Opinion – Is Kanye canceled?

Adidas has ended its yearslong business deal with Kanye West, who is now known as “Ye,” due to his recent antisemitic remarks. The Washington Post reports that the antisemitic tweets paired with Ye’s recent outrage-sparking “White Lives Matter” apparel gave grounds for Adidas to end its partnership with him and the sale of his Yeezy sneakers, which “cost him most of his empire.”

Ye has been unpredictable and problematic in the last few years. The general public and health officials should show concern for him and should refrain from using him as a poster child for a political agenda.

It is no small secret that Ye has struggled with mental health, namely bipolar disorder, which the New York Post ascribes to his “erratic behavior long before he went public with his diagnosis.” From his 2018 album “Ye” with the words “I hate being bipolar / it’s awesome” on the cover to his 2020 presidential campaign, it seems that Ye’s outlandish behavior is a combination of bipolar disorder and the easy means to money and power that he’s had for decades. His profession of Christianity and subsequent album release in 2019 — “JESUS IS KING,” his first overtly Christian musical effort — solidified his unpredictability as a celebrity.

This trend of unpredictability and uncharacteristic statements continues with tweets regarding hatred for Jews (“I’m going death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE”), which he attempted to claim immunity for by virtue of being Black. Twitter nonetheless suspended his account. Since this remark, Billboard’s timeline reveals that Gap, Foot Locker and other companies have pulled any Ye-related products from their shelves in solidarity with the Jewish community.

While free speech is something that must be constitutionally afforded to all Americans, hate speech is neither permissible in the social media realm — which has the right to limit hateful conduct online — or reflective of the Christianity that Ye claims. If he is a Christian, he must be held accountable as one. The hope is that he is surrounded by many well-grounded Christians possessing the ability and compassion to disciple him into a “life worthy of (his) calling” (Ephesians 4:1).

Though he claims Christianity and seems to be standing up to what many would deem “woke” establishments, Christians and Conservatives should not use him as a poster child for their political agendas. As someone with bipolar disorder and a relatively “new” Christian, Ye should be looked on with compassion and love, not taken advantage of as an example of celebrities resisting the progressive movement in America.

Ye’s comments are, frankly, irredeemable. Context does not make his tweets less hateful or his “White Lives Matter” apparel less problematic. In the month of October, Ye was effectively canceled by every major company and a host of celebrities. It would not be fair of me to argue that “cancel culture” is a good thing or a right means of discipline, but I am hopeful that his loss of capital and influence will drive him to what he’s claimed before: the Christian God. 

Whatever the world may do to Ye’s reputation and assets, Christ can offer salvation and sanctification so sweet and undying that Ye may rest amid the chaos he’s caused. In Christ alone, Ye may find the deepest sincerity to repent of his hate speech and to become a better person inwardly. This is the way of true change: Christ’s inward redemption will have the most profound outward expression, should it be his will to work in Ye.

Bower is an opinion writer for the Liberty Champion. Follow him on Twitter

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