kanye west as jesus
you can think you're all hip and stuff being anti-christian or quick to make witty comments about the religious right, but i'm pretty sure you'd have to be a huge fucking moron to respect kanye west for portraying himself as jesus (crown of thorns, bleeding face, ragged clothes) on the cover of the new Rolling Stone.
i'm not stupid enough not to "get" the connection to his "jesus walks" single or his martyr-esque penchant for "suffering" for his convictions (a la "george bush doesn't care about black people")... i get that it's not literally kanye saying, "i am jesus".
...but kanye west is so far from being ANY KIND of martyr that the metaphor should be insulting to every intelligent person on earth. not because jesus is a religious figure, but because jesus and real martyrs tend to, um, SUFFER A LOT. that's basically the biggest part of being a martyr- TRULY suffering and sacrificing yourself to your beliefs. there have been martyrs of all faiths and convictions, and they deserve respect for their willingness to sacrifice EVERYTHING. thus, you don't need to be a christian to respect the concept of martyrdom, and you don't need to be some flaming freedom-of-expression opponent to think it's WRONG that west is shamelessly and intentionally passing himself off as one who has greatly suffered for his beliefs.
i'd like to know what amazing convictions west has suffered for. when having to deal with the tabloids and critics becomes equal to being burned alive, crucified (obviously jesus was not the only one to be crucified), or otherwise physically and emotionally ripped apart to the fullest extent, i will applaud mr. west for his bravery. until then, though, it sickens me to see someone so disgustingly egotistical rising to unbelievable fame and wealth at our hands. people just eat this shit up.
from yahoo news:
Kanye West, with a crown of thorns atop his head, poses as Jesus Christ on the cover of the upcoming issue of Rolling Stone.
The outspoken rapper defends his brash attitude inside the magazine's pages, on newsstands Friday. He is also pictured posing as Muhammad Ali.
"In America, they want you to accomplish these great feats, to pull off these David Copperfield-type stunts," he says. "You want me to be great, but you don't ever want me to say I'm great?"
West also says his hit song "Gold Digger" was the best song last year and that it should have been nominated for the Grammy's best rap song category: "That's a gimme Grammy."
Nevertheless, the 27-year-old is nominated for eight awards, including album of the year for his sophomore album, "Late Registration." The Grammys will be presented Feb. 8.
West has always been forthright in saying what he feels, most famously when he said "George Bush doesn't care about black people" during a telethon for Hurricane Katrina victims.
"If I was more complacent and I let things slide, my life would be easier, but you all wouldn't be as entertained," he says. "My misery is your pleasure."
i'm not stupid enough not to "get" the connection to his "jesus walks" single or his martyr-esque penchant for "suffering" for his convictions (a la "george bush doesn't care about black people")... i get that it's not literally kanye saying, "i am jesus".
...but kanye west is so far from being ANY KIND of martyr that the metaphor should be insulting to every intelligent person on earth. not because jesus is a religious figure, but because jesus and real martyrs tend to, um, SUFFER A LOT. that's basically the biggest part of being a martyr- TRULY suffering and sacrificing yourself to your beliefs. there have been martyrs of all faiths and convictions, and they deserve respect for their willingness to sacrifice EVERYTHING. thus, you don't need to be a christian to respect the concept of martyrdom, and you don't need to be some flaming freedom-of-expression opponent to think it's WRONG that west is shamelessly and intentionally passing himself off as one who has greatly suffered for his beliefs.
i'd like to know what amazing convictions west has suffered for. when having to deal with the tabloids and critics becomes equal to being burned alive, crucified (obviously jesus was not the only one to be crucified), or otherwise physically and emotionally ripped apart to the fullest extent, i will applaud mr. west for his bravery. until then, though, it sickens me to see someone so disgustingly egotistical rising to unbelievable fame and wealth at our hands. people just eat this shit up.
from yahoo news:
Kanye West, with a crown of thorns atop his head, poses as Jesus Christ on the cover of the upcoming issue of Rolling Stone.
The outspoken rapper defends his brash attitude inside the magazine's pages, on newsstands Friday. He is also pictured posing as Muhammad Ali.
"In America, they want you to accomplish these great feats, to pull off these David Copperfield-type stunts," he says. "You want me to be great, but you don't ever want me to say I'm great?"
West also says his hit song "Gold Digger" was the best song last year and that it should have been nominated for the Grammy's best rap song category: "That's a gimme Grammy."
Nevertheless, the 27-year-old is nominated for eight awards, including album of the year for his sophomore album, "Late Registration." The Grammys will be presented Feb. 8.
West has always been forthright in saying what he feels, most famously when he said "George Bush doesn't care about black people" during a telethon for Hurricane Katrina victims.
"If I was more complacent and I let things slide, my life would be easier, but you all wouldn't be as entertained," he says. "My misery is your pleasure."