Rob Kardashian & Blac Chyna Are Everything Wrong With Us

Intellectual readers that hate the mass normalization of nonsense, I’ll apologize in advance for subjecting you to this. But as much as I hate to admit it I love pop culture and I’m good at writing about it in ways that are less idiotic than the actual people and events I’m analyzing, or so I’d like to think. For those of you that have been making every effort to ignore this story but are finally giving in, here’s a brief summary: Blac Chyna is a former stripper that dated rapper Tyga. Tyga left Blac Chyna for saucy fetus Kylie Jenner, and Blac Chyna promptly began dating Kylie’s older brother – Rob Kardashian. Many speculated that Chyna was only with Rob to spite both her ex and his new girlfriend – and even taking advantage of Rob, who was mentally unstable.

Rob Kardashian published nude photos that Chyna had sent him as well as a video of her in bed with another man getting quite frisky. A lot of people have a lot of opinions. Many are speaking out against Blac Chyna but a surprising number of people are also speaking out in her defense. 

To me all this fiasco has proved is that a) we give the media too much power when b) people are all too eager to see the world in black and white. Do that many of us actually care about Kim Kardashian‘s little brother and an ex stripper? Say what you will about Kim, but she is actually one of the most impressive entrepreneurs of this era. Who before her has been able to turn a thirst for attention into a multi million dollar empire? It’s remarkable. But unlike her sisters, Rob has been out of the lime light for years. And Chyna was famous for….dating Tyga and having a big ass? Granted some of us actually do care, but most of us don’t. We just see the same thing trending long enough and get curious. I’m all about personal responsibility and seeking truth on your own – but as the revelations about CNN and Russia in the last month will prove; if the media keeps forcing the same story down your throat, you’re bound to bite.

I really don’t keep up with the Kardashians – I literally don’t think I’ve ever watched a full episode of their show because it never interested me. But that family has succeeded in forging themselves into a permanent spotlight so bright that I as someone who cares very little about them or the goings on of their lives know a lot more than I should. I hate that I know as much as I do about them but when I can’t spend more than 30 seconds on social media without being bombarded by that family, it’s hard to stay in the dark. That and the fact that I’m a messy bitch who lives for drama.

So many people are willing to ignore the fact that both Rob and Blac Chyna are grown adults with a child at stake behaving like reckless high schoolers. Admittedly, I find it easier to empathize with Rob than Chyna and I don’t see Chyna as a victim in this situation at all. You don’t send the father of your child a video of you kissing another man in the house that he paid for and get to tell me you’re a victim on Good Morning America. That’s not how this works. But Rob’s struggles with depression don’t void him of accountability for his actions. I understand that he was hurt but I think that hurt feelings are a poor excuse for anything. I understand that in such a vulnerable condition it was hard to see the situation at hand for what it was but he is a grown man that ignored every indication that he was being used for his name and his money. 

This black and white thinking has defined public discourse for far too long on issues much more important and consequential than Hollywood drama. If you support a healthcare bill you’re literally a murderer. If you object to Trump you literally hate America. This reductionist logic is unproductive. No meaningful dialogue can occur when both sides of any argument assume and insist there is no correct conclusion besides their own.