Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man

Usually I use this space to discuss a relevant political matter of the day. However I wanted to use this space to comment on a disturbing behavior matter regarding a particularly famous artist. It is nothing new for an artist to go through crisis. Because of their fame and popularity it often plays itself out in front of millions of people where as everyday people can make similar or worst transgressions and its only known by that persons close network. With that, this then becomes a plea. A plea for critics, fans and friends alike to intervene and understand the plight and portrait of this particular artist as a young man.

The rapper Kanye West has never been bashful about being in the public. This can date back to him being so eager to put his music out, that he funded and shot the first video to his single off his debut record. It is that same confidence and brashness that has garnered him millions of fans around the world. However as we know there is a thin line between confidence and arrogance. Kanye's behavior has often done more than simply crossed that line. Sometimes he has all out trampled over that line in self-indulgence. One can argue he loves to hear himself talk. Or you can make the case that like most celebrities he feels any press is good press. Finally some see it as his desire to be seen in the limelight by as many preening eyes as possible.

What is worth noting though is that lately Kanye West in his music and behavior has struck a bit of a different tone. The tone he struck was one of a young man who has lost his way. One who since the death of his mother and lost of his fiance has been quite evidently without direction and seemingly tired of the spotlight. We can first see his tantrum at the Los Angeles International Airport. Kanye, tired of the media and the attention that his superstar status has garnered him, takes the cameras of those taking pictures of him and goes on a tirade destroying their equipment. Then in a guest verse in the song "Put On" he laments about how people don't know his stress and how he has money and fame and it still doesn't amount to anything. There after on another record "Forever" he details that he'd love to "trade his grammy plaques just to get his granny back" and that he "used to want this thing forever, but you can have it back". Finally on Jay-Z's hit record "Run This Town" Kanye begins the last verse wishing that when he's in church he'd prefer not to be photographed. His most recent outburst saw him rudely interrupting an awards show.

This pattern of behavior seems potentially troubling. It seems to speak to a young man who is losing control of accurate decision making. In doing so we (the public) watch him go through a serious breakdown and crisis that sees him drinking in public, and being artistically unfocused. What the public must notice is that this is not the first time we have seen an artist do this. Great artist before him have also suffered from their own fame. Artist such as Michael Jackson, James Baldwin and Paul Robeson have all suffered from public persecution in one form or another. Kanye is no different. What is happening to him could and would happen to any of us if we were in the public eye. It is made worst because as we all have seen, Kanye is an artist that wears his feelings and emotions on his sleeves.

Hopefully in the very near future Kanye West takes some time to regroup and organize himself and his emotions. From there he can focus on his art and get back to the aspect of him that makes millions fans of his work. More than wanting good music (no pun intended) the public should want for him to get his life and himself under control. We as a viewing public have seen far too often what happens when a star shines too bright and ultimately fizzles out. We've seen it with Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Dave Chappelle and Martin Lawrence. Kanye West is showing signs that this "Hollywood life" is threatening his mental and emotional well-being. Now more than ever those who care about him should get him back to a healthy and comfortable place of being. A place where we the public pass judgment on his music and not his behavior.

The Color of Change

President Obama has been firmly entrenched as the President of the United States now for almost eight months. Since his inaguration he has faced criticism on a bevy of different topics and issues. He has seen metaphorical darts thrown at him both from the political far left as well as the political far right. However just as he has faced more warrant-less criticism than most presidents in recent history, he has also faced more warrant-less praise than most other presidents in recent history. He has enjoyed a grace period filled with the type of social and political capital that Gerald Ford would have killed for. He has the social and political latitude to say and do things that Bill Clinton could only wish. Yet through the first eight months of his presidency there has been a pink elephant in the room. The same pink elephant that has been with the United States since its inception: Race.

The problem is much like Attorney General Eric Holder said back in February, the United States is a nation of cowards concerning race. That is not to say the nation has not worked to change the way people of different cultures and ethnicities interact with one another. That is to say there are deeply held convictions that people from different races are not honest with each other about. Because of this the race dialogue is never respectfully or legitimately addressed. The mainstream media also has a level of culpability. Since race is a social buzzword, whenever it is thrown around it is sure to generate interest. Networks find themselves giving a superficial glance at racial issues and playing up the dramatic effect of the buzzword for profit. For his part President Obama has attempted to steer clear of race, race related policy matters, or publicly acknowledging or discussing racism. The one time he did make mention he nearly squandered all of his political capital.


In today's political climate there is a heated debate of health care and health care reform. Masses of people are taking to the street to denounce President Obama, his health care plan and the large amount of government intervention. Many of the same people who are protesting now in the name of libertarian principles and fiscal conservatism were quite quiet and actually in defense of President Bush as he ran up huge deficits on defense spending, as well as spent more money on education than any president before him. President Bush also sent large amounts of money to various foreign nations in the hopes of advancing United States interest. Again these same people protesting were silent if not defensive of Mr. Bush. Some on the left are saying the only reason people could be protesting is a latent racism. An uncomfortability accepting a President who is of African descent.

