I say that to set the stage for what I am about to talk about. I have been intrigued over the last twelve hours or so to hear about what Kanye West did last night at the MTV Video Music Awards. Honestly, if it wasn't for every third or fourth Facebook status mentioning it, I would have probably never known what happened. But, since everyone seems to be talking about it, I thought maybe I should do a little research. (Side note: I have been trying over the last couple of weeks to be more intentional about having some clue about pop culture without spending too much time in that world.)
Well, first, I watched what happened. I have to admit that I thought it was pretty rude. Here is this young woman who just won an award and some other guy comes up on the stage, interrupts what she is saying, and basically insults her by saying someone else should have won.
After I watched the video, I reflected on what people were saying (primarily via FB statuses). I saw people really getting down on Kanye for his behavior, his attitude, and his apparent intoxication at some level.
Well, in the spirit of research, I invested a little time this afternoon watching all of the videos that won awards - or at least the ones on the MTV website. Before I get to my point, I have to say I was intrigued by the artistry some of the artists displayed in their videos and music (Whether I agree and appreciate the lyrics and messages or not).
As I reflected on the videos I just watched and then thought back to the Kanye incident, what's the big deal about what he did? Seriously.
I watched videos where women paraded themselves around as sex objects, sang about the sexualization of their bodies, and engaged in movements and actions that hinted (sometimes not very subtly) at sexual activity. I watched one video where Britney Spears is in a sauna naked (with carefully concealed breasts) singing a song that includes the following lyrics:
Womanizer
Woman-Womanizer
You're a womanizer
Oh Womanizer
Oh You're a Womanizer Baby
You, You You Are
You, You You Are
Womanizer, Womanizer, Womanizer
Does anyone else see the irony in her displaying her body in a way that displays her as a sexual object while deriding a man for treating her like one? (To be fair, maybe Britney intended this irony. But it seems to me that she undermines her point even if that is her intent.)
Ok, so back to where we started. When videos are being shown that could be considered soft pornography and men and women sing about women as sexual objects, what's the big deal about what Kanye did? When musicians are using their craft to teach our culture - especially young minds which are still forming their value systems - that women should use their bodies to get what they want and men should use women's bodies to get what they want, what's the big deal about what Kanye did?
Sure, we should be offended that Kanye interrupted Taylor Swift's moment in the spotlight. But shouldn't we be more concerned about the messages that are shaping our culture's approach to the way we view our bodies and how we live as people created in the image of the Creator?
shine!
Jason
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