The Effects of Cancel Culture on Kanye West

 For the past decade, the famous artist, Kanye West, has been noted for his habit of stirring controversy. It wasn’t until recently where Kanye decided to start taking things a little farther. The rapper had already previously established his support for President Trump, turning many heads in the process, but he didn’t stop there. The article, “Here Is the Definitive Timeline of Kanye West’s Controversies” by Marcus Jones outlines Kanye’s most recent outbursts. In early 2018, Kanye West did an interview with TMZ that quickly went south. The rapper ended up going on a tangent about how “400 years of slavery sounded like a choice to him” (Jones). A few months later, Kanye dons a Make America Great Again hat during a Saturday Night Live performance. The rapper then polished it off with a pro-Trump speech so awkward that the producers didn’t even allow it to air. Still not stopping there, Kanye transferred his free thought to twitter, going on a rant about how the 13th amendment needs to be abolished and how Trump holds the prosperity of America in his hands.

Kanye’s comments sparked the anger of thousands of people. From celebrities to his very own fanbase, people were outraged. Accusations left and right were being thrown at Kanye for misusing the level of influence he has over the young minds around the globe. Kanye’s Black audience was particularly offended, calling for the official cancelling of Kanye. People even went so far as boycotting the release of the collab album he was releasing with Kid Cudi called Kids See Ghosts. I myself boycotted the album. Since making all these comments the rapper has made his apologies to his fanbase, but were his apologies really necessary? It was always normal for fanbases to critic the actions of celebrities, but at what point did fans acquire the rights to declare when one was “canceled.” Despite the fact that his comments did offend many, when did we become so unforgiving? Many people were quick to jump on the wagon, cancelling Kanye instantly, but he still had a huge group of followers defending his actions.

The defense of Kanye’s actions are mainly under the topic of free thought which Kanye is frequently adamant about. He prides himself on being an artist that encourages their fans to think for themselves and not allow anyone, even him, decide a single thing for them. Kanye’s comments, while they were outlandish, weren’t exactly all incorrect. The article, “The controversy over Kanye West’s 13th Amendment tweets, explained” by P.R. Lockhart doesn’t justify the comments but instead tries to reach an understanding. Kanye tweets also included comments about 13th amendment being “slavery in disguise, meaning it never ended.” Here is where he was actually correct. The first clause in the 13th amendment specifically reads, “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction” (“Constitutional Topic: The Thirteenth Amendment”). It comes with a built in loop hole.

Like many parts of the US Constitution, this raised some eyebrows at the time of its signing and still does today. “This system laid the groundwork for more modern systems of prison labor...mass incarceration, which imprisons a disproportionate number of black men for extensive periods of time” (Lockhart). The amendment that was supposed to free Black people from the chains they’ve been in for hundreds of years really just slapped a band aid on the gunshot wound and called it a day. The clause took Black people out of chains and put them behind bars. If this is what Kanye meant, he should’ve gone about it differently. Highlighting the issues surrounding the 13th amendment instead of blatantly calling for the abolishing of the amendment in its entirety would’ve swayed heads in the different direction. In fact, a lot of the outrage could’ve been minimized if he was simply more thoughtful with his comments.

As a black woman, I fall within the category of people that most likely hate Trump by default. I disagree with more or less everything that he believes in and I don’t think that he is trying to “Make America Great Again.” In my opinion, him sitting in the Oval office is to the detriment of America as a whole. I could never say that I’m okay with Kanye being proudly supportive of Trump, but Kanye is doing something that most aren’t -- trying to understand the other side. While some celebrities are bold about their rejection of Trump’s presidency, saying you don’t like something isn’t going to make it change. Unless congress finds solid ground on which to impeach Trump, he’s still going to be president for the full 4 years. Kanye risks his entire reputation and his career every time he sits down to have a conversation with Trump but at least he’s doing it. He has sat down with Trump multiple times “to discuss prison reform, manufacturing, and gang violence in parts of Chicago” (Jones). When we see or hear something we don’t like, it’s human nature to turn away and shut your ears. Kanye is attempting to force open the ears of Trump and the ears of his fans as well. Telling us that working with one another is better than working against one another.

I can accept that Kanye’s intentions were good. The 13th amendment really is just an excuse to continue slavery in a different form and working with Trump could possibly yield better results than working against him. I even agree with his encouragement of free thinking, no matter how offensive your free thinking may be. But good intentions doesn’t always equal a good outcome. Kanye isn’t just an ordinary celebrity. He’s been in the game for almost two decades and is noted to be one of the biggest influences in hip hop culture. He has power. The comments he makes affect generations. Him getting on national television and blasting throughout the internet about slavery being a choice and abolishing the 13th amendment without any context or explanation could be seen as being negligent in how he uses his power. A large bulk of the criticism he got from other celebrities comments on exactly this.

