Comments on: Are The American Music Awards Really “Punishing” Kanye West? (Probably Not, No)

By: Chris Molanphy

Chris Molanphy — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 14:20:20 +0000

By: ObtuseIntolerant

ObtuseIntolerant — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 02:33:42 +0000

@chachwitablog: I think it's here AND there,myself. Kudos, Maura & Chris, for your points. I personally think the disproportionate outrage over that incident is typically appalling on the part of the American public. Lame.

By: chachwitablog

chachwitablog — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 02:07:11 +0000

@Maura: I meant the awards show in question, the AMAs. Or actually, The Grammys, but those haven’t happened yet. Certainly not the VMAs :-)

but that reminds me: the *best* part of that “one minute man” dedication/performance is how it ended with Trina saying she’s looking for a man who can make her say GOD!….I’m sure Aaliyah’s spirit appreciated the reference to a higher power.

@Chris: Thoroughly? I mean, maybe. Maybe not. How much “punishment” is all the attention Kanye got? He might have got off on most of it.

TOTALLY AGREE that what he did was light years from what Chris Brown did. But that is neither here nor there.

By: Chris Molanphy

Chris Molanphy — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 18:09:14 +0000

@chachwitablog: He’s been punished for his behavior — deservedly, and thoroughly. Enough already. The crime was rudeness on an awards show, not girlfriend-beating, for chrissake.

All I’ll add to Maura’s well-written evisceration above is, I suspect the “awards year” for the AMAs goes from fall ’08 to end of summer ’09. By that yardstick, no one in hip-hop is bigger than T.I.; he had all of those hits and sold all of those albums during that span. The breakdown between what he did in ’08 vs. ’09 isn’t even a factor.

By: Maura

Maura — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 15:14:32 +0000

@chachwitablog: The Video Music Awards have never been about decorum and class! Dedicating "One Minute Man" to the memory of Aaliyah? Fartman? The entirety of the 2007 show?

By: chachwitablog

chachwitablog — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 15:06:51 +0000

Also: who cares if he’s getting punished? As far as I can tell, he *should* be getting “punished” for his behavior, and awards shows (which traditionally care about things like decorum and class) are a perfect avenue for such punishment. Particularly for Kanye, who seems to care about awards a lot more than anyone else.