The Problem with Ye

By Jake Paderewski ’23

On Sunday October 9, 2022, Kanye West was banned on Twitter and Instagram for making an anti-Semitic statement. His words threatened the Jewish community, while simultaneously justifying the sentiments through his own experience as a Black man. His opinions, he said, were being silenced by the opposing side. Being a Jewish person myself, I am no stranger to comments like this but this worries me because this shows that this is a man who needs help.

Kanye is no stranger to controversy, having over and over again done less-than-ok things. This was seen on Instagram and Twitter after his split with Kim Kardashian, with him telling the platform that “White supremacy [is] at its highest” after Kim filed for divorce. The most talked about moment with Kanye happened in 2009, when he went on stage during an award show and interrupted the winner of “best female video,” Taylor Swift. He then announced that Beyonce should have won before walking off stage. In another instance, he called slavery a choice, and then went on to wear a “white lives matter” shirt.

Seeing as he has made outrageous statements time and time again, it can be inferred that this will continue to carry on unless Kanye receives professional help. He has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, but uses it as a crutch instead of owning up to his mistakes. Unless there is some sort of intervention, this will continue.