Red Flags

Kanye West is a man that, in a more tranquil world, I would have never heard about. I try to avoid “celebrity” and “pop-culture” news the best I can, but sometimes they crossover with my preferred topics, and since celebrities and gossip attracts more clicks than Leonardo DiCaprio attracts women, it simply becomes unavoidable. Recently, Kanye made an appearance on Alex Jones’ show—the man who said, for example, that the government puts chemicals into the water supply to turn citizens gay—on it, he said he “like[d] Hitler” and “love[s] Nazis.” This rightfully sparked some outrage, as well as concern for his mental health which he has struggled with in the past; being diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder. But a manic episode does not make one a white supremacist. The scale of shock and disbelief does surprise me somewhat, however. And it leads me to believe we have already forgotten that the Republican Party is the comfortable political homestead of the alt-right. Donald Trump has a long documented history of racist and anti-semitic views, comments, and dog whistles. To mention some examples: whilst campaigning for president he tweeted a photo of Hillary Clinton in front of money, with text in a Star of David saying “most corrupt candidate ever!” He also refused to condemn David Duke. Then there was Charlottesville, where self-proclaimed Nazis gathered to chant phrases like “Jews will not replace us” while giving the Bellamy salute. Trump was asked to condemn the Nazis after one of them drove his car into counter- protesters, and then famously refused and said there were “very fine people on both sides.” When given the opportunity to denounce white supremacy in the 2020 debates, he told the “proud boys”—a far-right white-nationalist group, designated a terrorist organization in other countries, that openly promotes and advocates violence—to “stand back and stand by.” These pugilistic Neanderthals later spearheaded the charge on January 6th. None of these examples have been repudiated at large by the Republican Party. The same party under which Kanye West ran for president. He also met with and praised Trump in October of 2018—after Charlottesville. He wore a “white lives matter” t-shirt alongside Candace Owens—another far-right conspiracy theorist. He also implied slavery was a choice, and he opposes abortion. And he surrounds himself with elitist conservatives; his former wife has suggested women make less money because of their lazy work ethic; his former mother-in-law, former- Republican gubernatorial candidate and Fox News contributor, who is a fan of Ted Cruz and supports Donald Trump, opposes trans-women playing sports and previously expressed reservation about gay marriage. West also performed in Kazakhstan for Nursultan Nazarbayev’s grandson. Now that I’ve documented some history, are we surprised that this man happens to also possess an affinity for the Third Reich? Most people sympathetic to far- right extremism don’t tattoo swastikas on themselves, it persists in polite society through subtle and insidious whispers. Plausible deniability provides a cover for men like Donald Trump and Steve Bannon. But white nationalists know exactly who they are, they recognize the tells. They are euphoric that we have finally devolved back into a world where semi-fascistic rhetoric is publicly tolerated, and one wherein authoritarian leadership is openly espoused and buttressed by a major political party. I believe Kanye West does need psychological help, but I think ignorance and bigotry are other matters entirely.