Comments

1. sweeterjuice wrote:

   I watched that clip and all I could think was, “Taylor Swift isn’t even twenty yet. She writes her own music. She’s brought a whole new bunch of teens to country music. She wins her first major award, and this asshole has to shit all over her moment.”

   Thank God Beyonce’ was there to try to make things right. She’s got class, far more than West will ever have.

   I also wish he’d've tried to pull this crap on some other singer, like Pink. West would be in the hospital right now with his jaw wired shut.

   Posted 14 Sep 2009 at 10:10 am ¶

2. Jus' Plain Ol Me wrote:

   A friend just posted the following on Facebook:

   “Young Black Americans can thank Kanye for keeping the stereotype alive. No matter how educated or successful we become, there are people who still expect us to act like Little Black Sambo. The only thing that would have made Kanye’s display better was a full out tap dance and flourish.”

   Unfortunately, she is absolutely right on a few levels. This is almost as bad as Flavor Flav’s run on Flavor of Flav, just with a bigger audience.

   And could he have picked a more sympathetic victim. She’s the lone country artist getting shine at thet show. She’s only 17. Trifling Kanye. Trifling.

   Posted 14 Sep 2009 at 10:19 am ¶

3. Jus' Plain Ol Me wrote:

   (Of course, I meant Flavor of Love – not Flavor of Flav. – And “thet” = “that” – UGH)

   Posted 14 Sep 2009 at 10:21 am ¶

4. ktrujillo wrote:

   The look on that poor girls face. Kanye…you are a certifiable ass.

   Posted 14 Sep 2009 at 10:33 am ¶

5. foshothoyo wrote:

   This was such a stunt. MTV is falling off and they wanted some buzz. This reeks of fiasco-neering. Think about it. Who honestly cares about the MTV music awards as a real gauge of artistic merit? Nobody. Everybody knows it is a corporate payola-fest. And apparently, their event security is not worth the money they are paying them, because somebody should have stepped out and stopped anyone from trying to rush the stage.

   Desperate ratings spike, anyone?

   But, you know, apart from all that…

   Posted 14 Sep 2009 at 10:37 am ¶

6. Deaf Indian Muslim Anarchist wrote:

   I feel so bad for Taylor Swift and I don’t really care about her or her music.

   What sickens me is the racist undertones under the Kanye/Taylor incident, especially on Twitter (#Kanye and #TeamTaylor were trending topics last night). There were a lot of jokes about how all the “n—-rs” were gonna be called Kanye’s from now on. and yeah, I saw some racist tweets from random folks about Kanye…

   let’s NOT bring race into this, please. Kanye is a douche, plain and simple.

   Posted 14 Sep 2009 at 10:54 am ¶

7. Chris wrote:

   Great Lens Arturo,

   Who knows the dynamics of a life of fame and fortune other than those who are in it.

   Still as someone who seems to be as race conscious as Kanye, he must at some level understand that he is a huge public figure for many people.

   Personally, it makes sense to shake things up. In pop culture, you see the direction flow one way, that any kind of objection seems to be significant. Hey, at least it opens the flood gates for people like you who have the tools and awareness to break it down and start a dialogue.

   Here’s to celebrities and their social idiosyncrasies for opening dialogues that would otherwise be cut off in a popular culture that considers itself to be above these conversations.

   Posted 14 Sep 2009 at 11:25 am ¶

8. Fiqah wrote:

   Awesome. Laughed until I cried a little. Attributing the tears to your hilarious piece and not the recession.

   Does anyone else feel really bad for Taylor Swift? She just looks so hurt!

   Posted 14 Sep 2009 at 11:32 am ¶

9. Jon wrote:

   I notice that none of Kanye’s detractors question the fact that Beyonce had the better video and should have won the award. He might have been an ass about it but he spoke truth and effectively communicated it in a way that will have the greatest impact. Politeness only works to keep a system functioning smoothly. If you don’t want a system to continue, you really have no vested interest in keeping it functioning smoothly.

   Posted 14 Sep 2009 at 11:40 am ¶

10. jen* wrote:

    I loved the awards this year for the MJ tribute and the in-house performances, which were all cool to me. I loved Janet, loved Bey, LOVED Alicia Keys w/Jay (that’s how it seemed to me – he was a guest and she was the star on that one). Green Day was cool, and Lady Gaga showed that she had a stellar voice, even if the Lady *is* from another planet.

    Pink in the air was some of the sickest ish I’ve ever seen, tho. That’s why I still watch the VMAs. I just wish they’d get a better host. I hate having to mute it every time Russell Brand comes on stage.

    Posted 14 Sep 2009 at 12:01 pm ¶

11. jen* wrote:

    somehow I didn’t get everything out…

    Since I love Taylor Swift – I think the way she writes songs is awesome and totally relatable – I was sad to see Kanye actin a fool. But I wasn’t really surprised.

    Kanye was being himself, and it’s just dispointing that he hasn’t grown any. I’d rather see him as someone with a huge heart and great character than someone who’s just got a…big ego.

    Posted 14 Sep 2009 at 12:08 pm ¶

12. Mary wrote:

    I notice that none of Kanye’s detractors question the fact that Beyonce had the better video and should have won the award. He might have been an ass about it but he spoke truth and effectively communicated it in a way that will have the greatest impact. Politeness only works to keep a system functioning smoothly. If you don’t want a system to continue, you really have no vested interest in keeping it functioning smoothly.

    I’m sorry, but Kanye humiliated a teenager in front of a huge audience during what should have been a proud moment for her. That isn’t a question of politeness, it’s a question of human decency.

    This is coming from someone who generally loathes Taylor Swift, btw.

    Posted 14 Sep 2009 at 12:30 pm ¶

13. Sean wrote:

    I stopped watching MTV sometime around the end of the “Downtown” Julie Brown era, but I saw Kanye’s latest episode on YouTube. A few thoughts:

    Yeah, Kanye was an ass. The look on Taylor’s face as she stood there bewildered was heartbreaking, but I don’t believe for a moment that MTV had no clue that Kanye was going to make a spectacle at some point in the show. The whole thing seemed about as spontaneous and unplanned as nipplegate.

