Kanye West: Huge Egomaniac or Desperate Desperado?

I am not trying to make excuses for Kanye. During the past few years, his comments and actions have been reprehensible. However, have we ever studied his actions in full factual detail? Why does he do the things he do? Is it because he is a complete egomaniac or is he just a man straining to be heard, understood, and loved for who he is and what he thinks? Lets run down a list of some of Kanye's Manic Monday Moments.

September 2005
Kanye's remarks about George W. Bush not caring about African Americans.

Katrina was a devastating blow to New Orleans. Help was not getting there fast enough for refuges without shelter, food, and clean water. People who wanted to get out of the way of the hurricane could not because all the public transportation was shut down. The government and all of America (thanks to the weather channel) knew that this was going to be a rough hurricane. However, the government sat ideally by and let the (rhymes with kit) hit the fan.

Analyzation Points
Now, was Kanye being a jerk with his statement? Or was he just an outraged citizen who saw the needless loss of life? If you examine the clip from the Katrina Red Cross video you can tell that Kanye was extremely upset about what happened in Katrina (like most Americans). You can tell that he truly believed that African Americans were set up to be killed and starved to death. He thought this because he saw how slow FEMA was moving to help those in need in New Orleans.

I'm not stating that Kanye was right in saying what he did about the President, but thanks to slow moving government funded (paid by us taxpayers) programs the ammunition was there to use. George W. Bush was made the target. Why was he the target? In corporate America, management is held responsible for what the subordinates are doing or has done. Even if management was aware or not, they are still held responsible for their employees actions. George W. Bush was the leader over the entire U.S. federal government system. Former President Bush was the manager during that time. If Kanye West didn't make these remarks, someone else probably would have.

For example, Jamie Foxx supported West's comments at this time. For all we know, if Kanye didn't say those comments Jamie Foxx might have. Another point about this controversy is the black community (not just Kanye or Jamie) truly felt that George W. Bush didn't care about them. Not just based on Katrina, but based on the lack of interest for African Americans that the former president displayed. One last point, the black community did not feel represented by Condoleezza Rice or Colin Powell because they represented African Americans that made it out of poverty, not African Americans who were still in poverty. George W. Bush was just completely out of touch with them and could not reach them. He did not seem to make a great effort to reach the black community until the end of his second term, which by that time it was to late.

November 2006
MTV European Music Awards crash stage.

After losing the best video category to Justice V Simian, Kanye hit the stage with a microphone. His remarks were, "F&$%* dis! My video cost a million dollars, Pamela Anderson was in it, and I was jumping across canyons and s&$t! If I don't win, the awards show loses credibility. Nothing against you (J&S)."

Analyzation Points
If you just spent a million bucks on a product and it didn't pay off, wouldn't you be mad? I know I would. However, most people (not all) would not have stormed the stage and ranted about it while the winning group was still on stage. Unfortunately, I don't have any other supporting material to show the versatility of this manic meltdown other than alcohol use/influence admission from Kanye (as an excuse). Let's move on.

September 2007
MTV Video Music awards backstage breakdown.

Kanye West went berserk when he saw that Britney Spears opened the show and got to perform on the main stage. West was limited to performing in his suite. He also expressed his frustration that he was nominated in five categories and did not win in any of them. Plus, he had lost two years in a row. During his rant he cussed MTV out and claimed that he was never coming to the awards show again. "I try, I try! Give a black man a chance!" he exclaimed.

Analyzation Points
This sounds like a man frustrated with his job. Apparently, he seems to think that MTV is out to shun him. Now, I could make a few guesses as to why that is, but it just wouldn't be appropriate. The purpose of this article is to display some facts and commonsense truths. With that said, I can't find any supporting analogies to contribute to this outburst.

November 2007
Kanye's mother died of medical complications during plastic surgery.
One week later he broke down on stage as he was dedicating a song to his mother.

Kanye broke down in tears as he tried to perform his last song of the night during a Paris concert. He tried to collect himself on the spot, but could not. He left the stage for 15 minutes and came back to finish performing for the fans.

Analyzation Points
Everybody is aware of the close relationship Kanye had with his mother. When anyone losses a parent it is devastating. A parent is the person who brought you into this world, took care of you when you were weak, and loves you when no one else does. Losing a friend/family link at the same time is devastating for every human being.
Kanye probably returned to performing a little to soon, but the public is unaware as to why he made that decision. It could have been pressure from event organizers or other music industry companies. He could have had family and friends persuading him to get back to work to get his mind off his grief. We just don't know. However, by society standards of manners, it seems unseemly to judge a man or woman during a time like this.

