Fans urged to look beyond West's flaws
Jaquaya Grant, '13 | Staff Reporter
Issue date: 11/13/09 Section: Opinion
Our 28th President Woodrow T. Wilson once said, "The greatest freedom of speech was the greatest safety, because if a man is a fool the best thing to do is to encourage him to advertise the fact by speaking."
Although Kanye West proved to be not only foolish but ignorant after immediately storming on stage when the award for Best Female Video was given to Taylor Swift, let's be clear that it was not the context of what West said that was wrong, but his actions that damaged his character.
During the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards as Swift stood on stage and began to give her acceptance speech, West made his way to the stage, interrupting her by grabbing the microphone and stating, "I'm sorry, but Beyonce had one of the best videos of all time." Many people may feel that West's history of petty, childish temper tantrums is nothing more than stupidity and in many aspects they are correct. However, do we turn our backs on a talented icon due to their expression of an innocent opinion and freedom of speech? Or do we as fans look beyond this man's flaws and bear with him?
Whatever one's choice may be, let's not for a moment justify Mr. West's inexcusable behavior; however, as fans, and as a society, we have to realize that before West is a rap star, before he is a famous person, or a performer, he is human and will most likely make plenty more mistakes as his career continues.
The result of West's disrespectful remark caused not only bad publicity, but intense criticism. And according to promoter Live Nation, it led to cancellation of his U.S. tour with Lady GaGa, which was said to start in Phoenix, AZ this month and last up until January. Many people seemed to be extremely pissed off about West's performance at the VMAs, including President Barack Obama, who bluntly stated during a CNBC interview that West was a "jackass."
Although Kanye West proved to be not only foolish but ignorant after immediately storming on stage when the award for Best Female Video was given to Taylor Swift, let's be clear that it was not the context of what West said that was wrong, but his actions that damaged his character.
 | Kanye West stealing the mic away from Taylor Swift at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards. West's actions at the awards caused not only bad publicity, but intense criticism from a variety of sources, including President Obama himself. |
|---|
During the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards as Swift stood on stage and began to give her acceptance speech, West made his way to the stage, interrupting her by grabbing the microphone and stating, "I'm sorry, but Beyonce had one of the best videos of all time." Many people may feel that West's history of petty, childish temper tantrums is nothing more than stupidity and in many aspects they are correct. However, do we turn our backs on a talented icon due to their expression of an innocent opinion and freedom of speech? Or do we as fans look beyond this man's flaws and bear with him?
Whatever one's choice may be, let's not for a moment justify Mr. West's inexcusable behavior; however, as fans, and as a society, we have to realize that before West is a rap star, before he is a famous person, or a performer, he is human and will most likely make plenty more mistakes as his career continues.
The result of West's disrespectful remark caused not only bad publicity, but intense criticism. And according to promoter Live Nation, it led to cancellation of his U.S. tour with Lady GaGa, which was said to start in Phoenix, AZ this month and last up until January. Many people seemed to be extremely pissed off about West's performance at the VMAs, including President Barack Obama, who bluntly stated during a CNBC interview that West was a "jackass."