Kanye West is back at it again. I write this with the sensitive understanding that he is troubled with mental health issues. Kanye recently spoke out in a troubling manner, as he warned Jews about toying with him and those opposing his agenda. He threatened Jewish people about a supposed conflict with him over a Jewish agenda.
“I’m a bit sleepy tonight but when I wake up I’m going death con 3 on Jewish people.” He was upset that Instagram restricted his account over anti-Jewish remarks. “Who do you think created cancel culture?” he tweeted.
He continued his social media rant, criticizing Jared Kushner, the goal of the Abraham Accords and said the only purpose was for Jews to make money.
His rants continued about the Clintons, Kardashians and Mark Zuckerberg.
He addressed accusations of antisemitism, saying that he could not be antisemitic because black people are Jewish also, in a now-removed tweet. Yes, the narratives of black people and Jewish people have been parallel and united for a long time, so maybe that is what he meant. And the majority of Jewish people are not white-presenting.
Well, earlier this month, Kanye wore a White Lives Matter t-shirt to Paris Fashion Week, a slogan associated with the white supremacist movement. Sean Diddy Combs criticized this choice, to which Kanye responded that Combs is controlled by Jewish people.
More Kanye rants
These recent unhinged rants by Kanye provoked the conversation of censorship by Silicon Valley giants and how we handle hate speech. The United States protects hate speech as freedom of speech under the First Amendment.
Whether his social media posts and the endless Jew-hatred being spewed on social media by Jew-haters remains protected as freedom of speech, this further shines a light on the antisemitic tropes, false narratives and dangerous myths about Jewish people that have been prevalent for too long.
What do we do about it? When we encounter hate speech, we must respond with more speech. If cancel culture is wrong, then counsel culture and consequence culture are right. Together, we must all do something about this. Speak out, educate with the truth, and fight back against those who assault with hateful false narratives and old tropes assailing Jews.
The writer is an Emmy-nominated actor, director and filmmaker, who has won over 100 international film festival awards. He is an active leader in the LGBTQ+ and Jewish communities, working with several prestigious organizations to save people in life-threatening situations, including as the director of mobilization for the End Jew Hatred movement. He is active across social media, including YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.