Yes, that’s right—Kanye West is once again suspended from Twitter. Despite just recently returning to the platform on November 21, his recent outburst of more anti-semitic commentary, coupled with sharing a series of erratic tweets, with one appearing to show a symbol combining a swastika and a Jewish star.
Twitter owner Elon Musk explained in a tweet that Ye’s account has been suspended for “incitement to violence” as a result of his recent behavior. This comes just two months after the rapper’s earlier suspension.
The head of the UK’s Holocaust Educational Trust described West’s comments as “repulsive and sickening” while speaking to the BBC.
“These comments mixed with his high profile and huge following have dangerous consequences,” chief executive Karen Pollock said.
It’s not just online that Ye has faced consequences for his erratic and insulting behavior. Over the last few months, he has lost the support of a number of brands that used to work with him, causing him to lose his billionaire status (we know, a true struggle). However, this doesn’t seem to be deterring him.
People have been widely speculating online that Ye’s outbursts may be partially caused to mental illness. While it’s no excuse for spouting hateful language and antisemitic views, it does raise the question of why he is still benefiting from a platform. No one can really control what he does on his own social media accounts or platforms that he has control over, but his most recent appearance, on the same day as the tweets referenced above, was for an interview with US conspiracy theorist Alex Jones.
With his face covered in a mask, Ye praised Nazi leader Adolf Hitler for supposedly inventing highways and ranted further about sin, pornography, and the devil. Some online have therefore also criticized Jones for platforming someone they believe is going through a mental illness crisis of some kind—or at the very least for giving space for extreme views that even the conspiracy theorist couldn’t wholly agree with.
We cannot diagnose anyone from where we sit on the other side of the internet, but I think Ye’s behavior thus far has proven beyond a doubt that anyone giving him room to spout his views is only doing so with the hope of him causing more controversy. Profiting off hateful views and mental illness is not only immoral, but is clearly so damaging to any individuals involved and entire communities getting caught in the crossfire.
(featured image: Angela Weiss / AFP)
