Kanye West has long been a controversial public figure, which has become especially true in the years since Kim Kardashian filed for divorce from the Atlanta-born rapper. It has been public knowledge for quite some time that West suffers from bipolar disorder. It has also come to light from Kardashian that he does not take medication to help him improve his mental health and is generally unapologetic about his behavior. All of this is despite the fact that his mental illness has hurt his family and is one of the causes for the couple’s divorce. West, both in spite and because of this, continues to maintain his fame. The consensus has been that West is a man who should not be taken seriously. However, something has shifted in the last month; West’s rhetoric has become dangerous.
Within one week, West was pictured at a Paris Fashion Week wearing a “White Lives Matter” t-shirt and then tweeted about he was going to go “death con 3” on Jewish people. In the same tweet, West used the Black Hebrew Israelite false notion that “black people are Jew” and therefore it is not possible for him to be antisemitic. West closed the tweet with “You guys have toyed with me and tried to black ball anyone who opposes your agenda.” The “you” in this tweet is referring to Jewish people and could even allude to the common antisemitic trope of a secret Jewish cabal that controls just about everything.
Since this now-deleted tweet was published, there have been many, many more tweets and comments from West about his thoughts on Jews. West has been cut off from brand deals, including his own Yeezy shoe deal via his now-terminated collaboration with Adidas. JP Morgan has also ended its relationship with the rapper. Several celebrities have also been vocal about how they do not condone West’s antisemitism.
One part of why these comments are being taken so seriously is because of their very real ramifications. Since West’s remarks, Kyrie Irving has also expressed his Black Hebrew Israelite beliefs when he posted a documentary to his Twitter and Instagram accounts, titled “Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America.” In addition to accusing Jewish people of stealing their identity, the film also contains Holocaust denial, false Hitler quotes and states that Jews were responsible for slavery in America. But, the emboldened antisemitism has not stayed within celebrity circles. Synagogues in New Jersey received threats, Twitter has seen an uptick in antisemitic posts, and graffiti and threats have increased in Florida.
These events unfolding on Twitter and in the real world demonstrate that the problem with West, Irving and anyone else coming to their defense is their own platform. There are people who are emboldened by this hate speech and, because it's happening on such a large scale, feel secure in their antisemitic beliefs. And, because West’s Twitter ban has ended and because he has achieved such a high level of fame that his music or persona cannot become irrelevant so quickly, there is no fear of repercussions.
The issue of race is also what makes tackling this feel particularly tricky. Because both West and Irving are using the BHI rhetoric, it feels “racist” to call them out. When a person claims that they're a “real Jew” because they’re black and that the Israelite culture was stolen from black people, the situation becomes much more uncomfortable and seems to be keeping many self-proclaimed allies from speaking up. This makes the Kanye and Kanye-inspired hate speech quite complicated to unravel. We know that what is being said is antisemitic, but not many people know how to go about addressing it.
The addressing of it, I believe, should come with no holds barred. What is being dealt with is affecting American Jews, making both in-person and online spaces feel unsafe. Security at synagogues and other Jewish centers, especially the ones that have been receiving threats, has been heightened. West and Irving know the scale they are spreading their messages and will not apologize for it. Instead of being forced to apologize, they should be cut off from their platforms. It is clear that what is happening has very real consequences, and it should not be allowed to continue.
Hadass Galili is a senior studying political science pre-law at Ohio University. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnist do not reflect those of The Post. Do you agree? Tell Hadass by tweeting her at @HadassGalili.
