The sad events in Ferguson, Missouri have captured the world’s attention, and as always, at the intersection of current affairs and pop culture, there has been a celebrity response. John Legend tweeted “this is about racism”, while Moby tweeted “our country is supposed to ruled by law, not the gestapo.” Last night’s MTV Video Music Awards included a somber tribute video, introduced by rapper Common. The PSA is part of Look Different, MTV’s campaign that examines issues of race and racism.
But not all the celebrities at the VMAs were paying attention. During the tribute the TV camera picked up the Kardashian sisters busy texting and preening. Predictably, social media swiftly chose to pile abuse on the sisters. One person tweeted “Kendall Jenner could literally care less about social change.” Another tweet read “I would pay TOP DOLLAR to see Kim Kardashian point out Ferguson on a map.” To confirm that the images on the live feed were not tape delayed, i.e., to ensure that the Kardashians are just as shallow and ignorant as you thought, Buzzfeed contacted MTV “to confirm that the footage of the Kardashians texting happened during the moment of silence and wasn’t on a delay and shown by mistake.” Josh Kurp on Uproxx called the gaffe “the moment that we reached Peak Kardashian”, something you probably thought we’d reached years ago.
