Kanye’s Questionable Comments

Kanye West, known as Kanye or simply just Ye, has recently made some questionable statements. He has always been right-wing-leaning, starting in the presidential election of 2016 where he was seen wearing a MAGA hat in support of Donald Trump and even met up with him. According to Rolling Stone, “West has repeatedly played the role of MAGA provocateur with appearances in a MAGA hat on SNL and fawning praise for Trump on Fox News.” West is also planning to buy a conservative talk show and social media platform, Parler, that which Trump will be invited on.

Just recently, on October 3rd, Kanye went off the deep end. At Paris Fashion Week, and his ninth Yeezy show he showed up wearing a White Lives Matter T-shirt. Regardless of your beliefs, this statement is regarded as a hate slogan. It is used by the KKK and the Aryan Renaissance Society, among other white supremacist groups. Also sporting these shirts were Candace Owens and R&B singer Lauryn Hill’s daughter (who is also Bob Marley’s granddaughter) Selah Marley. 

Adding onto this bold display, West has also made multiple antisemitic remarks, resulting in his removal from social media apps Twitter and Instagram. During an interview on Drink Champs that has since been removed, West slandered the Jewish religion, stating, “Jewish people have owned the black voice,” and that, “the Jewish community, especially in the music industry… they’ll take us and milk us until we die.” On the Tucker Carlson Show, he said that he cannot be antisemitic as he is black, therefore he is a Jew.

On Twitter, he continued this string of antisemitic comments by Tweeting, “I’m a bit sleepy tonight but when I wake up I’m going death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE The funny thing is I actually can’t be Anti Semitic because black people are actually Jew also You guys have toyed with me and tried to black ball anyone whoever opposes your agenda.” This Tweet is problematic because it pushes an antisemitic agenda, possibly endangering the lives of some Jewish people. It also brushes off his actions, claiming that the color of his skin excuses him from being antisemitic. This tweet has since been deleted and his account banned. 

West has also claimed that Planned Parenthood was created to harm the Black/Jew population, which is a conspiracy theory shared by many extremist groups. He claimed that it was created by Margaret Sanger, an American birth control activist, and the KKK. 

To conclude this spiral, West has made a reluctant apology. According to The Hill, West said he wanted to give a “big hug” to the families who he’s hurt by his statements, and that he’s “sorry for the people he’s hurt with the confusion that [he] caused.” A couple of days before this apology, when pressed by interviewer Piers Morgan, West said that he absolutely would not apologize, telling the news anchor that he was rich so he knew what he was talking about and questioning him with “Why would I listen to you?” Finally, West came out and said, “I want to say that it’s wrong to hold an apology hostage, and I gotta let go of that and free myself of the trauma. I want to say I’m sorry for hurting you with my comments, and I want to word it in not a political way, but in a presidential way.” 

Regardless of whatever that apology means, it’s clear that Kanye West needs a mental evaluation and extensive mental help, and a long, LONG break from social media.