Interestingly enough, this seems to be a preoccupation among white liberals. Keith Olbermann provided a special commentary on how the venom of comparing President Obama to Hitler and the massive protest are a result of unsettled racism. Former President Carter made news when he told NBC's Brian Williams that the animosity toward President Obama was "because of a belief among many white people not just from the south but around the country that an African-American is not qualified to lead this great country." This type of fodder becomes the news of the day. And again the issue of race becomes a central talking point, but it is approached with no meaningful depth or substance. What's worst is that sadly a good number of African-Americans have been so jaded by how blacks have been treated in this nation, that if President Carter's assesment is true they wouldn't be shocked, surprised or even offended.

All of this has those interested in policy issues thrown off track. Important policy matters are being ignored. President Obama has seemingly turned Afghanistan into the new Iraq and there is a demand for an Iraq-like "surge" to turn the tide in Afghanistan. Meanwhile domestically, President Obama can take solace knowing that most economic indicators suggest that the economy is rebounding.At the same time the unemployment rate is teetering dangerously close to 10%. In communities of color that number is more like 15-20%. Just as President Obama has agreed to a higher tariff to protect tire manufacturers in the U.S.; his administration has also undertaken plans to renew portions of the the much villified PATRIOT Act. This shows us that there is much room to debate the actual policy matters of the administration if we got past the question of race. We shouldn't get past it because it doesn't pervade our society, or it isn't the unremovable sin that this nation can never wash its hands of. We should get past it because otherwise we will never be able to see if as promised "Change has come to America".

Blame First Ask Questions Last

The election of Barack Obama as president of the United States seemed to usher in a dawn of new politics. People hoped that politics would change enough to the point where policy matters were discussed on their merit and how they would affect the real people of the United States and the world around us. Sadly that has not happened. We can see the failure of this new form of politics among politicians. Both major parties recite old cliches when critiquing the other. Democrats/liberals accuse those on the right of being soul-less, impossible of being passionate, and selfish evil people. Republicans/conservatives all spread the propaganda that those on the left seek to take away all individuality and make the United States one God-less monolith. This is definitely not the change I hoped for.

The United States is a nation with very serious and critical policy matters to discuss. Not least among them is the issue of its economy. Because the U.S. does not have a pure market or capitalist economy it is extremely nuanced. As one commentator on MSNBC was trying to explain the complicated matters of federal currency regulation another commentator on the network called him "wonkish". Wonkish is a term most often used to describe one who is immersed in the particulars of policy. However with the state of affairs in the United States perhaps now is the time to be wonkish. Now is the time people should be made completely aware of what is going on. Rather than do that, the left-leaning network spent very little time looking at the intricacies of economic policy and went back to reciting cliched themes of "Bush failure" and "Cheney torture"

The left-leaning MSNBC is not the only network that would rather play the blame game than seriously look at and consider the way policy will affect American people. Fox news has a history of skewing the presentation of the news to the favor of conservatives. However they drop the ball in their presentation of health care matters. When the conversation of health-care is had on one of their "Great American Panels" they act as if there isn't a significant portion of the nation that is advocating for the single-payer system. The single payer system is one where the government provides for the health care of its citizens (see With Liberty and Health Care for All Feb 4, 2009). The rhetoric used by Fox News suggest that a single payer option will financially bankrupt the nation and destory the concept of individuality in every way. However they don't take the painstaking steps the California Nurses Association took when it researched the topic and came with the economic numbers that a single payer health care option would turn out.

Unfortunately the lack of intelligent discourse or policy matters on those stations may not be new news to many people. The 24 hour news networks may not have the time nor actually care to put in the effort necessary to have a policy conversation. Even with that one would expect the Sunday morning programs to get more the heart of political affairs. Sadly this doesn't even happen there. On the long running Sunday morning program "The McLaughlin Group" the panelist discussed whether or not Barack Obama spent too much time "blaming America" and apologizing in his Cairo speech. Rather than doing that, perhaps they should have been examining the merit of his words. He was (for really the first time in modern U.S. politics) at the very least acknowledging the United States did not have clean hands when it came to Middle East affairs.

The problem with this behavior is that citizens are kept away from making informed judgments because all the people charged with informing them are failing. Politicians can not see past the special interest and next election to actually discuss policy matters. Journalist can't seem to see beyond the next sound-byte, or "gotcha quote" to explain matters. Sadly what is left is an uniformed nation who rather than discuss policy positions instead revert to inflammatory rhetoric and playing the blame game.