    I’m hardly surprised that all the racists once again attribute the actions of one solitary black man to the many. Nevermind that Beyonce (who I am not a particular fan of) brought some class into the situation by calling Taylor back to the stage so she could finish her speech. This is akin to the recent Serena Williams incident, where the racist idiots decided to have a field day.

    In the final wash, I guess these folks are feeling helpless as they watch the old order slip away.

    Kanye is still an ass, however.

    Posted 14 Sep 2009 at 12:31 pm ¶

14. Carmen Van Kerckhove wrote:

    > let’s NOT bring race into this, please. Kanye is a douche, plain and simple.

    Deaf Indian Muslim Anarchist – I agree that sentiments like “all the “n—-rs” were gonna be called Kanye’s from now on” are pretty despicable. And from that angle, I agree that race should be left out of it.

    But from a different perspective, I think race has everything to do with this event.

    We ran a great post on Anti-Racist Parent awhile back in which Vera coined the term “racism radar”: http://bit.ly/2Ua8wN

    The idea being, we all have one. For some of us it’s turned all the way down so that we refuse to recognize even the most blatant forms of racism. But for others, and I would count Kanye among them, it’s turned all the way up so that they see racial conspiracy around every corner.

    Yes, Kanye’s a douche. But I also think that a lot of his outbursts are at least partially due to the fact that the constant running commentary in his brain to everything is “Man, this is racist. Fuck this shit!”

    Sometimes he’s absolutely on the money and he says what a lot of us are more or less thinking (”George Bush doesn’t care about black people”).

    But most of the time it just seems self-serving and misplaced, as it did last night.

    Posted 14 Sep 2009 at 12:52 pm ¶

15. Carmen Van Kerckhove wrote:

    On another note, WTF was up with Lil Mama crashing the Jay-Z / Alicia Keys performance? That was just bizarre.

    Posted 14 Sep 2009 at 12:53 pm ¶

16. ktrujillo wrote:

    Politeness only works to keep a system functioning smoothly. If you don’t want a system to continue, you really have no vested interest in keeping it functioning smoothly.

    You know this is the same excuse some people made for the jackass that heckled the president.

    Vested interest? I don’t know if you noticed but Kanye is part and parcel of the ’system’. He was at an awards show participating in, supporting and celebrating…the ’system’. This whole ‘voice in the wilderness’ narrative ain’t gonna fly.

    As for the loss of civility, there are too many powerful and effective people who have shown that this is not a necessary part of dissent. At some point you have to refuse to become what you despise.

    Posted 14 Sep 2009 at 1:01 pm ¶

17. Freakzeek wrote:

    There gonna replace the n-word with Kayne? IDK whether to laugh or cry And if they are i just want to say Kayne had a Kayne moment

    Posted 14 Sep 2009 at 1:51 pm ¶

18. Suitepuma wrote:

    MTV reminds me of those hotels back in the day that would allow Black artists to perform but they had to sneak out the back and couldn’t stay overnight… i dunno why exactly but Ive always got that kind of feeling from MTV

    … They have a funny relationship w/Black people. On one hand they do not really favor Blacks but once in a while they will throw their Black artists a bone despite their history of Black entertainers making MTVs popularity possible.

    As for Kanye’s crackhead outburst–MTV is at least 50% at fault bcuz…
    1) They invited him despite his history w/them
    2) They allowed him to drink a 40 ounce on the red carpet!

    IMO They should be THANKING Kanye for bringing the controversy (which by their actions they obviously asked for) bcuz aside from Janet Jacksons emotional tribute to her brother, the VMAs–once again–sucked hardcore and would have been forgettable

    Posted 14 Sep 2009 at 2:07 pm ¶

19. Evan wrote:

    Well…I seem to recall Kanye West made a comment about George W. Bush on live television during a Hurricane Katrina recovery telethon.

    He was right…George W. Bush doesn’t really care about black people much. I applauded Kanye for making that statement.

    However…

    I would hope that someone has the balls to go on MTV and exclaim on live television: “Kanye West Hates White People”. Because this is the honest to God’s fucking truth. Commentators called out Kanye as “trifling” and as a “douchebag”. I would add racist to that mix.

    Beyonce has more class in her pinky finger than Kanye’s entire body. And I sincerely hope that MTV/Viacom considers terminating the services of West because of his racist behavior.

    Posted 14 Sep 2009 at 2:39 pm ¶

20. ton wrote:

    “I notice that none of Kanye’s detractors question the fact that Beyonce had the better video and should have won the award. He might have been an ass about it but he spoke truth and effectively communicated it in a way that will have the greatest impact.”

    I don’t consider myself a ‘Ye detractor per se, but it’s worth pointing out that Beyonce wasn’t even nominated in that category, and therefore could not have won the award at all.

    So it’s not like Kanye was outraged that the judges got it wrong, and unable to contain his disbelief, stormed onstage. I mean, if he was waiting for the judges to validate his opinion on Beyonce’s vid by declaring her the winner, he was doomed from jump, since she wasn’t even nominated for that one . . .?

    http://www.mtv.com/ontv/vma/2009/best-female-video/

    Posted 14 Sep 2009 at 2:49 pm ¶

21. FilthyGrandeur wrote:

    everyone’s discussing how Kanye stole Taylor’s moment–let’s also recognize that he stole from Biance too, since if she hadn’t given up her time for Taylor, she would have looked like the bad guy, even though Kanye was the one who ruined everything. Melissa at Shakesville does a great takedown of this.

    Posted 14 Sep 2009 at 2:57 pm ¶

22. DivergentDana wrote:

    “On another note, WTF was up with Lil Mama crashing the Jay-Z / Alicia Keys performance? That was just bizarre.”

    It really was. I wondered if she won an “Improve Your Street Cred” raffle, or something.

    Posted 14 Sep 2009 at 3:01 pm ¶

23. jen* wrote:

    I totally missed Lil Mama at the end, there…I’ll hafta go back and catch that. But as for Bey not bein’ nominated for best female vid – I thought she was.

