Not a Kanye Thing

I don't want anybody to get the wrong idea about this post, it's not a direct defense for Kanye West. Fact is, I thought Kanye was a idiot way before it became cool. This is more of a defense to all people who may face scrutiny for going against the grain; Scrutiny for having an unpopular belief; Scrutiny for not being who the mainstream says you should be. For those of you who have a belief that I am completely Conservative, this may come as a shock to you, but for those who think I'm a Liberal, well, depending on what definition of Liberal you’re using, you may be somewhat right. The fact is that I believe in the Constitution. I believe that in this country, people have the right to be whoever they want to be. As long as they do not infringe on any other citizen's rights, have it at. It is your protected right! Does this mean that you should be protected from criticism? Not at all. That is not your right and this not why I am writing this post. A week ago, Kanye started a tweet storm that sent the entire entertainment industry into a frenzy. He openly shared his admiration from Conservative pundit Candice Owens and then shared pictures of himself wearing a “Make America Great Again” Hat, the campaign slogan for President Donald Trump, followed by his favorable opinions of the President. As one may say, the Shit hit the Fan.

Immediately there was a flurry of backlash from fellow music artists, vocal Hollywood Elites, even News Publications got in on the hysteria. Kanye was instantly the most hated man in the entertainment industry. He was accused of being an “Uncle Tom”, a “White Man’s Errand Boy”, being mentally unstable, even being hooked on drugs.

