has turned into a publicist’s dream. EVERYONE is talking about Kanye…even more so than Taylor Swift. While his stupid antic should be something that should bury his career, it won’t! In fact, I believe it might take it to new heights.
Right now, everyone thinks he’s a total idiot. Everyone “hates” Kanye West. But will that be longterm? Doubtful. Back in 2005, NBC aired a telethon to raise money for the Katrina victims. West appeared with Mike Meyers. Going completely offscript, Kayne uttered these words: George Bush doesn’t care about black people! Whether you like George W. Bush or not, those words should have killed Kanye’s career. Instead, all it did was temporarily cause outrage, yet make Kanye’s name even bigger and recognizable.
Honestly, I think Sunday night is an example of the same thing. The media and fans will be angry at Kanye West for a short time. However, once he produces his next album and big hit, all will be forgiven and his success will be taken to new heights because his name is more recognizable than ever. What he did to Taylor Swift was dirty. However, with all the media attention, appearances, and public apologies, it may actually help his career in the long run.
How can this happen? Simple! We can easily overlook the faults of celebrities as long as they keep giving us albums, movies, championships, etc. that make us happy. Fans in LA love Manny Ramirez despite his 2x (at least) steroid use. Why? He’s a great player. Rock fans overlook their favorite artists’ multiple trips to rehab and multiple relapses simply because they put out great music. When someone does something to please us, their faults don’t seem so big. As long as we are happy, everything else is excusable.
In this twisted world, maybe Kanye was “right” after all.
Tags: Kanye West, MTV, Taylor Swift, VMAs
September 15th, 2009 at 4:24 pm
You hit the nail on the head! It’s sad that as a society we allow such conduct to be condoned. By reprimanding them one minute and then going out to buy the latest cd or movie, that’s exactly what we are doing. Condoning the actions of that person…..revolting. I’m guilty of it though.
September 15th, 2009 at 7:05 pm
Correction: LA fans USED to love Manny, right now we just kinda like him like that crazy aunt you avoid until Christmas, he’ll have to start hitting better to get the love back.
Seriously though, it is twisted how fame and success work. Just one more sign of fallen people in a fallen world with priorities all out of whack because they’ve taken their eyes off of Christ, the source of all joy and complete pleasure.
September 17th, 2009 at 8:11 am
The VMA’s have been known for some time now as the awards show where the limits get pushed. This was not the Kennedy Center honors. This says more to me about Taylor Swift than Kanye West. Taylor should have rolled with the punches. She’s got awards from everywhere and been to a hundred of these shows by now. If this award actually means something to her, she’s got major self-esteem issues.
September 18th, 2009 at 5:53 pm
In response to Joe, yes Taylor Swift has plenty of awards, and whether or not the award meant anything to her isn’t important. No one that I know would be comfortable in the situation she was forced into. In front of millions of people, she had someone declare, after she had won fair and square, that another person deserved the award more than her. I think it was embarrassing more than anything. She later said that she thought all the boos she heard were people booing her. She didn’t realize they were booing Kanye. Anyway, it’s not a big deal, but I really feel like Taylor Swift has handled herself well in this situation. I’m impressed with her.