Kanye West's rudeness to Taylor Swift at the MTV Video Music Awards

Last night was MTV's Video Music Awards ceremony. Now I didn't see the broadcast as it was already a big TV night in the Daigen household, checking out WWE's Breaking Point and the season finale of True Blood (beauty, by the way; awesome season ender and I can't wait until the show picks up again next summer). But I checked out the results and highlights online this morning, and I can't believe this happened to poor Taylor Swift when she beat out several other talented artists (including Beyonce Knowles) to win Best Music Video -Female.



Yes - that's Kanye West jumping on stage to steal Taylor's big moment. This girl is 17 years old, and while yes her music can be kind of light and bubblegum-y, it is catchy, fun to listen to, and she's super-talented with a long future ahead of her in the recording industry. For someone as jaded and self-absorbed as Kanye West to take this moment away from her is a very poor way to behave. Now granted, Kanye had stepped up to give props to Beyonce's video, which is less self-centred than most of his outbursts, but that doesn't take away that it was Taylor Swift's moment. I give props to Beyonce herself, for giving Taylor Swift an opportunity to speak at the end of the show after she'd been rendered so flustered:



THAT is class, and really what being an artist is all about, not pulling publicity stunts for your own benefit at another artist's expense. Which is where I label Kanye selfish; yes, he did this last night 'for Beyonce', just as a couple of years ago when he supposedly felt another artist deserved an award he'd been given, he gave the statuette away. But let's be real here; as often as not, Kanye does these things in defense of his own art, and even when supporting other artists, it's to get his name in the headlines and to get the spotlight on him; so really, and going especially by Beyonce's mortified face when he jumped onstage during Taylor's speech, he exploited not just Taylor Swift, but also Beyonce as well. Kanye is so talented and I enjoy his work; but that he has to act like such a jerk at times really undermines his abilities, and my enjoyment of him, which is unfortunate for all concerned.