Kanye West and His Anti-Semitic Rants

There has been a recent trend for conservatives to embrace rapper Kanye West over his perceived tilt toward conservative politics. First, there was his embrace of former President Trump. Then came his criticism of Black Lives Matter, his more recent wearing of a "White Lives Matter" t-shirt, and other pronouncements. Many perceived that this would be another name to add to black thinkers like Thomas Sowell, Shelby Steele, Ben Carson, Clarence Thomas, Candace Owens, and others who have dared to challenge conventional liberal thinking. 

Before we embrace Kanye West, however, we need to pause and take in his recent remarks about Jews, which are viciously anti-Semitic and bring up many of the old stereotypes that have long contributed to Jew-hatred. Unlike the names above, West's rambling words against Jews show that he is no great thinker. Quite the opposite.

It is tempting to dismiss West as just another boffo celebrity who went crazy after marrying into the boffo Kardashian family, joining people like Bruce Jenner, Lamar Odom, and various and sundry drummers, basketball players, comedians, and other misfits who fit right into the Kardashian-Jenner klan-at least temporarily.

But West has been displaying troubling behavior for years now and has reportedly been diagnosed as bipolar. If that is the case, what he now needs is psychiatric help and not more public platforms to spout his hate.

There is nothing new about West. Jews get attacked from all directions, white, black, liberal, and conservative. What makes West particularly scary is that he has a large following because of his music. It doesn't take a clairvoyant to predict that somewhere, very likely in a  place like New York City, an innocent Jew, likely an Orthodox Jew who is easy to pick out, will fall victim to an assault at the hands of someone inspired by West's words. Among West's insults, he has implied that Jews have done harm to African-Americans, also a false canard. Those words could not have come at a worse time in our country and will have definite consequences.

Many on the left have jumped off the Kanye West bandwagon because of his support for Trump and statements challenging liberal thinking. In light of his recent statements about Jews, liberals, conservatives, and all in between should withdraw their support of this man. That includes folks like Candace Owens, who recently appeared with West wearing "White Lives Matter" t-shirts. West may be bipolar, but he is not insane. It is not an excuse for the things he is saying. What he should be doing now is apologizing and urging his fans not to act out on his outrageous statements