There was a time when it was said that people from other countries other than the United States had an image of us as being rather boastful. Conceited, if you will, because of where we lived. After several years in the City, living with over 8 million New Yorkers from all over the world, we grew confident that the "I'm so great because I'm an American" notion had disappeared into relative obscurity. And then came Kanye West. Always a boastful young chap, Kanye has had a history of making headlines with his off the cuff remarks, but this time he really went too far and made a fool of himself. And the rest of us are guilty by association. Dude, you're at the MTV Europe Video Music Awards. You're from Chicago. Represent. Seems easy, right? Nope. He couldn't be happy with the Best Hip-Hop Artist Award and smile for the cameras. He had to make a big scene AND make international news. As the band called Justice and Simian accepted their award for Best Video of the Year, Kanye West ran up on the stage and grabbed the microphone. He then launched into a tirade filled with swear words and proclaimed that he should have won the award because his video "cost a million dollars, Pamela Anderson was in it. I was jumping across canyons. If I don't win, the awards show loses credibility." Dear God. Someone put a muzzle on this guy. November 6, 2006
Koo-Koo Kanye Kracks Up
There was a time when it was said that people from other countries other than the United States had an image of us as being rather boastful. Conceited, if you will, because of where we lived. After several years in the City, living with over 8 million New Yorkers from all over the world, we grew confident that the "I'm so great because I'm an American" notion had disappeared into relative obscurity. And then came Kanye West. Always a boastful young chap, Kanye has had a history of making headlines with his off the cuff remarks, but this time he really went too far and made a fool of himself. And the rest of us are guilty by association. Dude, you're at the MTV Europe Video Music Awards. You're from Chicago. Represent. Seems easy, right? Nope. He couldn't be happy with the Best Hip-Hop Artist Award and smile for the cameras. He had to make a big scene AND make international news. As the band called Justice and Simian accepted their award for Best Video of the Year, Kanye West ran up on the stage and grabbed the microphone. He then launched into a tirade filled with swear words and proclaimed that he should have won the award because his video "cost a million dollars, Pamela Anderson was in it. I was jumping across canyons. If I don't win, the awards show loses credibility." Dear God. Someone put a muzzle on this guy. 
