You know that saying, it takes a village to raise a child?
Apparently, Kanye's village has failed him. He obviously doesn't have a real friend in the world. There does not appear to be anyone who can get through to him, to make him understand that he needs to curb his obnoxious behavior.
I thought it was a joke when Kanye showed up on the MTV Video Music Awards stage next to Taylor Swift, right in the middle of her acceptance speech for Best Female Video for "You Belong With Me." It was the first Moon Man for the 19-year-old country starlet, who has become an equally huge star in the pop world.
"I always dreamed about what it would be like to win one of these one day," Taylor said with surprise. "I never thought it would happen."
As Taylor continued, Kanye interrupted, saying he thought Beyonce's "Single Ladies" video was wrongly overlooked. "Hey Taylor, I'm really happy for you, but Beyonce had one of the best videos of all time."
Taylor looked humiliated. I felt humiliated for her. The audience booed him, and gave her a standing ovation.
I didn't expect Taylor to win that award, and I'm not upset about Kanye's opinion. However, bum-rushing the stage wasn't the appropriate time and place to express his disagreement.
Not only was Kanye's approach disrespectful, it was especially disrespectful because it was directed towards a woman--a teenage girl, actually. Taylor won't turn 20 until December. I can only imagine how her father feels. I'm sure he would like to have a talk to Kanye. I'm not related to her, and I'd like to have a talk with him.
If Kanye wants people to win the awards he thinks they deserve, he should create his own event. He should name it after his website, KanyeUniversecity.com, and webcast it.
Kanye is a guest at the MTV Video Music Awards. He does not determine the winners. The winners are determined by popular vote. Furthermore, aside from the fact that Taylor Swift is a top-selling artist, who has revolutionized teen country pop, she did not have any competition in this category as her competitors Beyonce, Lady GaGa, Pink, and Kelly Clarkson split the pop vote. Taylor had to get 100 percent of the country vote, plus some of the pop vote as well.
It's simple math that even a "College Dropout" should be able to figure out.
Ironically, a MTV writer joked that Kanye's rant was an indication that he might be inebriated. "Kanye West ruins Taylor Swift's big moment," the MTV.com editor wrote. "Further proof that he's on the Hennessy. In my humble opinion, that is."
MTV also reported that Perez Hilton and Hayley Williams started a #TeamTaylor trend on Twitter.
Pink tweeted about her annoyance with Kanye. "Kanye West is the biggest piece of sh-t on earth. Quote me," she wrote. "My heart goes out to Taylor Swift. She is a sweet and talented girl, and deserved her moment. She should know we all love her."
Kanye has previously made award show rants about Gretchen Wilson, Justice and Simian, as well as Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake, but this was the worst.
I give credit to Taylor. She handled it gracefully. The audience countered him by giving her a standing ovation, and booed Kanye throughout the night whenever his name was mentioned.
Taylor performed "You Belong With Me" live just minutes later. I watched, wondering if she would feel flustered, and if it would show in her performance. But it didn't.
I think she channeled that negative energy into a positive. Good for her.
Fortunately, Taylor got another chance to complete her acceptance speech. When Beyonce accepted the Best Video Award for "Single Ladies," she invited Taylor back on stage.
"Wow, this is amazing," Beyonce said when receiving her award. "I remember being 17-years-old and up for my first MTV award with Destiny's Child. It was one of the most exciting moments in my life. So, I'd like for Taylor to come out and have her moment."
Taylor then joined Beyonce on stage and recited her acceptance speech, only making a subtle reference to the incident. Before rattling off her special thanks, she said, "Maybe we can try this again."
After the awards, Kanye posted an apology to Taylor on his website, KanyeUniversecity.com. "I'M SOOOOO SORRY TO TAYLOR SWIFT AND HER FANS AND HER MOM," Kanye wrote on his site, AP reported. "I SPOKE TO HER MOTHER RIGHT AFTER AND SHE SAID THE SAME THING MY MOTHER WOULD'VE SAID. SHE IS VERY TALENTED!"
Still, MTV should have thrown Kanye out of the event. Had any other heckler had the audacity to interrupt the broadcast, they would have been thrown out and probably charged. He should not be treated any differently.
This dude needs help.