In the world of pop culture, the Kardashians are the undefeated queens.
They are the first family of reality television, and for the past 15 years have reigned over everyone else in their space.
For better or for worse, they are media and marketing geniuses, who have made it their life’s mission to include us in every single iota of their lives.
Events as small as Kim’s daughter North buying a hamster and as big as arrests, marriages, divorces, and births have been broadcast for the world to witness.
They recently ended their E! show and have moved on to Hulu with what appears to be basically the exact same show just on a different streaming service.
I have met Kim several times, and true to her reputation, she is the consummate professional and incredibly pleasant and friendly.
Even backstage and at industry events, she will take every selfie and engage in every conversation.
Sadly, I cannot say the same for most of the mega-celebrities whom I have encountered during my time working in the media.
I don’t love what the Kardashians have done to young women.
The overtly over-sexualized images that they put out keep much of the media’s toxic focus on women’s mostly naked bodies and away from their minds and feminist empowerment.
However, I cannot knock the Kardashians too much because they are supplying a product that America is more than eager to tune in to watch.
In Kanye West’s recent music video (scene show above) there is a depiction of Kanye kidnapping Pete Davidson and burying him alive.
Whatever they have — Americans consume it, like junk food, in a seemingly never-ending binge.
I, like millions of others, have kept up with their lives, but I have been more and more disturbed by the increasingly dark and unhinged behavior of Kim’s ex-husband, mega-rapper Kanye West.
It is more than likely that many of you know their story.
They got married, had four children, and somewhere along the way Kanye started displaying more and more erratic behavior in public.
Kanye has done everything from pretend to run for president to publicly break down on stage at one of his ‘political rallies’ in South Carolina where he told the shocked crowd that he almost aborted his first daughter, North West.
It has been a lot to watch from the outside and has made me increasingly uncomfortable to witness as a consumer of pop culture.
Both Kim and Kanye have been open about his mental health issues, including him being diagnosed with bipolar disorder after being hospitalized for a psychiatric emergency in 2016.
Kanye has spoken about his manic episodes and let us all in on the experience of them, oftentimes doing it live on social media or during his performances.
The struggle with mental health issues is serious and something that no one should take lightly or treat with anything but the utmost respect and compassion.
I feel for Kim Kardashian. I can’t imagine what it has been like to have four children with a man who is now very publicly sharing private text messages, pleading to the point of stalking and publicly threatening her new boyfriend, Pete Davison.
If Kanye were an average person and not a megastar, no one would be entertained by the way he is treating his ex-wife and her new boyfriend.
In a recent interview, comedian DL Hugley talks about this very issue of Kanye stalking Kim.
He takes it on with gravity and seriousness saying, ‘The difference between Kanye and a restraining order is about twenty hits and a couple million dollars.’
DL is one hundred percent correct.
He echoed what so many of us are feeling watching Kanye — that this isn’t funny and should be taken more seriously.
If Kanye were an average person and not a megastar, no one would be entertained by the way he is treating his ex-wife and her new boyfriend.
I would go so far as to say if Kanye were still a megastar rapper but not a man, he would not be given the leeway that he is granted by so many in the media and there would be more accountability for his behavior.
Imagine if Cardi B were doing this to Offset on her social media platforms?
I believe we would be having a lot more conversations about her unraveling and less about her genius.
Why is it that we are continuing to give Kanye, a 44-year-old man the benefit of the doubt and not extend the same sympathy to Kim?
Is it because she has posed nude many times and is the star of a famous sex tape? Is it because she is a woman? Is it because she has opened her life to us so much that we feel like she is now a commodity instead of simply a mother with four children being threatened publicly?
In the text message that Kanye posted on his Instagram, Kim told him that he was being dangerous and putting her boyfriend Pete in a precarious situation.
Most of the commentary in the Instagram thread focused on Pete Davidson and how he has managed to land one of the most famous and beautiful women in the world.
There was little concern for Kim’s safety and well-being.
In a text message that Kanye posted on his Instagram, Kim told him that he was being dangerous and putting her boyfriend Pete in a precarious situation. (Left) Kim Kardashian is seen at Milan Fashion Week on February 24, 2022 in Milan, Italy (Right) Pete Davidson is seen on the set of ‘The Home’ on January 31, 2022 in Woodland Park, New Jersey
In his most recent public act, Kanye released a new music video for his song ‘Eazy.’
Now let me say, music is an art and it is meant to entertain us and I give a lot of artistic license to musicians and artists.
However, in his recent music video — which is done in black and white claymation-style — there is a depiction of Kanye kidnapping Pete Davidson and burying him alive.
Throughout the video, Kanye holds a severed head. And it bizarrely concludes with Kayne sprinkling rose seeds on Davidson’s head and then harvesting the flowers.
Umm… ok.
The song is mediocre at best and nowhere near the type of chart-topping hit that we have become accustomed to Kanye releasing.
The video is abjectly disturbing.
There are articles by survivors of stalking and abuse, who find Kanye’s behavior and his recent video triggering.
One of my friends texted me, half-jokingly, asking: So what happens next? Is Kanye going to shoot Pete Davidson?
In an era, when we are looking back on public figures, who were very open about their abusive actions and incorporated it into their work (Bill Cosby is one of the first to come to mind), why we are treating Kanye’s strange behavior as a sign of his genius?
Kim deserves better from us as public consumers and Kanye deserves more pushback.
Right now, there is very little downside for Kanye and we can continue to expect him to release even more disturbing social media posts about his ex-wife and her boyfriend.
We are still buying his music and clothes. He is still partnered with Adidas and he will likely never be held to the standard that the rest of us will because he is a global superstar and because he is a man.
I wish our culture would evolve past all of this but sadly we have not.
I, for one, agree with DL Hughley, none of this is funny.
