Okay, my rant today has to do with a question asked on the radio this morning. The question was, "Do you think Amber Rose is bringing Kanye down?"
huh?
Okay, now...I'm not saying she's the classiest lady on the planet.
The morning personalities suggested that if she were a "good woman," she wouldn't have let Kanye show his ass on the red carpet by taking Henny to the head.
Okay, so maybe she shouldn't have encouraged it...because after all - showing up to an awards show drunk is never a good look. She was sippin' on the sizzurp her damn self.
But, to say that she may be "bringing him down" or that it's somehow her fault that he's such an ass is ridiculous. Kanye was a jerk before he met her, and most likely will remain one until he decides to change...if he feels he needs to.
I wasn't surprised by Kanye's actions at the VMA's. It's what he does. Quite frankly, I'm surprised it's gotten this much attention. There wasn't this much outcry over Rep. Joe Wilson calling Barack Obama a liar during a live, televised speech - and he's the freakin' President!
As far as his disrupting Taylor Swift's speech, that'll be forgotten. He apologized. Kanye will continue to sell millions of records. We should all be getting over it.
But noooo....now we have to add something else to the mix by saying "it's that DAMN AMBER ROSE bringing the man down."
Gimme a freakin' break.
Kanye West is no role model. If we hold him to a certain level of esteem, it should be for his music, and nothing else. Just like children all around the world wanted to be like Mike - both Jackson AND Jordan - it should be for their musical and athletic prowess respectively only - not what they do in the privacy of their own homes or behind closed doors. Sure, if they do good deeds around the world, that should be commended. And I'm not saying that "celebrities" shouldn't be held accountable when they do something wrong or break the law. But we have to realize that our "heroes" are human. They make mistakes. And they make them alone.
I've heard men and women say that that "sinister white woman" brought Michael Jordan down by outing him as a womanizer and an adulterer. I've heard men and women say that that "bitch" brought down Clarence Thomas. I've heard men and women say that R. Kelly isn't at fault for having sex with a 14 year old girl because "her fast ass shouldn't have been up in the club and she LOOKS 17." I've heard men and women say that that woman seduced Jesse Jackson and made him have a child out of wedlock. I've heard men and women say, "RiRi must have done something to make Chris Brown mad and she's trying to destroy his image." And now some are wondering if that bitch Amber Rose with the bangin' ass body is nothing but a "groupie with benefits" out to bring Kanye down.
Part of the problem is that we ask these candidates for Role Model to be all things to all people, and when we find that they cannot do the impossible, we simply ignore or excuse their human flaws and misdeeds. I mean, isn't it enough that Michael Jordan was an astonishing basketball player? No, it's not. And if he falters, it must be "that woman's" fault. Not his...of course not.
Isn't it our own desire to idealize famous Black men that accounts for our continued denial in the face of evidence that Jordan is an adulterer? He's not the only one in the world, but he's STILL the best basketball player in the history of the game. And his mistakes are his alone.
Reverend Jackson fathered a child out of wedlock, and R. Kelly is allegedly a pedophile. Why do we insist that success in one area of endeavor indicates equal accomplishment in others - and requires that we elevate our "idols" to heroic, superhuman status? Inevitably, we are disappointed and outraged when our hero topples from the pedestal, and we look around for someone else - usually a woman - to blame for his sins.
So in Jordan's case, it's the trashy, gold-digging White woman. It was the scheming, opportunist sister who brought down Jesse Jackson. And it was a 14-year-old she-devil who made R. Kelly do it. Even after the fall, we still refuse to require that these former role models take responsibility for their actions - as if being talented, influential, and wealthy Black men absolves them from being adults.
The truth is, too many of us are afraid to hold men accountable for their actions. Instead, we make excuses or blame the evil "woman" - Black or White - for "bringing down our men." Well, that's fuckery to me. Sure, a great partnership of like-minded people who are committed to encouraging and uplifting each other can make for a dynamic duo (think Barack and Michelle) but ultimately, a man isn't brought down by anyone but himself.
-b
