Kanye: Lover or Liar?

Kalliopi Karamboulas – Staff writer

Nehemiah and Philippe are two general body members of the ALANA network and they have come together to discuss something that has been very controversial in the media. As two well-informed black males in the Assumption College community, they believe that the following opinions are important when understanding Kanye West.

There has been a substantial amount of discussion about Kanye West lately in the media. Kanye has been applauded and targeted for many of the things that he has said. Any celebrity under the limelight of public controversy has people who agree and disagree with them. In the following discussion, Nehemiah Johnson is going to talk about why he is agrees with Kanye West and his remarks, and Philippe Guerrier will follow up on why he is against Kanye West’s remarks. We will conclude with tying up the loose ends of our argument following the discussion.

NEHEMIAH: I believe Kanye West is a figure who is attempting to use his position to show love towards Donald Trump and, potentially, others who are hated among certain communities that Kanye influences. The way I interpret Kanye’s approach to connecting with Donald Trump is somewhat like Jesus’ “love thy neighbor” principle. Donald Trump is seen as a sexist and racist person; however, since Kanye is showing him love, it can be interpreted the way that we should be able to love anyone as a person, despite how horrible they may be. This mentality attempts to connect, communicate and work with someone despite their apparent differences.

This way of thinking should bring people together and strengthen the community as a whole, rather than pushing each other away through hatred. Kanye’s grandiose personality reaching out to Donald Trump should not shock the masses, but have them think about how they are missing hidden opportunities causing for hate to brew in their hearts. His mentality has allowed him to succeed in many different areas such as building his brand and helping out his hometown, all the way embracing the idea that any type of publicity is good publicity.

Through his meeting with Donald Trump, he started building mental health institutions in the Chicago area. The mental health of young black teenagers is vulnerable due to shootings and trauma that have otherwise occurred in their lifetime. Using this publicity from the media, he was able to expand the view of the youth in the Chicago community who are experiencing stress from traumatic events.

Even though Kanye can be seen as controversial and misleading, he is just an active member of society that is trying to spread love to break the endless cycle of hate that this world has created. The people that disagree with Kanye’s approach to the unity of society are blindly fueling the cycle of hatred they fantasize of stopping.

PHILIPPE: I disagree with Nehemiah on the grounds that I believe Kanye West does not have positive intentions or a sole purpose for collaborating with Donald Trump. I feel as though he has gotten to a point of publicity in the media where he does not know what to do anymore to protect his image. This is just another method of publicity that he is using to get attention without any other motive. A lot of people may blame it on the fact that Kanye West has a mental illness or that his mother recently passed; however, due to the many interviews I have watched, I cannot believe this.

Kanye West speaks with very deliberate and well thought out disquisitions on many topics, showing no signs of significant impact. He understands what he is saying, but expresses his words in an ignorant and uninformed manner. He thinks hard but quickly, a lot of the time trying to make excuses to validify his actions.

The continuity of these remarks depict the traits of a pathological liar, one who is willing to say anything to defend his name until he believes it himself. The media elucidates Kanye’s words through their own interpretations, portraying him however they please. Kanye must therefore act as if what he is doing and trying to promote is not due to the situation he has put himself in, but because he was trying to find this purpose all along and it is what he truly wants to do. All in all, Kanye West is living and in his own illusion where he believes he is doing the right thing, but is truly misguided in his approach to doing so.

Whether or not you are a fan of Kanye or a critic of him, we hope this content helped continue the conversation. Both points of views shine different lights upon Kanye West and his controversy in the media today. Each one provides opposing viewpoints that try to implement the fact that Kanye has changed, whether it be for better or worse. Nehemiah Johnson tries to communicate with the readers that Kanye West is promoting the spreading of love to end the world’s cycle of hate, while Philippe Guerrier tries to express the fact that Kanye West depicts traits of being on the verge of a pathological liar.

Kalliopi Karamboulas, a sophomore, studies Accounting. She is a staff writer for Le Provocateur.