Maybe Kanye Should Try to Control Himself Instead of Other People

Despite all his flaws (or maybe because of them), I will always have love for Kanye. What I'm not loving at the moment is the newly released full length version of his "Monster" video, specifically the disclaimer at the beginning of the video.

The unfinished version of this video was leaked months ago, and Kanye caught a lot of media attention for his obviously disturbing video, which combines sexuality with violence in the form of disembodied and women and dead bodies in bed with him. In his attempt to quell the criticism, Kanye tacked this message onto his video: "The following content is no way to be interpreted as misogynistic or negative towards any group of people. It is an art piece and shall be treated as such."

His statement raises a number of red flags. First, if I learned anything in college, it is that intentions and interpretation do not, and in most cases, will not always agree. You might have the best intentions in the world, but that does not matter to the individuals who will interpret your work as they see fit. For instance, think about the fact that different religious groups (even within the same faith) differ on their interpretations of holy texts.



Kanye's sad attempt to control people's perceptions is futile anyway. You can't control interpretations just by telling someone not to interpret something a certain way. If anything, he is further drawing attention to the blatant misogyny in his video. One quality that has always distinguished Kanye West is his disregard for people's perceptions of him. In the past, he has had no qualms speaking his mind, or being over-dramatic for the sake of drama, and has never shown any real remorse for his actions. Apologies for Kanye are virtually nonexistent and for him to issue this disclaimer essentially implicates his understanding of how inappropriate his video is. Think about it: During the Katrina fundraiser, Kanye never said, "Excuse me while I turn this charitable occasion into a selfish demonstration of arrogance" nor did he say before stealing the mic from Taylor Swift at the VMAs, "Let me apologize for being a douche."

As for artistry, I'm not sure I understand how Kanye's rape/murder fantasies serve an artistic purpose. The combination of his lyrics and images lead me to this interpretation: Kanye's sexual appetite is so insatiable that he has become a monster, with a power so great he kills women. Well, either that, or he just gets off on sexual violence. WHICH IS NOT OK, because yes, Kanye, your message is degrading to women.

And P.S. Slapping the word "art" on your work doesn't automatically absolve your sexism. There is plenty of creepy, disturbing and offensive artwork in the world. Besides, the best part of your song is Nicki Minaj's verse, which has nothing to do with your artistry.

Are We Still Stuck in the '30s?

Last night, instead of studying for my upcoming GRE, I watched the most vapid film I have seen in a long time. Maybe in this whole year.

That movie: Confessions of a Shopaholic. To be fair, I had really low expectations for the film. I had heard that it had been well received because of its fantasy element.

The movie, which glamorizes shopping, consumerism, hell, even credit card debt, was released squarely in the depths of a recession. Like the musicals of the '30s, it was advertised as a fluff piece, a guilty pleasure that was made to take our minds off of reality and allow us to ride the American Dream train once again. It was hailed for its ability to cure the depressed masses, at least for the hour and a half spent in the theatre and maybe another half an hour of afterglow.

But this picture wasn't all sugar-spun dreamy. If anything, the connection I made to the '30s Technicolor musical masterpieces (the film industry's reaction to the Great Depression), was the rampant sexual stereotyping.

Apparently, the film is based on a best-selling book written by a woman. I haven't read it, so I can't speak to that text. But my god, I have not seen such one-dimensional portrayals of the sexes in a long time. Going back to the screwball comedies/romantic musicals from back in the day, the movie features the archetypal foolish-girl-who-needs-saving and the rational-minded-man-who-does-the-saving.

My number one comment during the movie: this girl is a HOTTTTTTT mess. Seriously, the ditsy, clumsy, completely lala girl is just not funny anymore. I could tell the parts during the movie where I as the audience member was supposed to laugh but, the character just wasn't funny. She was pathetic. She had a disorder, albeit an addiction to shopping, which I feel was never properly addressed. I know credit card debt is a plague on this country. Believe me, after working nearly a year at a bank, I KNOW. I realize people have made some bad choices. This movie wasn't about that. The main character Becky, was driven totally by the irrational. It wasn't even that she only thought about herself, I felt like this character just lacked the ability to think at all. I know that sounds harsh but I just could not care about this girl at all.

And it wasn't just her character. There was a clear gender line. The women in the movie were all loopy, all driven by their id. They behaved like animals in stores. All they cared about was the material, having things they had no need for. They best word to describe these women: frivolous. There was one shopaholic man that stood out but, as usual, he was played for gay.

The men of course, were needed to ground the women. To deliver advice, to save them for themselves. To fix their blunders in social situations because the girls were awkward or clumsy. To be the voice of reason. They knew how to manager their finances. Clearly, the movie was sending the message that men never mismanage their funds, that's something that women do. And that's just not true in real life; men might spend their money on different products but, they are just as guilty of overspending.

