Guest Rant – Kate is the IDIOT, not Kanye!
by Jesse

Today’s rant comes to you courtesy of a reader named Jesse who got all hot and bothered when he read my article about Kanye West at MTV’s VMA Awards show. See Kate’s Escapade – Kanye West is an IDIOT!

Here is Jesse’s reply to that article…

Jesse said:  I completely disagree. What Kanye West did was unnecessary but nothing to be crucified over. This news should have gone no farther than simple water cooler talk but narrow minded people and the media continue to let it escalate. How come Kanye’s interruption is more of an un-forgivable act than Joe Wilson’s interruption of PRESIDENT Barack Obama? It’s because people, such as yourself Kate, take no interest in important matters, only simple pop culture.

The facts remain:

-Kanye West has over 12 Grammys in less than five years of releasing music

-He is also an award-winning producer

-The VMA’s are not voted on by MTV officials, it’s by the fans. Now I wonder what demographic understands quality of film? Beyonce’s key demographic or Taylor Swift’s?

-Taylor Swift isn’t a victim. Don’t cry over her. She’s a big girl. When you sign up to be an entertainer, it’s not all butterflies and cupcakes, like Swift’s songs would leave you to believe.

-Kanye West isn’t any combination of Hitler/Satan. He did not insult Swift. He didn’t hurt Swift physically. He said nothing about Swift actually, just that Beyonce’s video was amazing and should have won.

-Beyonce isn’t a hero. She should not be given saint-hood for her actions. While it is debatable which video is better (if you understand anything about film, then you probably agree with Kanye), West shouldn’t have voiced his opinion at that time.

And there you have it Kate. We shouldn’t boycott Kanye West, maybe we should appreciate him in a bittersweet way. How boring and dangerous is it if everyone is polite and conformist? At least West helps keep the process in check, unlike Swift who couldn’t voice her opinions until she was in the safe confines of The View.

I’d personally rather listen to a person who questions rather than one who sounds very similar in every song. I believe that Beyonce’s video was better, but that’s MTV for you. Has Kanye West ever exploded at the Grammys Kate? That’s what I thought, it seems that Kanye takes these phony award shows about as seriously as everyone else should. Now, America, please resume your ridiculous and ignorant rants. They all sound the same anyway.

Jesse is a reader of Coffee Break (at least this post anyway)

and a  Kanye  West supporter

If you’d like to read Kate’s Escapade – Kanye West is an IDIOT! here’s the link.

Now here are Kate’s and Jesse’s responses…and the comments of several other readers.  Add your 2 cents worth.  What’s your opinion on the matter?

Kate said: Wow, Jesse…Got yourself bit worked up there over my, as you put it, “simple pop culture” and “ridiculous and ignorant rants”. I actually also believe that Beyonce’s video was better, but that’s not the point. The point really comes down to simple human decency and courtesy, rather than inappropriate and rude drunken outbursts.
Thanks for the comment, though. Come back for more ridiculous and frivolous rants any old time. I welcome all opinions.

Jesse said: You say it only comes down to simple human decency and courtesy, rather than inappropriate and rude drunken outburst? Then why should we boycott him? Was he abusing animals like Micheal Vick? Was he violating his parole in dangerous ways like TI? No, he wasn’t. The only deference between the general public and Kanye West is that he is more confident than most. Everyone does regrettable things when they are intoxicated, the only difference is that we aren’t all on TV.

Kate said: Let’s hope that the decency of the general public has not sunken to the level of Kayne, or our society is in a heap of trouble.
I would agree though, that his antics are no comparison to Michael Vick or TI or countless others. They are way bigger idiots than Kayne, he just happened to be my topic of choice for the day. If this had been his first ridiculous outburst, I would have just let it slide, however, he has quite a history of arrogant,inappropriate and rude behavior…and it’s time for the public to say ENOUGH!

Other readers comments:

Donna said: Totally agree! He should be ousted from the media.

Jeannette said: I too found this unconscionable. The only upside to it is that Taylor responded at the time with such grace, and continues to do so. As a result I think that her star will shine just that much brighter.

Liz said: Well, my first thought is this: if these VMA awards shows are so phony, what the sam hill was he so upset about? Why would he want Beyonce to have the award if it was so phony?
I agree with Kate’s assessment that his actions lacked any sense of decorum. Drunkenness is no excuse – if you can’t control yourself when you’re drinking, don’t drink!
It’s not an issue of being able to speak your mind (which he is clearly capable of doing). It’s a matter of doing so while showing some sense of decency.
I agree with the president on almost nothing – except for his reaction to the escapade (VMA Awards, not Kate’s escapade)when he called him a “jackass.”
Kanye West has proven his character on numerous occasions. For me, it’s a simple matter of choosing not to listen to him – or his music – because he does not represent the values I hold, nor those I wish to instill in my children.
And as long as Joe Wilson has been dragged into it, he spoke his mind based on fact. He’d read the bill in question and knew exactly what he was talking about. Was his outburst ok? Nope.
Mr. West’s outburst was based on his own opinion.
Both men exercised bad timing. But in the end, Mr. West is being held to one set of rules, while Rep. Wilson is being blasted and rebuked over something that has happened on a multitude of occasions during presidential addresses. Funny how no one seemed to notice then…
If the concern is that Wilson should be run outta town on a rail, you better be willing to hold West to the same standard.
Most teenagers know exactly who Kenya West is. Wonder how many teenagers know who Rep. Wilson is?
Both, in the end, are public figures, regardless.
If you’re going to hold a set of standards for one of them, better make jolly sure you’re willing to hold that same set for the other one.

Megan said: I think that the original post was funny and fun. You, Jesse, are the one who made it a bigger deal than it should be by getting so butt hurt about it… I love Kanye’s music and will continue to love it. He is, however, a jackass…

Samantha said: Interesting dialogue going on here, and I’d like to weigh in. I think Kanye wants to be hated. It’s his thing; it’s how he stays fresh in people’s minds. Like Lady Gaga’s outrageous outfits, or Paris Hiton’s partying, for example. It’s all part of the show. It’s how he keeps himself relevant.
While I agree that there are numberless worse things that have been done by many other people, the issue is having respect for others, which he does not seem to have.
I really do think that he does it on purpose though. He’s fully aware of the reaction he will get, and he milks it for all he can.

Jesse said: Megan, I’m not “butt hurt” over anything. With the reaction that this has gotten, you’d think that Kanye raped Taylor. Why has this little event caused more controversy than say, R. Kelly and what he has physically done to underage girls?

It’s all because he somewhat wants to be hated, like Samantha said. I don’t think he expected this much unnecessary negative attention, but he knew before hand that he was going to get some.

Liz, if you can’t handle yourself drunk, don’t drink? Well, I’d agree if life were just a bowl of cherries but it’s not. You start drinking, and your judgment goes very quickly. What you are basically saying is that you disapprove of any and every person that has done anything regrettable when they were drunk. The only difference is that 99.9% of us don’t have MILLIONS of people watching us.

Kate, I would agree with you completely, but Kanye is too talented to just shun right now. The fame has gotten to his head and maybe this time he realizes it. The only question now is if he has learned anything from this. If he has, great, let’s keep him. If not, I agree that he probably should be taken less seriously. When he insulted George W. Bush after Katrina, I agreed, it was a very important issue to be angry about. The VMAs? He takes the music industry very seriously, but NO ONE should ever take MTV that seriously.

So, Coffee Break readers…what do you think?  Leave your comment and let your opinion be heard.  It’s easier than you think, so just go ahead and do it!  It hardly hurts a bit!