After his recent string of tweets and appearance at the Grammy awards show, fans and haters alike are saying, “I miss the old Kanye.”
Recently, Kanye went on a three-day posting bender, making many racist, misogynist and borderline criminal tweets. The site’s owner, Elon Musk, promptly deactivated West’s account, after which West thanked Elon for “letting him vent.”
This string of behavior was the breaking point for fans of Kanye, with many on social media joking along the lines of “We can’t ‘he made graduation’ him out of this one.”
The series of now deleted tweets from West show the result of his descent into madness. Kanye wasn’t always like this though; in fact, the old Kanye would hate the person he’s become.
A prime example of this are his current antisemitic views.
2022 was the first time West discussed his “love for Hitler.” On the Joe Rogan podcast, West went on to describe his feelings about Jewish people and deny the Holocaust. These views continued with West denying Jewish heritage, sharing the views of the Radical Hebrew Israelites, a known hate group, saying he can’t be antisemitic because“black people are actually Jew.”
West’s bigoted views spanned multiple protected groups. Slurs aimed at the LGBTQ+ and neurodivergent communities flooded timelines as he posted.
Bigotry aside, we can look at his current relationship for how he acts around the people he loves.
Following his divorce from Kim Kardashian, West had a few relationships before ending up with his current partner Bianca Censori.
West and Censori have consistently made headlines recently due to their public appearances featuring a scantily clad Censori. Their behavior reached a new extreme when they arrived at the Grammys, revealing Censori’s almost completely sheer outfit. This event caused onlookers to wonder if Censori was safe behind closed doors.
West’s tirade didn’t ease concerns, as he posted, “I HAVE DOMINION OVER MY WIFE” on X. West’s behavior towards women has been subject to discussion for a while now; however, these recent events have shown him in a way nobody expected to see.
These events beg the question: what caused his decline?
In 2018, West told the world he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. From this announcement, West should’ve been met with support; however, all he received was ridicule from the people who were supposed to like him. From then on, West only continued to spiral.
Looking at it in this light, one might be sympathetic to Kanye. For years, he struggled with his mental health without any support. The people he did have around him used him for his money and fame, ignoring the signs of his struggle. The only lights he had at the end of the tunnel were the flashes of the paparazzi’s cameras.
The blame doesn’t fall solely on the press, though; it also falls on us, the viewers.
For years, we watched him decline, laughing at his actions as if they were a joke and not a cry for help. For years, as a man suffered, we made excuses for his erratic behavior, never letting him take accountability. For years, we relished in the suffering of a broken man.
This, however, doesn’t exonerate West of his actions; it only explains them.
West still chased the attention he received from controversy. He enjoyed the press, good or bad, because it meant people were talking about him.
West is certainly no hero; however, he’s also not a villain. He is a broken person who has done awful things that he may never be able to, nor deserves to be forgiven for. Maybe one day though, he will get the help he needs.
Until then, one can only wonder how far he will fall until it “All Falls Down.”