Honestly, the whole time I was watching the movie, I couldn't help but wonder, why doesn't she just sell the stuff she doesn't use on Ebay? But then, I guess there wouldn't have been a movie. Then again, what's the point of mindless entertainment if it doesn't actually entertain you?

Put Them Women Back in Their Place

As a former journalism student, the more I read about the recession, the more disgusted I am. I realize that in this field we need to report the most topical, current news. My problem isn't with what this news is but, what information is actually considered news.

Recessionomics is the new buzz word. It's all over the Net. And with a few simple tips, we hyperconsumers can learn to be recessionistas (there's no word for men cuz ya know, they always knew how to spend their money wisely). Buy generic! It's cheaper! What a shocker. Skip the Starbucks; brew at home. It's cheaper! Really?!

Well here's a new one. I hope you are as appalled as I am: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/New-job-for-laidoff-moms-apf-14597194.html. The recession allows women to be mommies again. Isn't that great? Being all career-driven obviously prevented women from carrying out their female duties. Having and taking care of babies. Making dinner. Cleaning the house. I just feel like this article takes the most extreme example of a woman who was unable to balance work life with family life. It definitely is a struggle to be a working mom. And there are a lot of sacrifices to be made. But there is such a thing as career satisfaction. And having a life independent of your kids.

So now that so many people are getting laid off, apparently women finally have the chance to focus on the private sphere. What did they think they were doing in the workforce anyway? That should put them in their place. Serves them right for thinking they were equal with men. Maybe they'll like staying at home so much that they'll decide not to re-enter the job pool. And then there will be enough jobs for the men out there. And they can regain their machismo by being the sole breadwinner for the family. No more unemployment! We can return to the post-WWII time, when jobs were ample for men, women were pushed out of the labor force, we weren't so dependent on credit, and things were just peachy keen.

Sorry for the rant guys. It's just, I expect more from my fellow writers.

He's Just Not That Intelligent

Riding in on the coattails of He's Just Not That Into You comes Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man from relationship expert ... Steve Harvey. Steve Harvey of the same-named TV show that's on reruns on TBS? Yes, that's the one.

I caught him promoting his new book on the Today Show as I was getting ready for work this morning. And not only was his segment insulting but, it made me wonder what the deal is with this recent trend of men needing to give women advice for being such failures at pleasing men. Where'd this niche grow from? And what makes Steve Harvey think he understands women? Why is it men are so great at reading women and women so terrible at interpreting men, at least according to all these relationship books?

I'll tell you what, all this guidance really just sounds like reinforcement of patriarchal gender norms. Men telling women how they ought to behave. Harvey went so far as to tell Meredith, host of the Today Show, that women belong at home. Act like a lady, that's how you keep a man, he said. Don't try to be all independent. Well some women enjoy being independent, having a job, making their own money, building a career, Meredith protested. Harvey went so far as to ask her if that's what women really want, wouldn't they rather have a man take care of them? Needless to say, she was annoyed. As was I. Correct me if I'm wrong but I thought we were living in '09, not 1949.

If some men are threatened by an independent woman, that's their drama. Maybe they need to work on their self-confidence. Read a couple self-help books.

-De

We Can Do Anything Boys Can Do Better

Just a quick complaint.

With the current trend of dance shows, I've noticed an undercurrent of sexism. I don't know if you guys have noticed it too, but it's really getting on my nerves.

Watching America's Best Dance Crew (ABDC) last night, I noticed that the majority of compliments the girl crews received pertained to their looks, not their talent. There's a b-girl crew featured, and that group has received high praise for their ability to mimic boys when dancing. Apparently, the best compliment a girl can receive is to be told she looks like a boy!

I understand that hip-hop dancing is usually associated with men. That women are naturally more soft looking than men because of our curves. But that doesn't mean we can't dance just as good as they can, hit our moves just as hard. The Beat Freaks crew is not an exception, they just provide an example of how well women can perform, popping and breaking, when given the chance.

The other girl group has been constantly criticized for emulating cheerleaders. How can Americans take them seriously when the judges view them as sexual objects? Though they won the dance-off last night, apparently, that had nothing to do with their skill. They were just beautiful to watch. Sexy. Pretty. Talented? Maybe.

And this isn't just a hip-hop thing. This parallel between beauty and talent was constantly emphasized on Superstars of Dance. The female soloists seemed to valued merely for their looks. No matter how well they executed their routines, the panel couldn't past how hot the women were. Sample scoring: "You are gorgeous. 9." That's nice but, if I were a dancer, I'd be insulted. Tell me my showing was stunning instead.

Listen, we know we're hot. Grade us on our dance ability instead.