    BEST FEMALE VIDEO
    Beyonce, “Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)”
    Katy Perry, “Hot N Cold”
    Kelly Clarkson, “My Life Would Suck Without You”
    Lady Gaga, “Poker Face”
    P!nk, “So What”
    Taylor Swift, “You Belong With Me”

    Posted 14 Sep 2009 at 3:27 pm ¶

24. B wrote:

    Sometimes I wonder if Kanye West is bipolar or suffering from some other psychiatric disorder. His behavior is often irrational, paranoid, non sequitur… Unfortunately the other people around him are probably too sycophantic, desensitized or ignorant to identify what may be truly wrong with him and provide help.

    Posted 14 Sep 2009 at 3:31 pm ¶

25. prvlgd cdn wrote:

    Also, Beyonce’s video was a good video, but it was not one of the greatest of all time. Very good choreography, but the direction is kind of pedestrian–effective, but pedestrian. So I think KW should have kept his powder dry.

    Haven’t seen the Swift one.

    Posted 14 Sep 2009 at 3:56 pm ¶

26. April217 wrote:

    Where I’m not a huge fan of Taylor’s music, my heart went out to her. Despite what outcome some may have wanted, she was no less deserving of her award. Country music has been ignored by MTV since the first day of broadcasting. Taylor’s crossover appeal and success should be recognized and respected.

    Beyonce proved herself to be a class act. She could have ignored the situation, but she took it upon herself to try to inject a little dignity into such a ridiculous spectacle. I could not have been more pleased by her grace and maturity. Bravo.

    Kanye is a complete idiot. His behavior offends me as a human being (and a Chicagoan). Where I personally don’t find this to be a racial issue (more about class) I am suspicious of Kanye’s views on race. However, I am appalled at MTV. This is not Kanye’s first offense at one of their events. When are they going to show some backbone? Stop inviting him! They’ve banned others in the past. If he wins an award just mail it to him.

    Posted 14 Sep 2009 at 4:04 pm ¶

27. ktrujillo wrote:

    Well…I seem to recall Kanye West made a comment about George W. Bush on live television during a Hurricane Katrina recovery telethon.

    He was right…George W. Bush doesn’t really care about black people much. I applauded Kanye for making that statement.

    Even a broken clock is right twice a day….doesn’t mean it can tell time worth a damn.

    Posted 14 Sep 2009 at 4:31 pm ¶

28. Urban Suburbinite wrote:

    @ Suitepuma ITA with everything you said.

    @Evan who said, “I would add racist to that mix.”

    My fiance noticed the that Kanye only bumrushes the helpless sort of white people. He said that if it had been him accepting an award, knowing Kanye’s track record. The minute he saw Mr. West approaching, he would have interrupted his acceptance speech just to say, “Don’t even fucking think about it Kanye! This is MY moment bitch.”

    @Sean who said, “I don’t believe for a moment that MTV had no clue that Kanye was going to make a spectacle at some point in the show. ”

    I agree. There is so much security at those shows, NO-ONE is getting on that stage unless Viacom wants them to. This is so staged. But I fear that maybe the producers didn’t Let Taylor in on it though.

    Posted 14 Sep 2009 at 4:37 pm ¶

29. ton wrote:

    Ah true, interesting. My bad, i guess the link I consulted and posted was inaccurate and/or not up to date.

    Posted 14 Sep 2009 at 4:41 pm ¶

30. Arturo wrote:

    The pro wrestling aspect of the whole thing is certainly coming into greater focus today. Take this tweet from TNA announcer Jeremy Borash:

    Kanye heels on poor sympathetic babyface Taylor complete with Beyonce comeback and save…all 3 sell more on iTunes. Booking 101.

    And guess who’s booked to appear on the premiere of Jay Leno’s new show tonight?

    Ding Ding Ding!

    Posted 14 Sep 2009 at 4:50 pm ¶

31. Kaonashi wrote:

    Sometimes, Kanye needs to discover the fine art of SHUTTING THE FUCK UP and practice it, because that completely wasn’t necessary. What made it even worse is that Taylor is actually a fan of his music and her face lit up with excitement when he initially hit the stage. If this WAS a stunt, someone forgot to let Taylor in on the joke because she was close to bawling onstage.

    Of course all the bigots and racists came out of the woodwork to have a field day; it’s what they DO and honestly, who cares what they think? That’s like expecting a snake to be anything other than a snake. If being an ignorant douchebag was criteria for n***** behaviour, then there’s a lot of people in the news this week that fit that shoe. The goodness of Beyonce was (of course) lost on this crowd. But anyways–

    I think everyone was blasted on something last night, because the VMAs haven’t been this crazy in a long time, from Lil Mama’s crazy ass jumping on stage uninvited to join JayZ and Alicia Keys, to Lady Gaga dressed up like the Red Queen being led onstage by a confused Eninem to…actually, everything Lady Gaga did last night was full of lols.

    Posted 14 Sep 2009 at 4:51 pm ¶

32. 9jah wrote:

    “Young Black Americans can thank Kanye for keeping the stereotype alive. No matter how educated or successful we become, there are people who still expect us to act like Little Black Sambo. The only thing that would have made Kanye’s display better was a full out tap dance and flourish.”

    Unfortunately, she is absolutely right on a few levels. This is almost as bad as Flavor Flav’s run on Flavor of Flav, just with a bigger audience.
    ——————————————-

    Please don’t co-sign this. Kanye actions and thoughts are his alone…as if this need be emphasized. Racists MUST be held accountable for their bigotry. Black people/PoC can’t be held captive and have every thought and action take account of others’ bigotry.

    Black people in US were castigated for being dumb centuries ago while we were being deprived of an education. There is a black president and the castigation is still there. The fact is, bigotry has always been and remains the problem of the bigot. Kanye acted a fool; anyone who uses this to conveniently entrench their bigotry is – no more, no less – a bigot.

