I’ve never been a big fan of the Video Music Awards. Especially since MTV has become more of a launching pad for popular reality TV shows than for talented artists. However, after the 25th annual VMAs and the occurrences that followed, I learned a lot about the TV industry. Somehow, the VMAs are more like reality TV, reality TV is more like a scripted sitcom and an interview on a late night talk show host’s set is more like a therapy session at a psychiatrist’s office.
Kanye West hit the music scene with ferocious fury, creating for himself a renowned name and an even more notorious persona, but lately he’s less renowned for his musical acclaim and more recognized for his countless tirades and the controversy surrounding them.
Fans and foes have witnessed the artist’s multiple temper tantrums over the years. In fact, his latest outburst has picked up a lot of buzz.
At the 2009 VMAs, West interrupted Taylor Swift right after she was announced as the winner of the “Best Female Video” category.
West suggested that artist Beyonce Knowles deserved the win and left Swift both shocked and speechless.
As shocked as Swift was at that moment, is how not shocked I was.
It seems that if in any situation the proverbial line is being crossed, one can expect to find West on the other side of it. The question is, is there room for respect and civility in a business whose slogan is, “Any publicity is good publicity?”
The more these celebrity feuds occur, the less controversial they are. Have we turned into such a “got-beef-let’s-cook-it” society that we’ve desensitized ourselves to such open battles?
Perhaps West believes that celebrity status translates directly into immorality, and therefore, makes them exempt from the honor system.
As West enjoys his egotistical high, leaving fans to choke on his second-hand, he’ll find that, just like any high, he’ll soon come crashing down with nothing to show for it but a hangover characterized by a severe case of vulnerability, embarrassment and a serious headache.
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