All this for the simple act of expressing an idea that millions across the nation also share. So then ,one may ask, if millions of Americans share his same idea, why the beef? There is answer to this question. Kanye West, if you have been living under a rock for the last 15 years, is black. Yep. That’s it. He is a black man, therefore, he has been appointed to represent the Democratic party. Someone, however, forgot to tell Kanye West. Now my issue with this whole debacle has nothing to do with politics or with Kanye West. I had the same issue when people like Candace Owens and Diamond and Silk became prominent voices for the Conservative party( all three being Black females), similarly, I had the same issues when Bruce Jenner decided to become to Caitlyn Jenner. The issue I have? What business of yours is it what these people want to believe in? How is this going to affect your life? What makes you think you can intimidate of guilt people into thinking what you want them to think? This is utterly absurd! “Collective fear stimulates herd instinct, and tends to produce ferocity toward those who are not regarded as members of the herd.” ― Bertrand Russell Herd mentality is not only intellectually lazy, It’s dangerous. It requires one to think like the rest or be ostracized by the group. This is Collectivism at it’s best. What are we really to gain from this, when it’s core principle is to delegitimize out of the box thinking, there is no reason to evolve. Challenge brings innovation and with it bring the possibility of excelling both in industry as well as humanity. Where would we be now if the Wright brothers heeled to the criticism brought with the idea that humans could fly? The prospects of individualism brought with it many advantages. First, was the practice of the First Amendment, the “Freedom of Speech and Expression”; the right to be, think and act however you felt. Secondly came the freedom to challenge conventional ideas. Challenging ideas provides the service of forcing one to reflect on their own ideas and beliefs, revealing flaws and ultimately inspiring change. Lastly, and most importantly came the practice of the pursuit of happiness. One who is truly happy with themselves find it hard to find hatred for others. I think this is why the Counterculture movement of the 60’s drew so much allure. They challenged conventional beliefs; Civil Rights, Gay Rights, Anti-war, Free love, Women's Rights. These movements were a testament to the true meaning of Libertarianism. In short “You do you”. The movements challenged the government laws and traditional values. The provoked the First Amendment to demand that their version of happiness and expression not be infringed upon. In short, they told the government to go Fuck themselves. Oh how times have changed where today's “Liberals” demand more Government intervention, instead of less. Another issue I have with the dumpster fire occurrence is the use of identity politics to create an atmosphere chaining down “People of Color” to an pre-chosen ideology. Where in history did we start believing that the Democratic party cared so much for People of Color? Now, it can be debated that no party cares for people of color and that’s okay, but to think that one party favors people of color more than the other other is lunacy! Especially the DNC! The party that brought you the KKK? Jim Crow laws? “Jim Crow laws were state and local laws that enforced racial segregation in the Southern United States. Enacted by white Democratic-dominated state legislatures in the late 19th century after the Reconstruction period, these laws continued to be enforced until 1965.” If you were to believe the “Southern Compromise” which is supposed to represent the time when Republican ideals and those of the Democrats switched, you would also have to accept the unlikelihood due to the fact that governance in the south did not change for another half century. Meaning, the DNC has always been about keeping People of Color in a position relying on the government for assistance. “Americans are so enamored of equality, they would rather be equal in slavery than unequal in freedom.” ― Alexis de Tocqueville Back to the point though, People of color have fallen for a trick. A perception that one party favors them and the other party does not, but most importantly, if they favor the other party over the one they have been assigned to, they are going against their best interest, in which case, they become an enemy of their own people. I find this premise completely offensive, but mostly insane. Kanye West has done nothing but express an ideal that millions of other people around the country share. If they hadn’t we wouldn’t even have to be discussing it. Donald Trump unanimously won the Electoral College. Fact is, it wasn’t even close! Whether you like him or not, he is our president and for him to have won by such a large electoral margin, there would have had to have been millions of people from all races, economic backgrounds, genders and livelihoods that shared the idea that Donald Trump would be the best man for the job. In other words, Kanye is not special. What makes his idea worth talking about is that he went against; First, his identity assignment , and secondly, the mainstream entertainment norm. There is no secret that those in the entertainment industry unanimously favor the Democratic Party, which I find ironic, mind you. These people in the Entertainment industry fall into the same category as their targets of grievances. They are either Old, White millionaires with extraordinary privilege , or just wealthy and privileged altogether. They are the people they bitch about! Yet they claim to have such high-and-mighty ideals. They are supposedly all about individualism, they are anti-fascist, anti-bullying, the party acceptance, of tolerance; yet, let one person stray from the pack and all of a sudden their ideals turn. Kanye, is not allowed to think as an individual. They try to either demean him into conformity or stifle his opinion with accusations of mental illness or drug abuse. Those i the left have literally attempted to bully the man to change his idea! So much acceptance, so much tolerance. I find it extremely It's ironic that the people who do the most bitching about bullying are the first to become bullies when they experience a thought they don't agree with. Kanye has a thought, an idea, a preference ; one that he shares with millions of other people, However, because he is supposed to belong to an ideology that's been assigned to his identity, he is not allowed to pursue it? More so, he is being intimidated to go back to the herd. Why do more people not see how troubling this is?! He is being intimidated by his peers, by the Hollywood elite, by news publications! The very people who are supposed to be the fighters for individuality are pressuring another to think like they do! That's pretty sick. I have some news for you small minded, fascists; there are 325 million people in the United States and I can assure you, there are not 2 of those people who think alike. This is the real America and why it's so difficult to navigate through, But this is what makes our country so great. It is through this diversity of ideas that we progress and evolve. To stifle one's perceptions is to forbid life itself. They are not only preventing the person's present, they are eliminating all of our potential futures. I wish I can say I have never had a problem with the ideology other people follow, but unfortunately , I have also fallen victim to the fantasy of the two party system in the past. It wasn’t until about a decade ago that I was fortunate enough to free myself again from this labyrinth of deceptions;to my old belief that ideals are chains that holds the evolution of humanity down. I will always be a fighter for individuality and will always fight for those who venture away from the herd. This is not to mean that I will always agree with them but as long as they are attempting to force me to accept their ideas, I can give 2 shits about their thoughts. Maybe if more people thought this way, we can move forward without this unnecessary alarmism. I have always thought Kanye West was a bit of a nutcase. I thought he was idiot before it was cool to think so, however, he is free to think and feel whatever he wants, and though I can acknowledge that those who feel the need to criticize him also have the freedom to do so, I do find it painfully ironic and hypocritical considering the ideals that the party they represent are supposed to endorse.

Don't be afraid.... That ringing you hear in your ears is just a bit of ...

BRAYN NOISE

Back to Brayn Noise