What’s Going on With Kanye West This Month?
October has not been the best month for Kanye West. During the first three weeks of October, Ye has managed to step lower than he already is. There have been many occurrences where Ye has made problematic statements. Back in 2018, Ye stated that “400 years of slavery in the US sounds like a choice.” Ye continues to make problematic remarks and statements. The most recent has been during the 2022 Paris Fashion Week. During fashion week, Ye decided to promote a “White Lives Matter” shirt at the event. White Lives Matter is a white supremacist phrase and a racist response to the Black Lives Matter movement. Some people, specifically Jaden Smith, walked out of the fashion show in protest of Ye’s shirt promotion. There is no excuse for Ye’s actions during the Paris Fashion Week, but unfortunately, it is only the first of Ye’s incidents during October.
On Oct. 9, Ye got restricted from his Instagram and Twitter accounts for antisemitic posts. Ye tweeted that he would go “death con 3 on Jewish people.” Ye also tweeted “you guys have toyed with me and tried to black ball anyone whoever opposes your agenda.” The tweet clearly violated Twitter’s guidelines against hateful speech. Ye is also restricted from Instagram after accusing rapper Diddy of “being controlled by Jewish people,” contributing to antisemitism. Both posts violated both platforms’ guidelines and both platforms restricted Ye from his account. Ye has around 30 million followers on Twitter and around 20 million followers on Instagram, promoting antisemitism to 50 million people is unjustifiable and plain disgusting. Ye not only received backlash from the public but from other celebrities as well. Jamie Lee Curtis responded to Ye’s hateful tweet on Twitter and the Today Show. Curtis tweeted back “The holiest day in Judaism was last week. Words matter. A threat to Jewish people ended once in genocide. Your words hurt and incite violence. You are a father. Please stop.” On the Today Show, Curtis said that she burst into tears after seeing his tweet and how she hopes Ye gets help. After being restricted from Instagram and Twitter, Ye has agreed to buy the conservative social media app “Parler.” Parler is a right-wing social media app that was used to orchestrate the January 6 attack on the Capitol. “In a world where conservative opinions are considered to be controversial, we have to make sure we have the right to freely express ourselves,” Ye said. Ye wants to buy Parler so he can share his views without backlash. Ye and Parler are expected to seal the deal at the end of this year.
In addition to all of that, Ye is also being sued by the George Floyd Family. Ye publicly announced that George Floyd’s death was caused by fentanyl, not homicide. The family is filing a $250 million lawsuit against Ye for defamation and emotional distress.
Ye has been particularly problematic this October by promoting white supremacy and antisemitism. Ye has been problematic in the past, but this month he has taken it a step too far.