Jason DeCrow/AP
Everyone knows that kids shouldn't see pop stars as role models. But it's an automatic process―once a child looks up to someone, it's a done deal that emulation will follow. Recent sad case in point: Kanye West storming the stage at the MTV Video Music Awards last Sunday and interrupting Taylor Swift's "Best Female Video" acceptance speech to make a shout-out for defeated nominee Beyonce Knowles. Kanye usually disrupts award shows for the purpose of self-promotion, so the silver lining is that it's nice to see him thinking of others. He was roundly booed and―as reports have it―nearly attacked by Pink.
The story could have ended there, with writers and bloggers and media critics casting it as just another bad role model moment in Hollywood. Some Los Angeleans set their watches to them.
But later in the show, Beyonce―certainly in full "Halo"-mode―allowed Swift to finish her speech during Knowles' own acceptance time for "Video of the Year."
I've always thought of Beyonce as a neutral role model at best, but here she showed―hopefully to her kid fans in particular―how graciousness and civility can overcome loutish irresponsibility. That may be the most positive moment ever to come from an MTV Awards show (the bar is low I know, but still...). And I hope kids model that admirable behavior as often as they try to model moves from 'Put a Ring on It' (Single Ladies).
His "blog-o-pology" notwithstanding, Kanye's still feeling the heat, and rightfully so. But the news would no doubt be worse if he interrupted Lady Gaga's acceptance speech—there's no telling what she would have done to him.