    Posted 14 Sep 2009 at 4:54 pm ¶

33. 9jah wrote:

    Previous post should have said:

    “black, bi-racial president”

    Posted 14 Sep 2009 at 4:55 pm ¶

34. Alexia wrote:

    Jon wrote:
    “I notice that none of Kanye’s detractors question the fact that Beyonce had the better video and should have won the award. ”

    It is my understanding that Beyonce won video of the YEAR for that video. Video of the YEAR is the biggest award at the VMA’s. No, I’m not saying that Kanye should have had ESP and known this beforehand, but I have learned in life that when you sit down, be still, close your mouth and open your ears, you can avoid so much personal ass-making.

    I’ve not seen either of the videos in question since 1.) I don’t have a TV and 2.) even if I had one I wouldn’t be caught dead watching MTV (and don’t even get me started on BET). However, if the VMA’s are as political as everyone says they are, it looks like everyone got what their award proportionally. The up-and-coming 17 year old country singer girl who writes her own music got her Best Female Video, and the hugest pop star ever (still trying to figure out why ’cause homegirl sho’ can’t sing) got the hugest award at the show – Video of the YEAR.

    Kanye needs therapy.

    Posted 14 Sep 2009 at 4:56 pm ¶

35. 9jah wrote:

    @ Carmen:
    “On another note, WTF was up with Lil Mama crashing the Jay-Z / Alicia Keys performance? That was just bizarre.”

    Lil’ Mama is a NYer and the song gave a very strong nod to NY. She probably couldn’t help herself and jumped in. In her defense, it is common in hip hop for acknowledged peers to jump on stage and join the fray.

    Jay-Z visibly blew her off though.

    Posted 14 Sep 2009 at 5:02 pm ¶

36. 9jah wrote:

    “Politeness only works to keep a system functioning smoothly. If you don’t want a system to continue, you really have no vested interest in keeping it functioning smoothly.”
    ———————————–
    He could have written an open letter. Not saying I am not suspicious of hollow “nominations” of black artists and actors but there are infinitely more sensible and constructive ways to address this than what Kanye did.

    @ Evan,
    “I would hope that someone has the balls to go on MTV and exclaim on live television: “Kanye West Hates White People”.”
    —————————————–
    I challenge the assertion that Kanye “hates” white people. What’s the basis?

    Posted 14 Sep 2009 at 5:09 pm ¶

37. cb3n wrote:

    @Carmen Van Kerckhove

    I agree %100 that based on Kanye’s past statements and behaviors, both good and bad, that he was probably trying to bring race into the situation himself. I also agree that, like any time race is brought up in our popular culture, a lot of what has been said since the incident is pretty abhorrent. Thank you for making those points.

    I also wanted to point out that Kanye’s actions last night really overshadowed the historical significance of the moment, which is a shame because I think it deserves notice. Last night, Taylor Swift became the first country artist to ever receive an award from MTV (Sheryl Crow was nominated for the same award but didn’t win in 1994). That’s huge in terms of popular culture, especially when we consider that the specific type of new generation pop-country, in all it’s iterations, that Taylor Swift is part of could reasonably be called the soundtrack to the anti-Obama movement. I personally love country music, but I hate it’s general politics, and I think the surge in popularity spearheaded by artists like Swift, Brad Paisley, Miley Cyrus et al being enjoyed by all of Nashville deserves to be acknowledged alongside talking about birthers and irrational healthcare reform opponents. It’s a shame that Kanye’s actions dampened the historical significance of the first time someone from the Nashville music industry has really been openly recognized by the separate mainstream music industry. I think it’s a really interesting moment in pop culture history that reflects some of the political stuff that’s going on right now. I also think Kanye’s comment in his apology about being “a fan of real pop culture” is misleading and absurd.

    Posted 14 Sep 2009 at 5:10 pm ¶

38. Deaf Indian Muslim Anarchist wrote:

    Someone here said that Kanye is racist against white peoople. Is he really? (and yeah, he has a white GF, which doesn’t mean anything, I know… but just pointing it out)

    Posted 14 Sep 2009 at 5:10 pm ¶

39. Roxie wrote:

    His “apology” has been set to music
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HVi7PUszZU

    Posted 14 Sep 2009 at 5:32 pm ¶

40. SeattleSlim wrote:

    cb3n,

    I couldn’t agree with you more. I personally can’t stand present day country music for the very same points you mentioned. It seems almost Orwellian in its purpose…and meanings.

    There’s something in Johnny Cash and Patsy that is organic. This country music today? Not so much. It’s very polarizing. I don’t know….it just leaves a sour taste in my mouth.

    I really think that we should most definitely be talking about your points raised.

    There are certain movements in pop culture that need to be monitored and examined for their very real ramifications.

    Posted 14 Sep 2009 at 5:44 pm ¶

41. distance88 wrote:

    I don’t know how so many people are able to stomach all of the tripe that MTV broadcasts these days. Seriously, what the f*** does the ‘M’ stand for?

    But more to the issue, I think Kanye will always have the last laugh because the longer he acts like an ass, the longer everyone will be talking about him. Which is probably what this is all about.

    Posted 14 Sep 2009 at 5:50 pm ¶

42. Tiffany wrote:

    Kanye West simply has no class, no respect, and no manners. This has nothing to do with who should have won the award vs who shouldn’t have won.

    Thankfully because Beyonce has class she gave Taylor back her moment.

    Posted 14 Sep 2009 at 6:15 pm ¶

43. jen* wrote:

    just rewatched the Jay-Z number with Lil Mama…the song was SO NYC, that I can totally see getting caught up in the moment. However, she totally did look bizarre up there. And got blown off like 9jah said.

    Posted 14 Sep 2009 at 6:17 pm ¶

44. bertie wrote:

    wow..I’m really slippin. It never occurred to me that Kanye–a dude with a history of acting a complete fool–would be used to throw salt on all black like myself.

    I know that we often collectively get taxed for the screw ups of individual blacks, but for some reason I felt Kanye asshatitude, much like Obama’s appeal, transcended race so much so that he was, in effect, a post racial @sshole. Dayum….fooled again by this post racial nonsense.

