By now, Kanye West's fans — and critics — have familiarized themselves with the singer's ego but his actions over the weekend at an Australian gig left little to be desired after essentially demanding everyone stand up, including those physically challenged.
West was performing Friday night at the Qantas Credit Union Arena in Sydney when he stopped his performance, according to TMZ. As shown in the YouTube clip below, West can be seen wearing a camouflage outfit onstage and says, "You all having a good time, so far?" to which the crowd reacts loudly.
"I can't do this song, I can't do the rest of the show until everybody stands up," he says. After waiting some time for everyone to oblige, West then spots a few people to his right in the lower bowl who are not standing. "Is he in a wheelchair?" West asks pointing to certain people.
The insane demand results in the crowd chanting "Stand up! Stand up!" with West adding there are "literally" two people who do not want to stand up. "This is the longest I've had to wait to do this song," West said. "It's unbelievable."
More seconds pass with most of the crowd looking towards the two people in question. "If he's in a wheelchair then that's fine, he's in a wheelchair there?" West asks. Mercifully, West discovers the two people are in fact physically challenged before the concert continued about two-and-a-half minutes later with West singing "Good Life." One of the two fans in question was shown holding up a prosthetic leg as proof of their particular disability.
Australian disability rights groups were angered by West's actions. According to Eurweb.com Craig Wallace of People With Disability Australia told the Sydney Daily Telegraph West's actions were "humiliating."
"What if it was a young person who's coming to terms with their disability?" Wallace told the Australian newspaper. "It's arrogant to say every person in the audience needs to stand up just because you tell them to. Kanye West owes a duty of care and respect to his audience....Asking disabled people to show their handicap pass is patronizing and inappropriate."
Naturally people on social media and Twitter responded to the news with criticism towards West. It appeared West learned from the act when at a subsequent show he asked everyone who was not in a wheelchair to stand up. The singer is currently on an Australian tour, one which was postponed earlier in the year.
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