Stop Hating Rebecca Black and the Kardashians

I was listening to the radio on the way to work this morning and the DJs were slamming Rebecca Black in response to her new single, “Person of Interest.” They played “Friday” and went on about how dumb she is for singing such an awful song. When the conversation turned to her age, I thought they might lighten up a little bit and recognize that this is just a fourteen year old girl wanting a try at the music business. Instead, they condemned her parents for giving their daughter this opportunity and criticized Rebecca for her taste in music. 

If you’ve ever seen an interview of Miss Black or her family, you know that she’s ridiculously humble and very sweet. She is visibly excited about the positive response she’s gotten from girls her own age who can relate to her music, as well as from musicians like Katy Perry. Rebecca has never claimed to be the best singer and she never expected the fame she’s fallen into, but she is grateful for her supportive fans. Time and again, Rebecca brushes the haters off her shoulders and exudes the maturity of a woman when she doesn’t let the bullying get to her.

In reality, this bubbly fourteen-year-old girl sang a song that someone else wrote, made a video with some friends for school, and woke up to find herself a household name and internet meme. I don’t know about you, but if someone had given me a recording contract and a video camera, I could have done much worse than a little auto-tune and a silly song about my favorite day of the week. To those who say that Rebecca Black is ruining music, I say she isn’t the one at fault. If you don’t like her music, feel free to put in your ear buds.

Later today, I was skimming through my Facebook news feed and came across a petition urging E! to cancel Keeping Up with the Kardashians. I am an avid signer of petitions, but this does not meet any of the criteria for something worthy of a petition, much less to advocate for. The E! network may not show the most riveting programs, but it does uphold its mission as “the source for entertainment news, celebrity gossip and pictures.” Speaking of criteria, I believe that Keeping Up with the Kardashians is a perfect culmination of entertainment news and celebrity gossip. The authors of this “petition” ought to have a pretty strong argument against that if they plan to hear anything back from E! about cancelling one of their highest rated shows. If you are too educated to be entertained by the lives of a socialite family, then please change your channel and let the rest of us enjoy the program.

While on the subject of the Kardashians, I’d like to speak to Kim’s recent marriage…er…divorce. This is a woman who we have all meticulously watched bounce from one unhealthy relationship to the next. No one is to blame for her misunderstanding of healthy relationships but her past partners. Say what you will about doing it for the money, but I truly believe Kim thought she found something that worked and wanted to celebrate that. Unfortunately, her husband did not seem to respect her or make her happy, as various gossip sources report that she ended the marriage because she felt sad. I commend her for realizing this sooner, rather than later, and moving forward with her life to find someone or something that does make her happy. No one deserves an unhealthy relationship.

To those of you who are frustrated with her disregard for the sanctity of marriage, I understand where you’re coming from. It is extremely upsetting when someone seems to carelessly throw away something that is forbidden to so many people in our country. However, Kim Kardashian is not keeping anyone from being married. Don’t waste your time being angry with the wrong person.

Stop hating the kids from Jersey Shore. Stop criticizing the Dance Moms. Stop taking legal action lightly when it is denied to so many who need it. Start shaming the shows that make sexist jokes, instead of applauding them. Start questioning who is really running things around here. Protest and sign petitions against those who deny people their basic rights to their bodies. Stand in solidarity and validate those who have been through hell and help them so that no one ever has to live through it again. Support each other when it’s right and say something when it’s wrong.