Kanye West, who now prefers “Ye,” has made another appearance explaining why he wears the MAGA hat, and to say that people were shocked would be an understatement. During his recent “SNL” performance, West went on another rant in which he claimed to have said to a white person, “If I was concerned with racism in America I would’ve moved out a long time ago.”
It doesn’t seem that West understands the severity of his comments, but rather that he has decided to deny the reality in which we live today. It’s either the privileged life he lives or his lack of knowledge that prevents him from understanding the issues on which he speaks.
Kanye tweeted later that same day that the 13th Amendment should be abolished. This upset many of his followers, as the amendment forbids slavery and involuntary servitude. The tweet created confusion, as many were uncertain whether or not the rapper understood the opinion he held. The 13th Amendment seemingly has nothing to do with what he is claiming support for, and his comments are devoid of any factual evidence or rationality.
Because the abolition of the 13th Amendment would allow for slavery in the United States, some argue that he is misinformed rather than malicious. He doesn’t understand the reasons why many oppose the Trump administration, though that doesn’t stop him from acting like he does.
It can be infuriating to hear Kanye speak about Trump as a godly figure when Trump has made it clear he doesn’t care about people of color or women. However, during Kanye’s interview at TMZ, he explained why he said the 13th Amendment should be abolished. He redirected his past statement by claiming that he chose the wrong words — a sorry excuse for a statement that hurt many across the country.
Kanye said he meant that it should be amended, but could not elaborate in a way that rationalized his claims. On the topic of his MAGA hat, he said, “This represents good and America becoming whole again.” This almost came off as ironic, as President Trump’s views have been shown to continually fragment the United States.
On the season premiere of “Saturday Night Live,” Kanye went on a rant about the MAGA hat. He claimed that he has been bullied for wearing it and for what it represents to him. He then said that the reason people disagree with him is not because he is wearing the hat, but because of what it represents to people.
These past few years have been very difficult for many Americans, but especially people of color, who are offended by Kanye’s remarks praising Trump for his so-called “success.” Trump has done nothing but create divisiveness between people. He has proven not to care for the needs of the country. His narcissism and ego have created an irate political climate – and yet, West claims to support Trump’s actions and the values that back them.
I'd have laughed in your face, if you'd told me TAYLOR SWIFT would be calling out systemic racism while KANYE WEST for the return of slavery (while wearing a Trump hat) pic.twitter.com/tOFrCxXiIo
— T. Fisher King (@T_FisherKing) October 7, 2018
Ignorance lies at the basis of Kanye’s choice to remain clueless of the history behind the country’s most prominent social issues. It isn’t the support itself that worries the country; it’s his support of Trump’s ideals. It has become a question of choosing ignorance over facts and one person over millions of others.
Many believe that it is Kanye’s ego that keeps him from seeing the fault in praising Trump. As a prominent figure, he has influence that can easily lead people to follow in his ignorant footsteps. Kanye has a platform of millions of people who have the potential to copy his rhetoric. Although it’s possible that people can see Kanye as an artist rather than a political figure, not everyone will come to that realization. It’s easy for followers to praise him for the wrong reasons, especially for someone as influential as Kanye. They often know little of the consequences of their support. This is particularly concerning since this support is tied to Trump, a man who has made it clear he has no intention of protecting the American people.
Everyone wants the best for the country, but Trump has consistently proven to bring the worst. After everything that has happened, Trump cannot be praised without raising questions about the values of those praising him. If his actions don’t make you upset, then you should be examining your privilege and moral values. Kanye West is not a bad person for what he is saying. He is just uneducated and unaware of the damage his comments can do. If anything, he’s trying his best to look at the positives through all of the negatives in the world.
Unfortunately, it’s imperative that America continues to fight the negatives instead of avoiding them. In order for the world to be more positive, we have to acknowledge that our system is constantly creating chaos for the underprivileged. Kanye is a successful man who is clearly blinded by his own privilege, causing him to be unsympathetic to the worlds of those come from a different background than him. Although he has good intentions, his actions will exacerbate the issues faced not only by many of his fans, but by much of America.
