CHAOSVRGN (DMSI v2.5)

[apollolux]

KANYE. 21 Grammys. An amazing hip-hop portfolio (if you're not a hip-hop fan, I don't wanna hear it -- "My Beautiful Dark, Twisted Fantasy" is the Kid A of hip-hop), a billion dollar deal with ADIDAS, the ability to create anything to his heart's content. And what, I shouldn't look up to him because he's unapologetic about the fact that he made it in a society that was geared for him to fail?

**** THAT.

This is the only part of your post that I have any sort of issue with, however minor it may be. He worked/still works his hustle and I respect the commitment and work ethic he exercises in making his success happen. The part in bold, though, specifically feels almost certainly like a strawman assertion, that not only his success was predicated on "fighting against odds" but also that he shouldn't be a role model because of his brash attitude and swagger.

What the American people fail to realize is that the argument isn't "you shouldn't look up to Kanye because he's unapologetic blah blah blah," it's "you shouldn't look up to Kanye because his success is predicated on an industry of nearly useless entertainment." You say "21 Grammys" I say "21 times an industry catering ONLY to audio entertainment that's all but completely useless said 'your work deserves an award, here's a useless pat on the back and fleeting validation' to him;" you say "amazing hip-hop portfolio" I say "he made audio a lot of people consume, so do a bunch of other people more or less disposable than he;" you say "billion dollar deal with Adidas" I say "someone who knows a lot about music but next to nothing about shoes got paid way too much to promote shoes, IT'S MF'ING SHOES WHY DO COMPANIES SPEND SO MUCH TO ADVERTISE SOMETHING PEOPLE ARE GOING TO BUY ANYWAYS?!?!?"

In case I haven't made it clear, my problem here isn't Kanye specifically, it's the fact that industries such as the recording industry exist where producers can earn mega-bucks for producing and distributing consumable entertainment and very rarely do the best artists themselves get the share they deserve. Kanye hustled to make sure he's as difficult to replace as possible, but eventually there will be someone else pushed to that level, whether naturally or artificially, and he will be replaced.

Regarding Shannon specifically, I think you only slightly misinterpreted his goals, chaos. Yes, he's almost certainly after money and power, but the means he chose to make that happen are primarily "creating something of value to the public." Entertainment, especially produced music, TV shows, and movies, has significantly less value than what people like Shannon in the self-help and/or health industries create by comparison. You've consistently said DMSI was the best $114.95 you've ever spent because you acknowledge this value, and likely, somewhere deep within you, you know that what entertainers create is lower value by comparison.

(edit: whoa, I spent so much time on this post Shannon already posted ahead of me :~)