Emperor known for playing the violin as Rome burned

CONTENT WARNING: THE FOLLOWING STORY CONTAINS STORIES INVOLVING SEXUAL ASSAULT KANYE REVIEW The stories of Tabitha and Chloe Controversial Kanye: Is there PHOTO BY LILY DOZIER PHOTO BY HANNAH ARZEN a method to the madness?

A deep-dive into whether or not “Kanye” is purposefully controversial, as well as a comprehensive history of Kanye’s turbulent public life. BY TREY WILLIAMS

Reporter

BY CARRINGTON PEAVY AND JOY MAZUR

As the fall semester comes to a close, students reconnect with their peers in classes, events and experiences. However, one theme has overshadowed all of this: sexual violence across campus. Students nationwide have experienced this issue and MU is not exempt. Tabitha, a sophomore, and Chloe, a junior, share their stories as reporters Carrington Peavy and Joy Mazur unpack Greek Life, the MU administration and how each plays a role in sexual violence on campus. For the full story, visit https://themaneater.com.

Chloe’s Story

“[MU] needs to do better at being a safe place for survivors and students, and Greek Life needs to advocate for survivors and take a stance against [sexual violence],” Chloe said. “We need to have these conversations because consent is vital for every relationship you have with someone.”

“All of these boys were saying things to me like, ‘Well, you said yes to him once — how was he supposed to know that it wasn’t okay this time?’” Tabitha said. “Well, the difference was I was unconscious.”

Tabitha’s Story

Edited by Elise Mulligan and Shannon Worley, emulligan@themaneater.com and sworley@themaneater.com

MU INSTAGRAM Student-run MU Instagram accounts provide comedy and good feelings to campus

Take a look at the people behind anonymous, unofficial MU Instagram accounts. BY CATIE POLO

Reporter

UPDATE: Since the publication of this article, the Instagram account @mizmissedconnections has changed ownership. The new owner is Maria Schneider.

Arguably one of the most interesting parts about MU are the unofficial Instagram accounts that pop up over time. Each has their own take on comedy and uses their platform to spread positivity, highlight issues on campus or bring lighthearted comedy onto students’ Instagram feeds.

Camden Brazile started @themizzousnitch on Aug. 23 by posting a satire news story entitled “President Choi Worried Tightening Covid Restrictions Could Lead To Students Surviving School Year.” Brazile described the account as MU’s version of The Onion, and formed the account as a way to reinvigorate the comedic aspect of the college experience.

“One thing I’ve struggled with a lot is how much is too far, because I do want to make fun of topical, prevalent things that are going on, but I genuinely don’t want to offend anybody,” Brazile said. “The biggest challenge has definitely been walking that line. I have to send a lot of things to my friends and [ask] ‘Would people get mad about this? Will this get the account shut down?’”

While some accounts choose to keep their identity anonymous, Brazile chooses not to have his name attached to his account, but will not shy away from anyone who asks.

“It would be fun if it was [anonymous] because then I could make fun of anyone and anything with impunity, and no one would be able to just look at my name, and then find out where I live and come kill me,” Brazile said. “Which is always a good thing to have. But if anybody asks me, I’ll just tell them. I’m never going to use it for my own nefarious personal agenda. It is kind of fun to have been pulling the strings because a lot of people who I know, that maybe even don’t like me in

GRAPHIC BY AVA HORTON

real life, follow the account.” @mizmissedconnections is run by Caroline Elik, who strives to keep the account a positive place for students to give shoutouts, compliments and to try to connect with one another. Elik takes suggestions through a Google Form in the account’s bio and sorts through them to find gems she wants to post on the account.

“It can be overwhelming, but

Kanye West has had a mind-boggling amount of scandals throughout his career. From interrupting Taylor Swift at the 2009 VMAs to running for president in 2020, West gains an outpour of publicity with each new scandal.

This leads some to ask: What if West’s persona is all an act? Is he manufacturing his unpredictable personality to boost his longevity? Is West’s public persona performance art?

The first “Kanye” moment was in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, when he said “George Bush doesn’t care about Black people,” on live TV. This comment was the inception of West as a chaotic public villain. Later, the former president would call this one of the most disgusting moments of his presidency.

Another one of Kanye’s most famous controversies took place at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, where he interrupted Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech. This gained major traction on Twitter, and even prompted former President Barack Obama to call him a “jackass.” Kanye’s lyrics around this time had little to do with his public persona.

West largely retreated from the public eye after the VMAs until the release of his magnum opus “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.” Major themes of the album surround his growing negative reputation. The album explores what it means to be a celebrity, as well as his specific psychological cocktail of self-hatred and narcissism. West synthesized his manic personality with his music, making his legend a part of the art.

The record received loads of critical acclaim, as well as making many “best of the decade” lists. West’s wacky persona provided many with an unusual and unique reason to pay attention to his music. This move, according to some West historians, was the transition from “Old Kanye” to “New Kanye.”

From this point forward, West acting so “Kanye” became an essential part of his music. On his following solo album, “Yeezus,” he released the track “I Am a God.” It speaks for itself.

“The Life of Pablo” rollout surrounded assertions of Bill Cosby’s innocence, numerous album name and tracklist changes, a claim that West was $53 million in debt and a cry for Mark Zuckerberg to invest $1 billion into his ideas. The biggest controversy from this period is the release of the track “Famous,” in which West asserts that he made Taylor Swift famous from his 2009 VMAs controversy. This album’s rollout featured more controversy than most artists experience in their entire career. West put himself back in the spotlight through his ability to get people talking.

The next “Kanye” move took place in April 2018, when he released the track “Lift Yourself,” infamous for lyrics such as “poopy-di scoop.” The following month, West received scrutiny for claiming that slavery is a choice, as well