Kanye West fights homophobia

[Fleshdancer]

I think this is pretty damn cool. Kanye West took a moment out of his Glow in the Dark concert at NYC's Madison Square Garden this week to denounce homophobia and anti-gay slurs:

"Open your fucking minds. Open your minds. Be accepting of different people and let people be who they are. You know how many people came to me calling me gay cause I wear my jeans the fresh way? Or because I said hey, dude, how you gonna say 'fag' right in front of a gay dude's face and act like that's ok. That shit is disrespectful. Coming from Chicago, where if you saw somebody that was gay you were supppoed to stay ten feet away. It should be time to break out of the intuitions that I was sayin', the steretypes, or the fear, the backlash that I would get if you don't believe in what I believe in, acceptin' people for who they are...they're very talented and if they do something special in the world and they're discriminated. I've flown across the world y'all, and I've come back here to tell you — open your minds and live a happier life..."

http://www.towleroad.com/2008/08/kanye-west-to-f.html

Link includes the video

[Juneboarder]

1. This is very cool...

I like Kanye more and more.

[Bluebear]

2. 'open your minds and live a happier life' - that says it all!

[ColbertWatcher]

3. "open your minds and live a happier life"

Kanye is the GOP's worst enemy: someone who speaks his mind.

Good going, young man.

[jobycom]

4. If he's not careful, he just might turn into a leader.

He's got overtones of Harry Belafonte and Bono at times. Speaks softly, says what he believes, has a talent for spotting the opportune moment. As a parent, I can't help but think his mother would be proud, rest her soul.

[MuseRider]

5. Very cool but

could someone please clue the old lady in to what wearing your jeans the fresh way means? WTF?

[Fleshdancer]

9. lol, I was wondering the same thing

they're jeans. there's only so many ways you can wear them, right? :shrug:

[MuseRider]

16. It hurts to admit it

but I have had to ask about a lot of things in the years I have been here. The funniest was when I asked who in the hell Jessica Simpson was and what did she do to get so famous. If I recall, and I may not correctly, nobody was ever really able to tell me at that time. I think then she was just someone who was on a reality show that got really famous for no other reason? I think? Then she started acting and singing then I heard about her. LOL, sucks to be old sometimes. :)

[rabbit2484]

14. I'm not positive but

I would assume he means wearing them like most people wear them opposed to wearing them hanging halfway down butt. Do a search for "sagging" and you will see the opposite of "fresh". Sagging was, and maybe it still is, a popular trend among hip-hop artists/fans, skateboarders, and many others over the past 15-20 years.

[MuseRider]

15. Sagging has

bothered me for a while now. I don't care if someone wears their pants like that but it is difficult to resist the "mother urge" to grab their waistband and give it a yank, lol. I once had to take the strap off my tennis bag and use it to hold up some kids pants while he played a match in his saggy pants. He was not wanting to do that until they hit the floor in front of everybody.

Thanks. So fresh is the old style. Got it. Hard to keep up these days since my own kids are now on their own.

[Duncan Grant]

6. Rec #5.

Thanks for posting! :thumbsup:

[marmar]

7. Good for Kanye.....

The message needs to get spread that homophobia is not to be tolerated, even in the machismo-dominated world of rap.

[KamaAina]

8. "George Bush doesn't care about gay people"

sad but true...

[BlooInBloo]

13. +1

[asdjrocky]

10. He's a good egg.

And his latest release just hits on all cylinders.

[samsingh]

11. Good man.

[KeepItReal]

12. Kanye is trying

He ain't perfect (he admits as much), but he's alright in my book.

oh yeah, he's also a pretty good music producer, too.

[Indenturedebtor]

17. Right on n/t