Op-Ed: Kanye West’s Antisemitism Makes Headlines
West performs at the Museum of Modern Art in 2011. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, a highly influential American rapper, songwriter, and producer, has gotten himself into some hot water for his recent antisemitic comments.
On October 8, West wrote in a now-deleted tweet, “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 can’t be Anti Semetic because black people are actually Jew also You guys have toyed with me and tried to black ball anyone whoever opposes your agenda” (sic).
Yeah. Wow.
West seems to refer to the U.S. military term ‘DEFCON,’ which is a system of alert conditions showing five levels of military readiness (or state of alert). There are five levels that indicate the intensity of a national security threat, 5 being the lowest and 1 the highest.
West’s controversial beliefs affect people in ways he’s not conscious of. People need to stop paying attention to him; the more attention he gets, the crazier things he’ll say.
I interpret West’s tweet as saying that he is either preparing for a threat from Jewish people or getting ready to hurt them. Not only did Instagram and Twitter delete the post, but they also locked him out of his accounts.
I’m deeply concerned by West’s belief that he cannot be antisemitic because “black people are actually Jew.” Anyone can be antisemitic, even Jewish people.
While many of his fans seem to try to defend him, after saying something like this, there is no coming back. However, conservatives like Candance Owens said that his tweet was not antisemitic, and Tucker Carlson, being the true conservative he is, invited West on his show.
West’s recent controversies are not limited to this tweet. Earlier this month, West said that he would like to buy the social media app Parler, a conservative-dominated platform similar to Twitter. In response, previously rumored Twitter buyer Elon Musk posted a tweet containing a picture of his and West’s faces on Dragon Ball Z characters. Musk has since deleted the tweet.
West is doing and saying so many things that are seriously concerning. Recently, West put out a line displaying the “White Lives Matter” slogan on his clothing. He also said that he blamed George Floyd’s death on fentanyl use. Floyd’s family is suing West for $250 million in a defamation case, and they deserve every penny.
West’s controversial beliefs affect people in ways he’s not conscious of. People need to stop paying attention to him; the more attention he gets, the crazier things he’ll say.
