The United States is enjoying (if that’s the right word) the spectacle of the quirkiest, most unlikely set of presidential candidates in decades, perhaps ever. Is it any more ridiculous, then, to investigate the politics of putative 2020 election candidate Kanye West? Felix Online does it anyway:
…Kanye’s political positions are particularly difficult to discern. It would interesting to ask how he thinks he could make America great again, and it’s likely his response would focus on the social, racial and class issues that America faces today.
Photo: rodrigoferrari (CC)
Race and Class
I would once have argued that race would be Kanye’s biggest talking point – it’s a recurring theme throughout his lyrics and in his public appearances. He famously claimed live on-air, during a benefit concert for Hurricane Katrina relief in 2005, that “George Bush doesn’t care about black people.” Yet now he claims racism is no longer a problem in America; in his opinion, a single black president and his own personal success (and the success of his peers) prove that discrimination based on race isn’t really a thing. Apparently, the real issue is class, and people inviting you to dinners just to laugh at your teeth. It’s hard not to feel sorry for a man with a fortune of over $100 million who isn’t being included and respected in the way he wants. Through his rise to the top he has grown incredibly self-absorbed, which he even admits himself: “I embody every characteristic of the egotistic.” It’s worrying that he’s starting to lose touch with the reality of Black America; classism is obviously a problem but deep-rooted prejudices against the black community must be solved first rather than completely ignored.
Income Inequality
Ye has little to say about income inequality or the greed of corporate America, which isn’t surprising for a man who charges thousands of dollars for torn grey sweaters. He did once show up in support of the Occupy Wall Street movement, resulting in a rather awkward interview in which he nodded along quietly as fellow activist Russell Simmons explained his position…
[continues at Felix Online]
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