I mean I was working at the Red Cross as a supervisor collecting donations during the telethon. After his comments white people called back and cancelled there donations and we had to send volunteers home in tears cause the calls (offereing donations) stopped coming. I spent the rest of the night trying to put out the fire this "jackass" started.

If you haven't heard his George Bush comment suffice it to say the Red Cross telethon was not the time or place to air your political views as Kanye did thus almost single handedly stopping (almost)  the inflood of support from America for almost a week. He didn't stop to think how his comments might affect the very people he was trying to help.

The Red Cross spent the next week distancing themselves from Kanye instead of reaching out for badly needed support.   I spent more time taking supervisor calls explaining how Kanye West does not work for the Red Cross or represent them in any way and trying to convice people to help people who desprately needed help.  I spent time doing this instead of taking calls from people in emergency (I won't go into it, but the abosolute HORROR that really went on will never be talked about openly in this country) situations because of Kanye "being brutally honest".

I had to listen to heartbreaking call after heartbreaking call for much longer (by my estimation at least two weeks since donations never picked up to what they were at that point in time) than would have been neccesary if Kanye hadn't been "brutally honest". It is quite possible that people lost their lives due to his selfish thouthlesness.  Kanye West "doesn't care about black people"...  he only cares about himself.

It is truly sad that it took him getting booed before he thought about apologizing for his selfish behavior.  It just goes to show you what his "thought process" is.  He is a self serving attention hound that will step on anybody to get what he wants.

He did look like he was sorry on Leno the other night... he really did.  I wish the best for Kanye cause he is capable of doing great things.  He is capable of "helping others" as he professes is his wish.  I hope he is succesful in that endevour.

OMG that suxs big time ccc

Wow I didn't think the effects of his loose tongue were that deep. I doubt even HE KNEW.

Thanks for the insight AGC, most of us were entertained by his antics but now we know better.

^People were calling back and cancelling their donations because someone aired their views? Thats some real BS (to be clear here, I'm not calling you a liar (AGC), I'm saying that people cancelling donations is ridiculous. When I read my post back over it sounds like I'm calling you out, I'm not).
How you gonna donate to a cause like that, then WITHDRAW IT. FOREAL?
I don't blame kanye for that, not really. It doesnt follow a logical train of thought. You are white, you donate, kanye then says George Bush doesnt care about black people, and you withdraw your donation? How, why, WHAT?
If anything, your proving him right by doing that.
Wtf has what kanye said gotta do with the fact theres been a major disaster and millions are in need of help?

Or have I missed something? I really hope I have.
Gaaaah, confusion

Being right and doing the right thing are not always the same thing...

Posted By 2nd Man on 17 Sep 2009 08:33 AM

How you gonna donate to a cause like that, then WITHDRAW IT. FOREAL?
I don't blame kanye for that, not really. It doesnt follow a logical train of thought. You are white, you donate, kanye then says George Bush doesnt care about black people, and you withdraw your donation? How, why, WHAT?
If anything, your proving him right by doing that.
Wtf has what kanye said gotta do with the fact theres been a major disaster and millions are in need of help?

Or have I missed something? I really hope I have.
Gaaaah, confusion

The same way people called up during the B.E.T. telethon and refused to donate unless they got to talk to Kanye.

Yes I do blame Kanye for that.  It's a "cut off your nose to spite your face kind of thing".  Is it more important to draw attention to George Bush's incompetency (or racism depending on your point of view) or help "black people".  Let's say your right and that white people (not George Bush, so I'm not sure if I follow you on the "proves him right point") taking back donations "proved Kanye right".  If the net effect is that less black people got food, less black people got water, less black people got shelter, more black people died, George Bush stayed in office and therefore there was no effect what so ever from his comment other than increased record sales then it was, in the end, as selfish move.

If he was "right" then he should have known that the ultimate effect of drawing attention to race was that there would be in the end less money for the very people he was trying to help.  Maybee being "right" is more important that people's lives...  Maybee it's the most important thing in the world.  I choose to try to help people survive first, then worry about the world seeing me as "right" second. 

Maybee "I'm missing something".

Furthermore on the point of Kanye being "proved right" every volunteer I worked with was white, every single one.  People left their homes all over America to go help.  I talked to white people everyday who were offereing their homes and a bus ticket to black people who had no homes.  Did that prove Kanye wrong?  Are you so niave that you don't think that there were white people who are racist who didn't even consider that their money would be going to help black people?  I immediately knew what the effect of his statement would be as soon as he said it. 

Look, Martin Luther King's "Letter from a Birmingham Jail" is saying the excact same thing Kanye said.  Sometimes it's not what you say but how you say it (and where and when).  I'm not saying I expect Kanye to be MLK, or Ghandi or any of the other minority leaders who sacrified being "proven right" for the good of their people.  All I'm saying is that "helping black people" was not his priority.  I'm saying that the fact that if he is "proven right" then that means he knew that would be the effect.  I'm saying if he knew the effect he "doesn't care about black people" at all.

All I was trying to get my head around is how people were withdrawing donations because of that. its ridiculous that people changed there actions on something such as that because of what kanye west said. I'm not arguing it was right, kanye was a fool for that. But to think that people took that money back because of that, wow.
But really, this discussion doesnt need to take place here.

For sure, and I agree with you, people calling back to take back their donations was one of the most disapointed I've ever been in America.

But rasicim is ridiculus. Hate is ridiculus.

I don't mean it in some Mister Rodgers kinda way... I mean if you are better off I'm better off. If you study Economics you realize that the more stuff somebody else produces the less expensinve it is for you to buy. Simple supply and demand.

Life is not a competition. Unfortunately many people have been taught this from birth and feel that they must destroy other "groups" of people so that their group can do better. They don't realize what made this country great is the times we came together.

But I know their are people like that. Don't try too hard to "wrap your head around it' . Trying to do that led to one of the most depressing times in my life (that weren't self inflicted).

Posted By 2nd Man on 17 Sep 2009 12:09 PM

But really, this discussion doesnt need to take place here.

True, I shouldn't have let the effect that Kanye's "brutal honesty" had on my life personally move me to share this with anyone.  I apologize.  I should have followed my own advice to Kanye.

kanye=asshole for that....

regardless of whether beyonce's video was better or worse or whatever...that young girl had a moment that she can never get back...whether beyonce invited her back to the stage or not...

and country music is one of if not THE biggest SELLING genre's in the country...regardless of the apology (which seemed a little bit planned until Leno asked what his mom would say) he may have cut himself off from a BIG crossover opportunity in the future...

Exactly...

I hear you 2nd man but American's tend to be more politically charged and aggressive than most other developed nations. No offence to you guys but you don't exactly have the reputation for the most neutral and unobjective nation in the world...

Any place where "socialist" is a deragatory insult is bound to have some kooks withdrawing donations due to political ideologies.