There is no more defending Kanye West

Photo by Andrew Lin

The many faces of Kanye West.

Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, shook the world of entertainment on Oct. 9 when he vowed to go “death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE (sic)” in a now-deleted Twitter post. Some fans stared at their screens in dismay while others rallied in support of the rapper. 

West, the artist behind era-defining hits like “Heartless,” “POWER” and “Gold Digger,” has come under intense scrutiny recently for other contentious actions such as wearing a “White Lives Matter” shirt and harassing family and former friends online. Fashion and financial magnets like Balenciaga, Vogue, Gap, Adidas and JP Morgan Chase have all severed ties with West, resulting in billions of dollars in lost revenue for the rapper.

West has been a household name in entertainment since the release of his first hit album “The College Dropout” in 2004, which is precisely why his behavior and beliefs are so dangerous. Because he is so inextricably tied with popular culture, his words carry greater weight and give power to hate groups, who are jumping at the chance to name-drop him in an effort to advance their causes.

His recent controversy elicited discussions of his true intentions

The first flame was lit when West wore a tee depicting the bold words White Lives Matter at his Yeezy collection show during the 2022 Paris Fashion Week. He did not hesitate to share his newfound beliefs with Tucker Carlson from Fox News, who, of course, eagerly agreed with everything he said. West argued that the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement is a scam that has been sold to the gullible majority of our population, because money that was donated to the organization was never actually given to Black people. 

West is not necessarily against the goals of BLM; he may simply be dissatisfied with their methods of helping African Americans. However, instead of voicing his concerns or offering criticism about the organization in a calm and constructive manner, he chose to publicly stand behind “White Lives Matter,” a phrase associated with white supremacists. 

We don’t know West’s true motives, but his recent behavior mirrors many of his past controversies: “reclaiming” hate symbols or history to advance his own rhetoric in as inflammatory a manner as possible. Or maybe he’s actually fallen off the deep end and become a white supremacist. In any case, it’s unacceptable.

A few days after the incident, West accused fellow rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs on Instagram of being controlled by Jews. He followed this with his promise to go DEFCON 3 on Jews. West later went on the podcast “Drink Champs” to explain himself. On the podcast, West said that the Democratic Party, which he believes the Jews and Chinese control, see Black people only as a dependable source of votes. He thinks the Jewish and the Chinese want to silence him for going against what Black people are “supposed” to think. 

This exact type of paranoid and hateful thinking is what led to the dramatic increase in hate crimes against Asian Americans during the pandemic. Buzzwords like “China virus” and “kung flu” combined with using Asians as a scapegoat for COVID-19 drew eerie parallels with the historical stereotype of Jews being unethical money-grubbers.

The media’s negligence encouraged West to spout more nonsense throughout the years

As West went from starting minor drama to spewing blatant prejudice, nobody said anything until it was too late. West is surrounded by a posse of yes-men who seek only to serve themselves. 

For example, he recently began a deal to purchase the conservative Twitter alternative Parler, which was previously owned by Candace Owens’ husband George Farmer. It’s not hard to connect the dots and see that West is being conned out of thousands of dollars by a right-wing grifter who cares nothing for him. He has alienated most of his family and friends, and the ones that stay behind are too afraid to criticize him. 

This echo chamber has been made worse by bipolar disorder, which he was diagnosed with in 2018. Though it is clear that his manic episodes influence his outbursts, the illness cannot fully justify his bigotry and targeted harassment of people. As many of his fans with bipolar disorder have pointed out, the disorder does not cause anti-semitism.

With his net worth of over $400 million, West has access to the best treatment options — whether it is medication or therapy — that money can buy. Despite this, he often goes unmedicated for months at a time, claiming that medication impairs his creativity. 

West is a smart man, and was at one point rather self-aware as well. In 2018, he tweeted, “My eyes are now wide open and now realize I’ve been used to spread messages I don’t believe in. I am distancing myself from politics and completely focusing on being creative !!! (sic)” From this, one can infer that he is making a conscious choice to express inflammatory views in order to get attention. 

It is even more disappointing, therefore, to see a 45-year-old man with some semblance of maturity now act like a petulant child. The point of no return was a few months ago, when West’s ex-wife Kim Kardashian began dating comedian Pete Davidson. 

Despite starting and ending relationships with Julia Fox, Irina Shayk and others, he had a problem with Kardashian dating as well. West repeatedly harassed Davidson on Instagram and told his fans to do the same, even releasing a music video for his single “Eazy” which featured a claymation depiction of him burying Davidson neck-deep in the desert and planting roses in his face. Davidson claimed that he had to seek therapy due to the constant barrage of abuse from West.

Fans should have drawn the line during the Davidson debacle, but most of them either joined West in ridiculing the comedian or watched the fiasco from the sidelines. 

West needs to realize that his recent remarks reflect poorly on himself and perpetuate the normalization of anti-semitism in right-wing media. His paranoia and bitterness cause him to make remarks that are reviled by the general public, and this censure leads him to feel even more paranoid and bitter. 

To break this vicious circle, West should abstain from the toxic cesspool that is social media and focus on his mental health. He has an army of people who are willing to support him as long as he puts aside his ego and admits to the fact that he is not always right.

It’s fine to listen to Kanye’s music, as he has one of the best discographies of any modern artists. However, continuing to defend his actions is a different story. Even if you have a sound argument as to why West’s words ring logical and non-offensive, you are still a part of his swarm of enablers that frankly care more about the drama than the physical and mental state of West and those he interacts with.

West needs someone in his life to reach through his lies and illusions and tell him plainly that what he is doing is not good for anyone. We may have seen West’s choleric outbursts as entertainment in the past, but we must put an end to it now.