    Posted 14 Sep 2009 at 6:22 pm ¶

45. m. wrote:

    Kanye? Shut the hell up. Quit posting nonsensical rants in your blog. It’s all in your head, nobody cares half as much about you as YOU. You are like the goddamn bully on the playground nobody wants to deal with because you’ll take all their lunch money if they’re a student and then get your parents to go after the teachers if they so much as dare chastise you. Pathetic.

    I once joked with some friends that him and Beyonce would make a great couple because they’re both so in love with themselves while also completely lacking all that imagined talent. (Am I the only one who notices how weak Beyonce’s voice is? Are people’s expectations that low these days?) Now I’m not so sure.

    Posted 14 Sep 2009 at 7:26 pm ¶

46. jchang wrote:

    If Mr. West keeps making a habit of this, his name will become a verb for interrupting people during “their moment”. If it hasn’t already happened, that is.

    “Hey, what happened last night? Why did Ed kanye you on stage?”

    For his sake, I hope he develops a little more self-consciousness and foresight, because I still enjoy his productions.

    Posted 14 Sep 2009 at 7:34 pm ¶

47. PPR_Scribe wrote:

    I’m with you, bertie. Between this and Serena Williams’ outburst I have really been slipping on my duties to keep other Black folk in line lest they cast a bad light on me and my Black family and friends. I’ll have to get right on that…

    Posted 14 Sep 2009 at 7:59 pm ¶

48. PPR_Scribe wrote:

    Just my two cents: cb3n’s comment deserves an entire post.

    Posted 14 Sep 2009 at 8:01 pm ¶

49. merq wrote:

    Come on, Arturo. You know that Kanye-Swift-Beyonce thing was staged, right?

    Will only state one of the obvious proof points here… why was Swift conveniently backstage when Beyonce called her to the stage? Her performance ended almost an hour earlier, and it was the final award of the night, so she definitely wasn’t presenting. Smells odd, no?

    This is what happens when you live in a 24-7 choreographed celebrity gossip cycle. C’mon, these are the same people who want you to believe “The Hills” is real!!

    This was just a pathetic rehash of a familiar narrative. Unfortunately, they know that most people won’t question this familiar narrative they’re being fed because it’s too easy/satisfying to resist. Much like when Naomi Campbell throws yet another fashionable projectile at yet another employee, or when Michael Jackson molests yet another tween boy, Kanye’s misbehavior is believed because it’s expected… this is “what he/she does,” although conventional logic would seemingly suggest that even if they were guilty the first time, they would learn to switch up their MO to avoid subsequent backlash.

    That said, Kanye was a complete idiot for agreeing to this. Bad form, man.

    Posted 14 Sep 2009 at 10:32 pm ¶

50. ashlynn wrote:

    First off, I laughed my ass off when this happened. TiVo, dahling, you are a gem. In retrospect, hmm. In one way, it was a cheap shot. But on the other, it’s like this: IMO, I could see Kanye railing at MTV a bit, and Taylor just happened to be in the middle. I’m sure no one here is a stranger to the garbage MTV promotes nowadays. And on top of that, when was the last time Taylor Swift was country? Homegirl is straight pop now. Everything is fucking sugar coated and shiny and prepackaged and watered-down and censored to NO end, and people buy that shit up! Enough! And even though I am HARDLY a fan of Beyonce- actually, when Kanye was talking, my mind automatically replaced Beyonce with Lady GaGa- you can’t tell me that those videos were on the same level.

    I don’t think people fully grasp Kanye’s rise to stardom. As was wonderfully described in the post, he was pretty much left for dead before his career was even born, and he fought like all hell to save it. And look now- the whole world sees this dude as one of the last artists in GENERAL who have quality and quantity to back him up. Which is also why I’m not buying these celebrity reactions one fucking bit. Please, Kanye puts food on your table.

    But lastly, dude is definitely still feeling his mom’s death. Broke up with the girl he came up with, is now dragging around arm candy who really serves no purpose to anyone. I think it’s time for him to really get over that and the obvious animosity he’s feeling at the whole industry in general, because at this point he’s really starting to dig that proverbial hole.

    Posted 14 Sep 2009 at 10:51 pm ¶

51. ashlynn wrote:

    ALSO: Can I add how STAGED this all seemed? I mean, that setup for the golden child that is Beyonce to come in and save the day! Brings out Taylor and look- they’re even matching! How sweet! I smell dollars- I mean, a duet! Not to mention that it was awfully coincidental that after that, Kanye won NOTHING.

    Posted 14 Sep 2009 at 10:54 pm ¶

52. silverlight wrote:

    Ugh, one of the things that pisses me off the most about this is that without Kanye’s dumbass stunt, the most talked about part of the show would have been Janet’s tribute to her brother. Granted, it’s still generally regarded as the BEST part of this year’s awards, but I want the headlines to be about HOW MUCH JANET KICKED ASS, not what an ass Kanye is.

    Posted 14 Sep 2009 at 10:59 pm ¶

53. Summer wrote:

    Ehh I feeel like this whole thing was staged. As someone on a forum pointed out, when Beyonce came out and allowed Taylor to speak it was irksome she didn’t thank Beyonce on stage and just acted like she ‘deserved’ another chance. And all the references of Taylor (19) being a ‘little girl’ just kinda rubbed me the wrong way.

    I’d hate to bring race into this, BUT

    How did it ever occur to Kanye, that as a black man that ‘humiliating’ the young, blonde haired, blue eyes country pop singer was a good idea in any shape, way, or form?

    Posted 14 Sep 2009 at 11:06 pm ¶

54. Nin wrote:

    Kanye West has single-handedly saved the music industry more than once.

    However, watching Taylor Swift looking so confused and lost on stage was horrible, staged or not, he should NOT have done this.

    Truth is Kanye West means money, he gets everyone talking, he’s a human spotlight and MTV needs him. It’s time for Kanye to start protecting himself because his music is brilliant, people will not stop listening and buying his work, but using the media is different than being used by the media. He can’t let that happen. He’s too good, a breath of fresh air and music needs him to keep it up.

