All opinions are those of the author and do not reflect the opinions of Her Campus or HC at University of Central Florida.
Even if you have been living under a rock for the past few weeks, you know the fire that Kanye West has been igniting all across social media platforms. From his most recent Saturday Night Live performance to his rapid counter-cultural Instagram and Twitter posts, all the way to his “Make America Great Again” fashion statements, Kanye West has been dragged by celebrities for his support of our nation’s president.
As a Kanye fan, I might be partially biased in this article, but I am choosing to fully channel the 2007 YouTube sensation, Chris Crocker. Here are three reasons why I am screaming to you all to leave Kanye alone:
Mental Health Awareness and Sensitivity
It’s not a secret that Kanye struggles with his mental health. He has been very vocal about his struggle with bipolar disorder, which combines periods of deep depression with instantaneous flashes of manic behaviors. It’s a constant cycle that one is brave enough to face.
Kanye receives a lot of flak for his posts on Instagram and Twitter. One day I researched into his Instagram and noticed that the majority of his posts were uploaded on the same few days. There were numerous times I checked his Instagram a while later and every post had been deleted. Currently, Kanye’s first post on his Instagram is dated on September 11th, 2018. I’m writing this article on October 4th, 2018, and within less than a month, Kanye has posted at least 192 Instagram posts. His wife has the most famous a** in the world, and she nor any of her “insta-famous” sisters post that much. When I noticed this trend I immediately was sensitive to fact that Kanye’s rapid posting may be a symptom of manic behavior with his bipolar struggles.
So, when I see ‘Ye going off the rocker, I take it with a grain of salt. After all, who are we to tell him that HIS own social media cannot be used as a personal diary? Who are we to bash him just because we don’t agree? What if someone treated you like that?
Individuality
Actor Chris Evans accused Kanye of framing his own “myopia as a virtue.” Singer Lana Del Rey told Kanye that “Trump becoming president was a loss for the country but your support of him is a loss for the culture.”
Myopia refers to a lack of creativity. But every idea, especially those that aren’t aligned with popular opinions, is creative. Plus, Kanye has produced some of the most intellectually creative music tracks across all different genres—so have a seat, Chris. Lana was right with her statement regarding that the election of Trump was a loss for our country; I believe that. But culture-shaming Kanye for his individual support of the president was a loss for her in my book. I never pictured any of these celebrities or any of my friends to be so hypocritical and flat out rude to another human being.
Call me sensitive, but with all the #movements we have made as a society, personally attacking someone for sharing their individual beliefs (in a positive manner, no less) is a step back. This is the same behavior that stimulates bullying and ignorance. Not one celebrity has been vocal about trying to understand his virtue. President Trump is our president whether we agree or not, and I think it is admirable for Kanye to make lemonade out of the lemons we were given, even if they’re a little spoiled.
Hypocrisy
The same people who are bashing Kanye are the same ones who will buy his next upcoming album. The proof is in recent chart history. Kanye’s recent studio effort “Ye” was released on June 1st, 2018. Soon before, there was recent Twitter buzz that Kanye was “crazy, trash, and will flop.” However, “Ye” had the 7th largest streaming debut week of all time. I have no doubt that his next album “Yandhi,” which is scheduled to drop this November will have the same, if not an even more powerful, impact. After all, if you have haters, you must be doing something right!
So, keep your head up ‘Ye, and for those of you who still have nothing nice to say, think twice before you bash someone.