Over the past several days, quite a large number of think pieces have been written about Kanye West.
Pretty much anyone with an Internet account has tried to analyze the rapper and his recent run of verbal diarrhea, highlighted last week by his claim that slavery was a “choice.”
You remember that remark, right?
You remember how Kanye visited the TMZ newsroom and ranted about how African-Americans were held captive by white people for “400 years” and, therefore, simply had to have chosen to remain enslaved?
As a refresher, this is what he said:
You hear about slavery for 400 years. For 400 years? That sounds like a choice. Like, that was there for 400 years and it’s all of y’all?
It’s like, we’re mentally in prison.
Even Kanye eventually realized he had maybe crossed a line with this line of thought, sort of backtracking later on via social media, as you can see below:
During the court of his discussion on race with TMZ, West wondered why he was being attacked when he was simply being a “free thinker.”
He later said folks just couldn’t handle his “new ideas.”
The musician is either off his mental rocker or willing to say absolutely anything in order to promote his upcoming album.
Either way, however, Janelle Monae was not about to let his comments slide.
During a radio interview with LA’s Power 106 late last week, the singer voiced her disappointment in Kanye and shared her thoughts on the whole slavery situation.
“I come from love. I try not to listen to things to just respond or clap back but really listen to understand,” she said, adding:
“I think we just have to be patient with each other. I don’t agree [with Kanye’s comments], and I’ve been very vocal about that.”
And then she got more vocal, using Kanye’s own (stupid) words against him as follows:
“I’m a free thinker and here’s a free thought:
“I think that if free thinking is rooted in the oppression of minorities, LBGTQ, immigrants and women, then I don’t fuck with your free thoughts. I just think there has to be some balance.
“I mean, slave masters also thought freely, and where did we get with that?”
And there it is. There’s all that really has to be said on this subject.
Anyone is free to think however anyone wants.
But once you verbalize those thoughts, and said verbalizing has an actual effect on society, well… that changes everything.
Just look at how Donald Trump is taking advantage of Kanye’s endorsement on the campaign trail:
According to one report, Kim Kardashian is considering a divorce in light of Kanye’s recent string of idiocy.
Yet others are sticking up for the rapper.
“Notice that a week ago the world was silent about Kanye. Now the entire world is in uproar over things he has said or done for the world to see,” The Game told Billboard via email.
He added:
“Don’t think for a minute that his actions and plan weren’t well thought out and set up for his goal to reach his maximum potential.
“Kanye will always be a friend of mine & although I might not necessarily agree with his views on certain topics, that is what separate us as individuals.”
Based on this logic, one can say anything one wants as long as it keeps one in the news and there’s nothing to criticize because, hey, it’s all about “freedom of thought,” right?!?
Sigh.
People can be so not very smart sometimes.
