🎧 Guess What Else Happened This Week
Dayummm, Skippy, the universe has had a word. 😆
I cancelled West after he proved himself to be a narcissistic jerk-off stealing an enormous moment in a young woman's career instead of being a gotdam adult gentleman and planting his dumb ass down. You could say I'm not a fan. His fashion is ugly trash for people with too much money and rubes fooled into thinking Ye is some sophisticated visionary. My world wouldn't be any poorer without his supposedly genius music and he leveled up from an annoying creep to a dangerous influence with his so-called church. Every time he does something gross I shake my head, roll my eyes, and try to ignore the noise.
Here's the thing though...for far too long, too many people have used his mental illness as an excuse for bizarre, disgusting and frankly scary behaviour. It's offensive and dangerous every single time it's used to enable his mess. Doing so does a great disservice to millions of people who lead meaningful, productive lives and are treating their illness properly. Millions who are struggling to find healthy ways of coping are further diminished by perpetuating the notion that mental illness causes any person who suffers to be rude, entitled, arrogant, untruthful, racist, sexist, ableist, ageist, misogynistic, homophobic, xenophobic, antisemitic, dangerous, out-of-control or a puppy kicker. Blaming Kanye's vile choices on his bipolar disorder perpetuates the stigma all people with a mental health issue and allies are trying to tear down.
I'll say it loudly for those in the cheap seats: Mental illness does not make you a racist. It just makes you a racist who has a mental illness. Those two sentences could be a handy fill in the blanks form.
That being said, there are times when mental illness does cause behaviour that is out-of-character, but it should always be viewed through a lens of the totality of a person's life, not as an excuse. For instance, at the height of my worst episode, when I was being given the wrong medications by doctors who weren't looking for deeper reasons to explain why my anxiety, depression and C-PTSD were spinning out of control, I wasn't a rude* bully. Why? Because I am an intrinsically polite person. Even while desperately sick, confused and terrified, with my life shattering around me, I still had the good manners used throughout my life.
Kanye West has always been a tool. He's just a tool with a mental illness. It's glaringly clear that he's unwell but the most recent hateful rhetoric he's been spewing isn't really new. It was always there to see for anyone who didn't turn their heads away from 'unpleasant' incidents. Money makers get away with terrible things all the time. The past couple of weeks have been something to watch, though, as more people are finally standing up and speaking out against his latest transgressions. Methinks the worm has turned. All the lucrative contracts are being nixed (edited to add Adidas and CAA are the latest) and as more pressure is applied to any party maintaining a relationship with him, Kanye has become kryptonite. At this point, he'll have to issue a statement and go dark for a significant time. Maybe Will Smith wants to hang? They could start planning their inevitable Repentance Tours.
On a human level, my wish is that the consequences of his own actions hit his bottom line hard enough that it causes this damaged man to examine himself deeply, commit to long-term treatment, and make serious changes.