    Posted 14 Sep 2009 at 11:21 pm ¶

55. najah wrote:

    i really think poor ‘ye is still mourning the loss of his mother. i hope he gets some help soon…

    Posted 14 Sep 2009 at 11:39 pm ¶

56. Freakzeek wrote:

    As Much As I think his doucheness trascends race….due to media attention this incident does seem like another case of Vile black man vs. poor innocent snowflake country girl

    Posted 15 Sep 2009 at 2:02 am ¶

57. Gunfighter wrote:

    I’m not a Taylor Swift fan. I’m not a Beyonce fan (although I do have “Single Ladies” on my Ipod. I don’t know that I have ever heard a Kanye West song played althe way through. I have no preferential dog in this fight. Having said all of that, I have to say that West should be ashamed of himself.

    “My mom died two years ago. Now I have to behave like an uncouth boor”

    Pardon my language, but that is just bullshit. Kanye West is a spoiled, ill-behaved punk.

    http://gunfighter1.typepad.com/warrior/2009/09/a-letter-to-kanye-west.html

    Posted 15 Sep 2009 at 7:10 am ¶

58. Moni wrote:

    I am pretty sure that the Beyonce / Taylor thing was negotiated prior to going live so that Taylor would be prepared to come on stage. Still a classy act, imo.

    Posted 15 Sep 2009 at 9:15 am ¶

59. butchrebel wrote:

    @Carmen Van Kerckhove
    Carmen wrote: “For some of us it’s turned all the way down so that we refuse to recognize even the most blatant forms of racism. But for others, and I would count Kanye among them, it’s turned all the way up so that they see racial conspiracy around every corner.

    Yes, Kanye’s a douche. But I also think that a lot of his outbursts are at least partially due to the fact that the constant running commentary in his brain to everything is “Man, this is racist. Fuck this shit!”

    Sometimes he’s absolutely on the money and he says what a lot of us are more or less thinking (”George Bush doesn’t care about black people”).”

    Thanks for saying this — I was trying to find words to express how I feel and I couldn’t — you did, though, thanks. I totally agree with your statements here

    @All racialicious’ folks:)

    I am also disturbed by the way in which a multi-racial public and a predominantly white media is interpreting Kanye’s actions.

    The way in which Kanye West’s actions are is being interpreted is reproducing an all too familiar narrative: the Big Bad Black Wolf (that’s Kanye) viciously and unjustly assaults an innocent, defenseless white barely-a-woman cherub-lamb, Taylor Swift.

    And Taylor provides the perfect image of white woman victimhood: long, flowing blond hair; blued eyes; thin; attractive (by white supremacist beauty standards); virginal (in presentation) — and a country star who sings about easy, breezy, beautiful things like love and cheerleading (unlike Kanye whose music goes where “respectable” folks never should in polite conversation: religion and politics — politics that critique white supremacy — not palatable — not palatable at all)! And Taylor Swift — she’s straight outta the Bible Belt! What’s more “American” than Taylor Swift!

    Kanye’s actions, I believe, are being interpreted as an expression of what those who have internalized and themselves mobilize white supremacist discourse know: black men, who can always be counted on to behave badly — drink too much, swear, and talk out of turn — are “natural” predators with a predilection for preying on innocent, unstained white women & white girls.

    I once attended a public speech given by Randall Robinson, a black man & author of “The Debt”. Robinson said, “Racism makes you crazy.”

    Perhaps, racism made Kanye crazy.

    He’s not alone. In response to this situation (and so many others), racism has brought “the crazy” out in a lot of us.

    Posted 15 Sep 2009 at 11:08 am ¶

60. Ladyrindy wrote:

    A lot of things about this bother me. Kanye is a douche, race has nothing to do with it. I’m so sick of when one black person screws up, then the “you know how THEY are” crap starts. I don’t care if it was white on white, black on black, white to black, or black to white, Kanye was tacky, disrespectful, and classless to do that to anyone, let alone a 19 year old. Beyonce was classy for giving Taylor her moment at the expense of her own, but let it be known that Kanye ruined not only Taylor’s moment, but the whole vibe of the show.

    Despite this nut, I actually thought this was a great show. Janet onstage dancing was wonderful, Madonna’s eulogy was spot on, the performances in general were great, and I noticed that Lady Gaga is quite talented. Too bad this will be the VMA’s known as the Kanye travesty.

    Posted 15 Sep 2009 at 11:25 am ¶

61. butchrebel wrote:

    And:

    Fascinating (not really) how the same folks who declare the “Obama Age” a “post-racial” one (who the *F* made up that term!) — the same folks who cry and piss all over themselves when, in their perception, the “race card” has been dealt over and over and over again (”Any white person who criticizes Obama is branded a racist!” That’s not fair!” After all, what does comparing Obama to Hitler have to do with race? *please detect sarcasm here*) — these are the same folks that are calling Kanye West a “racist” because of his public censuring of MTV (which is mistaken for a censure of Taylor Swift).

    Kanye didn’t tell the world that Taylor Swift’s racial whiteness rendered her permanently undeserving of an award.

    I believe the “racism” cries is the manifestion of more white anxiety in the “Obama Age” — the age where many whites perceive their institutional supremacy is waning.

    Setting aside the misuse of the term “racist” to describe a person of color (defined roughly: “racism” refers to racial prejudice that is supported and maintained institutional power — institutional power that, in the U.S. context, confers unearned privileges onto whites, who benefit from the institutionalized racial oppression of people of color. “Race prejudice” refers to an individual’s/group’s belief in the racial inferiority of another group. Race prejudice is also expressed in stereotypes and the fear or hatred of a particular race/s) — so, since people of color do not wield the institutional power to oppress white people as a group — people of color cannot be racist. People of color can and do harbor race prejudice.

    Kanye’s personal feelings about/views on white people aside — I can accept perspectives that assert West used Taylor — subconsciously or consciously — to “act out” some kind of (racialized) animosity rooted in his experience of institutionalized racism as a person of color in a music industry whose most powerful and profitable positions are occupied by mostly white men.

    But to state that Kanye “hates white people” and is a “racist” over-simplifies and distorts the issue.

