It’s no secret that Kanye West has a tendency to be very full of himself at times, to a point where his ego can grab headlines. Since the middle of 2012, the rap superstar and his highly-publicized fiancé, Kim Kardashian, have captured the media’s attention with rumors of the two being romantically involved, expecting a child, and more recently getting married.
West reportedly proposed to Kardashian on Oct. 22, and the proposal had been uploaded to YouTube, sparking West’s outrage and prompting him to sue YouTube co-founder, Chad Hurley. This incident once again brings up the criticism of paparazzi and its intrusion on celebrities and their lives.
Paparazzi may be the most criticized branch of media. This stems from organizations such as TMZ, E! News and People Magazine, to name a few. These photographers and writers are known for getting up close and personal with target celebrities, while trying to capture an image or story on said celeb that could possibly bring his or her personal lives into question, whether good or bad.
Even the most mundane of activities that celebrities partake in are held in high regard. Mila Kunis gets photographed buying groceries, Denzel Washington walking with his family in the park, even Adam Levine driving in a car. These innocent, mundane acts are held in high demand by paparazzi sources which brings up the common perception that once you’re famous, you have no private life.
Why does that have to be? Just because Jennifer Lawrence won an Oscar, she is no longer entitled to go be an average human being? Or that Bruno Mars no longer has a private life simply because he has a No. 1 single? Who made these rules up? Was there a law passed that we don’t know about, stating that celebrities do not have private lives because they are famous? Could it be that Hollywood is simply a perverse land built on greed, broken dreams and controversy? Who knows?
Normally, West isn’t the most favored person when it comes to his image, based on his egotistical ways. Love him or hate him, though, he is a human being and deserves to be treated as such. And it doesn’t just stop at Kanye—it’s beyond that. Almost half a decade ago, we witnessed the meltdown of Britney Spears as it was publicized for millions to make a laughingstock out of the famed pop star. Earlier this year, the birth of the royal baby was a bigger focus topic than the issues within our government that was on the verge of a shutdown.
Why are events like this taking precedent over more important matters? Why is Hollywood treated as just as important as Washington D.C.? In a 2011 interview and the midst of his “decline,” Charlie Sheen was quoted as saying “By the way, two wars are in an endless state of sorrow. Egypt about burned to the ground, and all you people care about is my [explicit]… Pathetic. Shame, shame, shame.” Sheen has a valid point. Somewhere down the line, the lives that these celebrities live have been highlighted and made more important than issues that occur around the world.
However, it’s not only the paparazzi and Hollywood that is to blame for why these celebrity topics are bigger than they should be. We the people take just as much of the blame for focusing on these events that are irrelevant. At the end of the day, we need to realize that Kanye proposing to Kim does not affect what happens to us. In short, the paparazzi need to calm down and let these celebrities live their lives in peace. As for us, we all need to recognize what is important in life and put an emphasis on that as opposed to celebrity news.