June 2008
Late arrival at Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival.

Kanye showed up late to his concert. Fans and organizers were extremely disappointed and mad. He was expected to perform at 2:45 a.m. as part of a cluster of bands. Kanye didn't show up until 4:25 a.m. Saying that the crowd was mad would be an understatement. Some fans booed him. Others chanted "Kanye S&*ks!" Reports stated that the reason the show didn't commence on time was because of Kanye's complicated stage setup. The stage included a slanted platform floor and a huge video screen for a spaceship prop. West's tried to make it up to the fans by giving the best performance he could, yet he never verbally apologized to them for the tardiness. The fans responded by throwing glow sticks on the stage. The crowd was unforgiving.

Analyzation Points
This could have (still can) happened to any performer. Unfortunately, because of West's past shenanigans, no one was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. The only witnesses we have are the stage handlers and no reporter questioned them.

September 2009
MTV Video Music Awards vicious interruption.

When Taylor Swift won the award for best female video, Kanye appeared out of no where and took the microphone away from Swift while she was doing her acceptance speech. "Yo Taylor, I'm happy for you. I'm gonna let you finish, but Beyonce had one of the best videos of all time. One of the best videos of all time!" Kanye said. Then, he shrugged and gave the microphone back to Taylor.

Analyzation Points
This action instantly took over the Internet and our televisions. What was he trying to prove? Everyone assumes that they know, but in actuality we don't. He never stated why he thought that was appropriate. Kanye just admitted the next day that it was not appropriate, apologized on the Jay Leno show, and then to Taylor Swift over the phone.
What we do know is he has a crop circle hair cut. We know that he was drinking a bottle of Hennessy in public (not even a paper bag to hide it) and his girlfriend is bald. I don't know about the rest of you, but these three facts screams to me, "HELP!" (hahaha, sorry couldn't resist much longer) Seriously, Kanye's VMA action was extremely rude and in bad taste. Not because I said so, but because good manners are the base of this society.

Conclusion

Kanye West is an incredible musical creator and a handsome man (yes, I said that). On the other hand, when he expresses his true feelings or opinions the world is offended and backlashes him. At least he is not a liar. Like I said before, I am not taking up for Kanye concerning his horrible yearly actions at the VMAs. What I am trying to say is that there are two sides to every story. We as the public are only allowed to see certain things. We cannot deny that televised media shows the worst of our celebrity society. It has become their ultimate goal.
Celebrities are crucified in the media. Look, at Janet Jackson. When a wardrobe malfunction happened on stage, Janet was immediately given a scarlet letter by the media and we as the public bought it (because that was all we were shown). Because of all the rumors and every reporter giving their two cents and not the real facts on the matter, I am still unclear about what really happened. Was the malfunction on purpose or truly an accident?
West has done and said lots of outlandish things during his career, but I could not list them all. Yet, judging from the facts that are displayed there is a mixture of being an ultimate jerk and a desperate man. Which one is it? I let the reader be the judge. My job was to display facts of Kanye's actions. As the reader, what do you think of the character Kanye West?

Sources
No author mentioned, "FEMA Fails Katrina Victims." USAToday.
No author mentioned, "Jamie Foxx Agrees With Kanye West." 6ABC Action News.
Anthony Odom, "The New and Improved George W. Bush." Associated Content.
Josephy M. Knippenberg, "The Long and Winding Road." Ashbrook Center.
No author monetioned, "Kanye West Explains His Sore Loser Antics." andPOP.
James Montgomery, "Kanye West Loses It Again." MTV.
Peter Mikelbank, "Kanye West Breaks Down at Paris Concert." People Magazine.
No author mentioned, "Kanye West's Mother, Donda, Dies." People Magazine.
Tracey Ford, "Fans Boo Kanye at Bonnaroo Music Festival." The Boombox.
Bangshowbiz, "Kanye West Apologises for Running Late." Javno.
Kristin Braswell, "Kanye West's Many Outbursts." ABC.
Jason Townsend-Rogers, "Kanye's Late Arrival Makes Him Far From The Greatest." The Celebrity Cafe.
No author mentioned, "Kanye West: Bush Doesn't Care About Black People." Democracy Now.
Sean Daly, "Kanye West: Big Talent, Big Ego." St. Petersburg Times.
Michael K, "Kanye West Can't Handle His Henny." Dlisted.