How about you shut up about Kanye West?

It’s real easy to criticize Kanye West.

Too easy.

But yet, dozens of people, some who fancy themselves writers, some who are merely professional internet comment instigators, feel the need to emphasize and re-emphasize the fact that Kanye West said something they don’t agree with.

HEADLINE: Kanye West Says Something Stupid Again, by Captain Obvious

Yeah. Thing is, Kanye West often says stupid things about things that aren’t that stupid.

“George Bush doesn’t care about black people.” In of itself, kind of a stupid thing to say. Of course George W. Bush cared about SOME black people. The larger problem was that George W. Bush was a poor president, and was part of a larger system that treats black people in America unequal, which was, in part, what led to such a disastrous outcome in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

So like, it was stupid, yeah, but like, he had a real, valid point.

But if people just choose to focus on the relative absurdity of the generalization, or the timing, or, as people tend to do now, choose to focus merely on their general dislike of Kanye West, they’re bound to miss the overarching point, again and again.

Look. Kanye West rarely is in a mutually respectful situation that involves a camera. Usually, one is being shoved in his face at a time most of us would find unacceptable. As such, he typically only has seconds to formulate a few coherent sentences from what is likely a constantly swirling mosh pit of thoughts circulating in his mind (you’d agree he seems that type of guy).

Of course, the sentences he chose for his comments regarding Beck’s win, and the order in which he said them, was kinda Kanye-stupid. Beck is very artistic. Many people point out how many instruments he plays, and how long he has been in the game. Many people enjoyed his music over the years.

But what few want to see/admit is that Kanye West wasn’t really questioning Beck’s overall artistry.

He was questioning whether Beck’s album was better than Beyonce’s. He was questioning the COMPARATIVE artistry of these two albums and the system that judges them.

This is very subjective of course, but it is certainly a valid position to take.

Many people point out how Beck’s album didn’t exactly make waves, but also point out how he was overlooked for a Grammy in the past.

Many speculate that perhaps he was given the win more as a tribute/nostalgia/lifetime achievement/longevity award, rather than based on the actual content of the project.

This wouldn’t be the first time this has happened, I’m sure.

Perhaps Grammy voters, many of which are more familiar with genres other than pop, R&B and hip hop, felt Beck deserved the win for his body of work, not necessarily THIS body of work.

Perhaps they felt, as musicians might, that another “pop” win further discredits their craft, and they voted to protect those ideals.

In fact, if any significant percentage of the Grammy voting block voted for any of those reasons, well then golly gee, Kanye West would be 1,000% correct.

Thing is, when you look at the ongoing criticism of the Grammy awards, particularly in regards to how they treat certain genres like hip hop, where “artistry” is often overlooked in favor of “popularity,” but then witness an arguable upset in a major category that suddenly reverses that trend, it can lead someone to say things like, “The Grammys need to stop playing with us.”

Beck got the win because of Grammy voters. Kanye put Beck into the conversation, questioning his respect for artistry, but I really took “Beck” to be a metaphor for “The Grammys” in general, and I’m inclined to believe that was Kanye’s intent.

Listen. Don’t get me wrong. I think Kanye West is perhaps better suited to crafting open letters than speaking in front of a microphone.

Because he says things sometimes that, on the surface, are stupid.

But it’s not because of that.

It’s because a lot of people don’t have the capability to look past those soundbites to see what might be lurking behind them. To see the real point.

So instead, because it’s easier, they ridicule him, or write non-profound “think pieces” about the last “dumb thing” he said, lazily pontificating about that dumb thing ad nauseam.

In a way, ironically, I think this serves to further prove the over-overall point he’s actually trying to make every time.

You’re not really listening to what Kanye West has to say.

Which, I imagine, frustrates him. To the point that the next time he has a chance to say something, he is under even more pressure to try and tame that mosh pit of thoughts.

But he’s Kanye West. He’s not very good at that.

So he says something possibly profound, buried in something probably unnecessarily controversial.

Guess which part people focus on?

And write about.

And internet comment about.

A bajillion people tweeted/blogged/FB’d Kanye West’s YOU DON’T HAVE THE ANSWERS, SWAY!!! video clip, but how many tweeted/blogged/FB’d his thorough, calm (at times anyway), but quite comprehensive interview with Zane Lowe?

All this is great for keeping Kanye West’s name churning in the gossip mill, but does nothing the help him actually get his point across.

(And then people complain he’s all over the gossip mill…)

All this, again, ironically, gives people more reason to “not like him.” Which makes it easier to them to miss his point the next time.

In this particular case, I find it particularly unfair. Many people across many genres for many years have critiqued the Grammys and the Grammy award process for being out of touch, for exhibiting a general lack of respect for the breadth of certain genres, and for a sometimes inexplicable attitude toward “artistry.”

Suddenly, because Kanye West does it, he needs to have a seat?

Maybe it’s you that doesn’t respect Kanye West.

Which is fine.

Just shut up about it already.