Even after apologizing for some of his comments Kanye backtracked by making even more factually incorrect comments about slavery. Comments about him believing that “by the 1800s there were just 800 slaves in America” and slavery was a result of “blacks being ‘mentally imprisoned’” showed his ignorance to the world (Jones). At that time there were almost “4 million” slaves (Jones). Slaves that were bonded not just by chains but an entire reality built around them starting and staying at the bottom. He took the mental and physical abuse that went on for hundreds of years and blamed it on Black people not having enough backbone. Kanye wasn’t just bold and controversial, he was wrong and controversial. If he was going to make comments on a topic as weighted as that, the least he could do for his thousands of adoring fans is a little bit of research and critical thinking. In addition to this, while he has been doing sit downs with Trump, how much has he actually accomplished? It’s not surprising that many of his Black fans feel like instead of creating a healthy dialogue between conservatives and liberals, he’s allowing Trump to make him his poster Black friend. The pictures of them hugging with Kanye grinning and wearing the MAGA hat bold and proud certainly don’t help. His actions have left an entire community feeling let down and betrayed. With all this in mind it doesn’t surprise me that twitter rushed to “cancel” him.

The nature of “cancel culture” itself calls other ideas into question. “Everyone Is Canceled” by Jonah Engel Bromwich discusses the strange mannerisms of cancel culture. In the past decade a rise in use of social media has allowed people of similar interest to group together and form their own cultural circles. People band together and form rules on what is and isn’t allowed within their social bubble. Twitter is a hot bed for these social bubbles. The pattern of celebrities doing something that offends a majority group and getting “cancelled” for it is becoming more and more apparent. University of Michigan Professor, Lisa Nakamura, defines cancel culture as “a cultural boycott...It’s an agreement not to amplify, signal boost, give money to. People talk about the attention economy -- when you deprive someone of your attention, you’re depriving them of a livelihood” (“Everyone Is Canceled”). Groups of people are joining together on the internet, seeing something that doesn’t agree with their societies values, and collectively deciding to cut that person or group off and cast them into the wild. Celebrities today are often victims of this modern exile. This has created a culture in which second chances don’t exist. If a celebrity decides to speak out of turn they risk the chance of being hated and written off by millions.

Despite the modern applications, this crowd culture isn’t new. Stanley Cohen analyzed the same cultural exile through the lense of rivaling youth subcultures in British society in the 1960’s in his book, “Folk Devils and Moral Panics.” He writes, “Societies appear to be subject, every now and then, to periods of moral panic. A condition, episode, person or group of persons emerges to become defined as a threat to societal values and interests; its nature is presented in a stylized and stereotypical fashion by the mass media” (“Folk Devils and Moral Panics”). When we decide that a person or group has become a threat to the society we want to live in, it’s normal reject it. But to completely ostracize anyone that decides to say anything the majority doesn’t agree with can be detrimental to our profession as free thinkers, as Kanye would say. The knee-jerk reaction to shut down any commentary we don’t like to hear prevents us from having the tough conversations that are needed to spark change. Cohen reveals that “Sometimes the panic passes over and is forgotten… at other times it has more serious and long-lasting repercussions and might produce such changes as those in legal and social policy or even in the way society conceives itself” (“Moral Panics”).

Collective outrage has the power to change the workings of society. People united for a greater good could accomplish true change but this doesn’t seem to be the outcome. Kanye’s comments were indeed offensive and ill-informed, but is it worth subjecting him to that much public hatred? The fundamental reason why so many of Kanye’s fans are angry isn’t just because Kanye offended them, they feel betrayed by him. Kanye’s comments were ignorant to say the least, possibly even negligent, but there is a deeper problem here. Cancel culture could be described as moral panic gone wrong. While moral panic can lead to positive change, cancel culture does nothing more than cut off any potential dialogue. Change needs more than just conflict to happen. Conflict has to be followed with conversation if there are any hopes to coming to a greater outcome.

Kanye West’s recent comments on slavery and his bold support of Trump sparked controversy for understandable reasons. His closeness with his commentary shows a side of him that is negligent of his power as a social figure. I still don’t agree with any of his comments in fact. But I can’t ignore that just because I have differing opinions with him doesn’t mean I have to join the mob prepared to burn him at the stake. Kanye’s on the right track with creating a dialogue with President Trump. Initially, I believed that canceling was okay if they did something that was offensive enough. But realistically, canceling someone solves none of the fundamental issues at work. Instead of rushing to cut someone off from the sustenance that is attention, we should draw attentions to where their thinking may be lacking. Giving Kanye the facts and giving him space to learn and form his own opinions. Cancel culture has created an environment lacking any opportunities to grow and change. Celebrities shouldn’t have to walk on egg shells so they don’t risk losing their career. It’s not the end of the world to be wrong. The end of the world might be closer than we think if we don’t become a more forgiving people.

Works Cited

1. 'Constitutional Topic: The First Amendment.' USConstitution.net. 3 Jan. 2011. 27 Feb. 2011. Bromwich, Jonah Engel. “Everyone Is Canceled.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 28 June 2018, www.nytimes.com/2018/06/28/style/is-it-canceled.html.
2. Jones, Marcus. “Here Is The Definitive Timeline Of Kanye West's Controversies.” BuzzFeed News, BuzzFeed News, 11 Oct. 2018, www.buzzfeednews.com/article/marcusjones/kanye-west-controversies-timeline.
3. Lockhart, P.R. “The Controversy over Kanye West's 13th Amendment Tweets, Explained.” Vox, Vox Media, 1 Oct. 2018, www.vox.com/identities/2018/10/1/17924594/kanye-west-13th-amendment-tweets-slavery-backlash.
4. “Deviance and Moral Panics .” Folk Devils and Moral Panics, by Stanley Cohen, MacGibbon & Kee, 1972, pp. 1–21.