In Response to Kanye

I made a post on my facebook this week. A very tongue-in-cheek reference to Kanye which stated that "I bet Beyonce was flattered." Clearly a joke given her face in the video. However, people's responses to Kanye West have been somewhat infuriating. It speaks volumes about the gender and racial attitudes in our society.

A black man cannot cry for attention and receive an ounce of empathy - not even one who lost his mother to a lifestyle he created to support her. Kanye West experienced legitimate tragedy recently, and while he may be a little pompous, he's still a human being. Had we flipped the scenario - had Taylor Swift done this to Kanye - everyone would have been worried for her. People would have talked about her career, her struggles as a teen-age girl, whatever. For the record, she gave up her right to being a teen-ager when she became a public figure. She's also 19, so come off it, folks. As an artist, she should be able to take criticism. The point is, when Britney crashed and burned at the VMAs two years ago, people expressed concerned, yet this irresponsible lump of a human being who could not fulfill her job is a mother of two - talk about failing at the expense of others. Kanye just provided some colorful commentary. So, folks, let's step back and think for a moment. Why did Kanye do this? Why is his attitude so poor? And why can we forgive Britney Spears again and again? Why do we continue to allow women to whine and cry and meltdown on stage?
We are still stuck in a mindset that women can cry and men cannot. That women deserve sympathy and pity, and men do not. Let's remember that equality goes both ways, folks. And Taylor Swift sounded much stupider than your average 19-year-old when giving her acceptance speech. Kanye saved her dumb butt and turned her into a sympathetic figure.