    And, I believe, that anyone who claims that Kanye “hates white people” and is “racist” because of what he did at the VMA’s is implicitly indicting any person of color or white ally who resists or challenges white supremacy — whether consciously or subconsciously, or in ways deemed respectful or disrespectful — as a “white people hater” and “racist” for doing so.

    That is… not useful:)

    Posted 15 Sep 2009 at 11:35 am ¶

62. Zahra wrote:

    @FilthyGrandeur

    Thanks for that link to Melissa from Shakesville. Love the point that we’re not talking about what Kanye took away from Beyonce.

    Posted 15 Sep 2009 at 12:08 pm ¶

63. Freakzeek wrote:

    “The way in which Kanye West’s actions are is being interpreted is reproducing an all too familiar narrative: the Big Bad Black Wolf (that’s Kanye) viciously and unjustly assaults an innocent, defenseless white barely-a-woman cherub-lamb, Taylor Swift.

    And Taylor provides the perfect image of white woman victimhood: long, flowing blond hair; blued eyes; thin; attractive (by white supremacist beauty standards); virginal (in presentation) — and a country star who sings about easy, breezy, beautiful things like love and cheerleading (unlike Kanye whose music goes where “respectable” folks never should in polite conversation: religion and politics — politics that critique white supremacy — not palatable — not palatable at all)! And Taylor Swift — she’s straight outta the Bible Belt! What’s more “American” than Taylor Swift!

    Kanye’s actions, I believe, are being interpreted as an expression of what those who have internalized and themselves mobilize white supremacist discourse know: black men, who can always be counted on to behave badly — drink too much, swear, and talk out of turn — are “natural” predators with a predilection for preying on innocent, unstained white women & white girls.”-Butch Rebel, You Heard the nail RIGHT ON THE HEAD. I though i was the only one who noticed this. and of course NOBODY MENTIONS HOW KANYE WEST INTERRUPTED WHEN JUSTICE WON THE BEST VIDEO AWARD

    Posted 15 Sep 2009 at 1:32 pm ¶

64. pinksghetti wrote:

    While I think what Kanye West did was uncalled for too many people are taking this much too seriously. I think Taylor Swift is a very pretty, talented young woman and I like her music but what Kanye did was what he always does, nothing more nothing less. I don’t think Taylor’s ethnicity has anything to do with what he did, maybe he really thinks Beyonce had the best video this decade (it was very popular on Youtube and everyone was talking about it). Most videos these days are boring anyway especially, ironically to videos from the 80’s and 90’s so Kanye just thought Beyonce did something with a low budget that was entertaining. Everyone is saying how TS looked sad and frightened. It’s not like KW is some stranger off the street he is an artist who gets overly emotional. TS will be more popular than ever but I hope that KW gets some people around him who truly cares about him before he self-destructs especially with this huge back lash against him (hopefully it will settle down).

    Posted 15 Sep 2009 at 3:54 pm ¶

65. Madams wrote:

    “I notice that none of Kanye’s detractors question the fact that Beyonce had the better video and should have won the award. ”

    Beyonce’s video was better–which is why she won the overall category of Best Video of the Year. Taylor Swift won because there’s no need for anyone to win both categories.

    Kanye was a jerk who jumped the gun.

    Posted 15 Sep 2009 at 3:54 pm ¶

66. Asada wrote:

    @ foshothoyo
    I have to agree. I didnt even know MTV had its VMA’s until I heard about kanye’s rant. I dont care that he had alcohal at the event. He was stupid.

    Posted 15 Sep 2009 at 4:44 pm ¶

67. jaye wrote:

    I’m amazed at the overreaction to Kanye. Yes, what Kanye did was rude…not only to Taylor and Beyonce, but also that it was a Michael Jackson tribute. But all he did was interrupt some pop star’s acceptance speech…he didn’t stab somebody or start a war, and he apologized. Why are people reacting so strongly to this?

    What is most interesting to me is the undertone of race in the overreaction, not necessarily here, but in general. One pop star interrupted another pop star’s speech at the MTV awards…that’s really about the extent of the story. But now it’s become…Obama scolds another black man, Kanye hates white people…it seems like these situations are bringing up a lot of anxiety and hidden feelings around race. Unable to say it directly, you can tell a lot about what people are thinking about race in reactions to situations like these.

    Posted 15 Sep 2009 at 5:12 pm ¶

68. chicagorose wrote:

    butchrebel@reply 59

    Perfect.

    Posted 15 Sep 2009 at 6:07 pm ¶

69. 7thangel wrote:

    srsly, i’m sick and tired of being sick and tired of black people using that meme ‘’so and so’ is putting black people back/bring back a stereotypes/etc and making all of us look bad’ puhleeze.
    anybody that makes one persons actions, which as douchy as it was doesn’t resemble any sambo/cooning/stepin fecthit/ traits at all, indicative of a whole people felt that way anyways. maybe if it was a wayan, shuckin’ and jivin’ buggin his eyes and saying ‘you so white an’ pretty’ but that didn’t happen.

    i own my actions and there’s no bloody way i’m going to temper anything i do or say because it may give black folk a bad name. and i don’t expect others to do that either. i’m a realist, i know what many people feel, and that goes back centuries and has been solidified by society.
    what would make anybody think ‘acting proper’, ’showing class’ or any ‘positive’ moves would change peoples indoctrination and sub-conscious. beliefs alone? you do something because it’s the way you want to live, the way you, yourself, want to be seen, and what you believe to be right…or wrong and the gray area between.

    we all know the difference between the way things are and the way things should be

    kanye has been a douche for quite some time, he effed up thinking that his target pop audience wouldn’t mind him doing that. should he have known that the big black man vs the innocent white girl hasn’t disappeared, hell yeah, but he shouldn’t have done it in the first place.

    but mtv must love it because count me as another that didn’t even know the vmas were even on.

