Boy, the fact that people talk about Kanye West as a joke more than as an artistic genius who has gone off the deep end is a sure sign of the trend I lament, which is the end of any appreciation for art as art, instead of as a hot take generation prompt.

As far as I can tell, the internet thinks of West mostly as Kim Kardashian's husband and a goofy character on a reality TV show, like Donald Trump was. But unlike Trump, West has actual accomplishments under his belt. He was a genius producer and hip hop artist.

It's not like Kanye West's work is obscure, either! This is like talking about the Beatles as if they were just tabloid celebrities, without any reference whatsoever to that thing they did with the guitars and the drums that some people seem interested in.

That said, his breakdown can also be read as a performance art piece on how our society rewards talentless hacks like Trump for their reality TV antics more than we reward people for doing real work creating real art. And that sure is something.

To the folks misinterpreting this as saying you can't be appalled at West's behavior, of course you can be. I am! But it's just wild that few people seem to grasp what he got famous for.