I’ve been closely following the social media backlash that erupted into full crisis mode over a Kanye West tweet praising President Donald Trump. Sometimes I wonder how people manage to go about their days without being outraged over the opinion of another. The now-infamous Twitter post read, “You don’t have to agree with Trump, but the mob can’t make me not love him. We are both dragon energy. He is my brother. I love everyone. I don’t agree with everything anyone does. That’s what makes us individuals. And we have the right to independent thought.”
Seems legit. However, black Twitter literally melted down and dragged Kanye West. The backlash was so severe that West’s wife Kim Kardashian chimed in attempting serious damage control. Kardashian made several posts explaining her husband’s tweets. Kanye himself eventually followed up his initial tweet saying he doesn’t always agree with President Trump’s politics and that he also loves Hillary Clinton. However, the damage had already been done. Out of the Twitter ashes comes an important issue that needs to be addressed. Coming to Kanye West’s defense was fellow Chicago-based artist Chance the Rapper, tweeting that “black people don’t have to be Democrats.”
The concept of black conservatives is a hard pill to swallow for many. A lot of minority activists are pretty militant in their views and expressions. There is also a fair amount of hypocrisy among the “woke” crowd. For instance, many liberal activists hail Assata Shakur as a prominent leader in the cause. Assata Shakur, was convicted of first-degree murder in the shooting death of a state trooper, then escaped from prison and was granted asylum in Cuba. She remains on the FBI’s Most Wanted Terrorist list.
Several music artists have even paid her tribute. Lest we all forget, Kanye West is known for raising eyebrows. In the past, he’s compared his job to those of police officers and military service members. He’s interrupted Taylor Swift as she accepted her Video Music Award. During Hurricane Katrina, he said on live television during a fundraiser that “President Bush hates black people.” West understands the game and the amount of free publicity he’s currently receiving ahead of the upcoming release of his album. He continued trolling the outraged by stepping out in a red “Make America Great Again” hat. He was also retweeted by President Trump himself and Ivanka Trump.
The phenomenon of demonizing individuals over opinions and beliefs belongs almost solely to the minority community. It’s borderline dangerous to express dissenting opinions if you’re a person of color. It shouldn’t be that way. I’m not a Trump supporter, but I agree with some of his policies. I’ve joined conversations among minority communities where I was told my opinion wasn’t valid because my skin wasn’t dark enough. I’ve been attacked for holding certain opinions and told that I have no credibility because my spouse is white. I’ve been told I’m married to a racist because my husband is conservative.
The result? I’ll be just fine distancing myself from any community that condones ostracizing others based on their beliefs.