    Posted 15 Sep 2009 at 6:33 pm ¶

70. Montclair Mommy wrote:

    @jaye: cosign on that. Why do people get so into this? Who cares? I mean, I might be jaded, but I found this hilarious. Yeah, yeah, it was a dick move, probably staged, but I also can’t seem to make myself feel sorry for Taylor. She’s a rich, popular, and attractive pop singer. Its not like she doesn’t have a platform from which to blather on about nothing accessible to her whenever she wants one. I mean, really, painting her a helpless victim is a little bit over the top. I just don’t buy it.

    Posted 15 Sep 2009 at 9:16 pm ¶

71. m. wrote:

    Not about race/ism, not about mental illnesses (please – attributing this to such a thing, even BPD, is just offensive to those who struggle with them), not about death/loss…this is about Kanye West, The Promotion Of. He is a whiny little punk who needs to get smacked upside the head. His music isn’t “brilliant” (or even that great), he hasn’t contributed anything new or innovative to the industry, et cetera. I have no idea what people are even listening to these days to get that idea…obviously, him. He’s a bore, a self-made martyr and a paranoid idiot. Why else would he have to act up like this? People make excuses for him because he is famous; when you’re as “big” as him, you’re allowed to have your head shoved all the way up your own.

    Oh, and he hasn’t done anything for other pop acts (that’s all he is, like it or not). They’d all survive without him.

    Posted 15 Sep 2009 at 11:11 pm ¶

72. m. wrote:

    * Oh, and by “not about race/ism” I mean I don’t think Kanye’s actions were informed by it, unless he saw this as the opportune chance to act out BECAUSE Taylor Swift is a white girl. Otherwise, he is just an ass and a self-made martyr. This is not about “not caring about white people” (LOL, please), this is about KANYE only thinking of KANYE. Sorry, I wasn’t very clear.

    Posted 15 Sep 2009 at 11:52 pm ¶

73. atlasien wrote:

    Here’s a blogger who argues (pretty convincingly) that it is about mental disability.

    Posted 16 Sep 2009 at 7:33 am ¶

74. RCHOUDH wrote:

    What does everyone think of MSM’s rabid reporting of Obama’s take on the situation, in which he called Kanye a jackass? I thought it was uncalled for the media to report on his own privately held opinion (even though he did divulge that opinion to an ABC news reporter which wasn’t a smart move) without his prior knowledge and consent. I also think some people are poking fun at this like it’s some black on black conflict. Chelsea Handler of the Chelsea lately show, joked that she thinks Kanye will start claiming Obama doesn’t care about black people (like his famous quote about Bush and Katrina).

    Posted 16 Sep 2009 at 12:02 pm ¶

75. Thom wrote:

    I think I need to see some actual proof that it was staged. Not conspiracy theories that it was. When staged stuff happens, it’s usually made clear by the next day that it was staged. Whether it’s everyone admitting it (see Bruno and Eminem) or that all the parties are giving conflicting stories (see Nipplegate where you had people saying it was stage, people saying it was a malfunction, the network claiming they were not aware of the plan, others saying the network approved it)… the facts come out. Here, everone is giving the same account. Why was Taylor Swift backstage, maybe Beyonce had told her and the directors of the show she wanted to do it. That doesn’t lead to the idea that the initial event of Kanye storming the stage was somehow staged.

    Anyways, while it was rude and all (it was Kanye bein’ Kanye), the Twitter reactions were far more apalling. That *this* brought the virulent racist anger out of people…what the heck is wrong with white people?!

    Posted 16 Sep 2009 at 2:12 pm ¶

76. just.... wrote:

    there are so many levels of wrong to this incident. to me this reeks of sexism, not racism . Kanye has a history of of anti woman comments. the calling of video extras as mutts, and claiming it’s a positive label for the women.
    another interview where he states that because he is Kanye West women will want to profit from a relationship with him. i don’t know if he saw Taylor Swift so much as a white girl, but just a girl.
    it seems as if he does have some respect for Beyonce and Rhianna, maybe to him they are his equals.

    Posted 16 Sep 2009 at 8:33 pm ¶

77. RTS wrote:

    I work in a behavioral health center (the pc term for psych ward) and Kanye needs lithium asap. He is obviously bipolar and not able to control his behavior.

    Posted 17 Sep 2009 at 12:10 am ¶

78. jaye wrote:

    @Montclair Mommy: I agree…over the top is how I would describe it. I think Kanye was rude and needed to apologize…but beyond that, I think it’s pretty funny too. One good thing about it though: best meme ever.

    Posted 17 Sep 2009 at 2:33 am ¶

79. elle the elephant wrote:

    Kanye West definitely has issue’s with women. He wouldn’t have did this if that was a man up there, but because its a woman, he feels he has the right to lord over her. Disgusting. Seriously, he’s immature, acting worse than my teen brother. Man needs to grow up and drop the ego.

    Posted 17 Sep 2009 at 11:33 pm ¶

80. elle the elephant wrote:

    Kanye West is whats wrong with the music industry and American culture in general: child-like and overrated. He hasn’t innovated hip-hop, he’s not creative, but because he wrote a few decent songs, has the corporate machine behind his back and is a egomaniac with a side order of napoleon complex, he is “popular”"cool” or whatever. All style no substance.

    Posted 17 Sep 2009 at 11:40 pm ¶

81. Earl wrote:

    Kanye West has hurt every Black American. What was he Thinking. All the kids trying to make it, and here this Clown is showing his I.Q. MTV should wake the – - – - up.

    Posted 18 Sep 2009 at 8:32 am ¶

82. 7thangel wrote:

    @earl
    how has he hurt black america?

    Posted 18 Sep 2009 at 11:48 am ¶

83. t. wrote:

    “Oh, and he hasn’t done anything for other pop acts (that’s all he is, like it or not). They’d all survive without him”

    Actually he has, see link.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kanye_West_production_discography

    “They’d all survive without him”

    See link again, he practically made those pop artists relevant/famous. Pop acts, rap acts, rock acts are virtually the same thing now adays.

    Who cares what he did at this point? He’s a non-white celebrity, so naturally the media blows it out of proportion because they can. People never got this upset with all the homophobia and fights Eminem did at the VMAs. No one cared then.

    Posted 19 Sep 2009 at 5:21 am ¶