Ye's Undoing

Ye’s Mental State and its Influence on Recent Drama.

By Katie Tarnutzer

It's safe to assume that by this point, most people have heard of Kanye West; whether through his music, Yeezy, or one of his numerous scandals. Kanye West, now known as Ye, has been at the center of numerous controversies throughout his career.

After making a series of antisemitic comments, Ye has recently found himself once again under fire from the public. This started at fashion week in Paris, with Kanye choosing to wear a “White Lives Matter” shirt. As if this wasn’t bad enough, Ye went on an and did an interview with Tucker Carlson, and spewed a multitude of conspiracy theories, antisemitism, and anti-black comments. Alongside this, West has also gone on a rampage on social media, including a post saying that he‘s “going death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE.”

Despite previously boasting that he could “say anti-Semitic things, and Adidas can’t drop [him],” turns out that this is not the case. In fact, this was not the case for any of the brands that Ye has partnered with. According to The Guardian, West is reportedly no longer a billionaire after being dropped by his brand partnerships. Not only was West dropped by Adidas, but also by Balenciaga, CAA, Gap, JPMorgan Chase, MRC, and even the law firm representing him.

Kanye West’s behavior is not something to be brushed off. His antisemitic comments have been noticed by white supremacist groups, of which he has drawn support from. A hate group was even found hanging a banner over the 405 Freeway in Los Angeles and doing a Nazi salute. His behavior is only powering these groups more, and encouraging the rising rates of antisemitism.

One of the most common explanations for Ye’s behavior is that he’s simply “crazy.” While it is true that he does have these public outbursts mostly while in the midst of a manic episode, labeling him as crazy is only a simplistic way of dismissing his behaviors. In fact, using the word "crazy" to justify his behavior furthers the stigma associated with bipolar disorder.

Throughout the years, Kanye West has been vocal about his issues with mental illness, specifically with his diagnosis of bipolar disorder. As West described in an interview with David Letterman, in his personal experience, when it comes to being in a state of mania, “you’re hyper-paranoid about everything, everyone... everyone is now an actor... everything’s a conspiracy.” In an edited-out section of the interview with Tucker Carlson, Ye refers to professional actors pretending to be children who have been manipulating his children. These delusions are in line with how he described his own manic episodes.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I do not condone his actions in any way, shape or form. His bipolar disorder provides an explanation for why he goes on these social rampages and makes these out-of-line comments, but it does not excuse his behavior at all. Mood disorder or not, Kanye West believes in racist ideologies that are harmful to many different groups. He should still be held accountable for his actions regardless of his mental state. However, it is worthwhile to think of the reasons behind his erratic behavior.