Kanye West is something of a phenomenon – a narcissist known for the extremely good opinion he has of himself as well as the wannabe-wise statements that are supposed to show off his profound side. The man who is famous - mostly for being famous – is frequently in the news for some fairly outrageous comments; some of them frankly hilarious! Recently he shot his mouth off about how he thought slavery was a choice. We examine the Kanye phenomenon and the latest symptom of his own strange brand of delusion.
Some of these Kanye West comments demonstrate the extent and depth of his conceit and his complete self-absorption.
According to West, since slavery existed for 400 years, it sounds (to him) like it’s a ‘choice’. The response to this statement by TMZ’s Van Lathan is fitting; it is the same as the appalled disbelief that many others articulated.
For many, the thoughts of Kanye West – or the lack thereof – are of no consequence and no one needs to spend time on them. There is the widely-held view that fame and fortune have travelled to his head and that West hasn’t been able to handle them as well as he should have.
West’s outlandish, ignorant, and frankly odious comments invited book recommendations from many; and which would hopefully give the rapper a much-needed history lesson.
This tweet posted an image of the type of advertisements that could be seen during times of slavery. Dreadful fates awaited slaves who dared raise their head against oppression/injustice or who dared to run away.
More than anything else, Kanye West’s comments display his own ignorance and the complete absence of any acknowledgement of his own privilege.
It was perhaps inevitable that many on Twitter chose to refer to West’s limited education. Several tweets referenced dropping out; perhaps because West is a college dropout or probably because his album was called The College Dropout.
This tweet quotes Killmonger form The Black Panther; who said death is better than bondage and without regard to historical or any other context seems to suggest that the two statements – one by a real person and the other by a character in a film – are somehow at par. Others thought that West is entitled to his opinion and the right to free speech entitles him to air it.
While articulating some home truths about Kanye West himself, this commentator helped him to differentiate between choice and the lack thereof.
This tweet speaks about the newly opened memorial dedicated to the legacy of enslaved African-Americans; people terrorized by lynching and other oppressive, cruel and dehumanising practices that were rife during a long and shameful period of America’s history…just a reminder that enslavement and bondage is not in fact a choice.
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