When the entertainment industry’s esteemed Uncle Tom announced his run for presidency in early July, I thought nothing of it. It’s not that politics bore me, but in full transparency there are more worthwhile causes one could dedicate their time and energy towards — Kanye West’s desire to be coon-in-chief of the free world does not fit the bill.
There are many of us who’ve expressed disdain for the Grammy award-winning Trump puppet over the years because of his volatile outbursts and gimmicks. Then there are others who have praised him for his “honesty,” which is coded language that translates to “I support Kanye for selling out his own community to appease white supremacists.” Regardless of where one stands, any sane individual in the Black community, who is conscious of themselves and the racist white transgressions that this faux representation of Black excellence amplifies, would agree that a Kanye presidency would be dangerous.
The anti-Black rhetoric that this Steve Jobs wannabe perpetuates has been made abundantly clear, over the years. Like many, I was left reeling in a sea of rage when Kanye declared to the world that slavery was a choice. He later apologized, but the damage was done. We know the power that lies in channeling the spirits of our ancestors, who have died for us to simply live, so any disrespect towards them and the struggles they overcame to provide a better life for their descendants is a slap in the face to the culture.
Being kidnapped and taken to a foreign land to be subjected to over four centuries of violence and murder doesn’t sound like a choice. Sauntering around 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, toting MAGA hats and mammy mannerisms attempting to massage the ego of the biggest racist in the land does sound like a choice, however.
While it's quite disturbing, we're used to members of our community denouncing who they are and going against the grain to snag their allegorical spot in the big house with massa. But it wasn’t enough for West to mock the Black legacy that he literally descends from with his remarks on slavery being a choice. What hurts the most is that he purposely took the opportunity to align himself with Donald Trump.
Despite all of the wretched things this man has said and done in an effort to harm marginalized communities, especially Black people, Kim Kardashian’s husband felt the need to support him. Sure, we’ve seen Black folks like Diamond and Silk, Trump’s personal set of performative figureheads, but it feels different with West.
So I see #FoxNews has parted ways with Diamond and Silk . I supposed they have to take their mammy minstrel show onto Newsmax or One America News or file for long term unemployment. pic.twitter.com/odK6ABJri0
— blktechwarrior (@blktechwarrior) April 28, 2020
When you build a career capitalizing off of Black people’s coins, it is your due diligence to support them. There is no reason why white celebrities and white corporations have beat the Black designer and music creator to the punch in condemning Trump for all of his wickedness. West is a Black man from a Black city that has achieved an overwhelming amount of fame and fortune because of his Black fans, not in spite of.
Based on what I’ve seen, a Kanye presidency would be a nightmare. Aside from suggesting slavery was a choice, his past indiscretion of turning his concerts into tirades, prove that he would turn this country into a narcissistic display of his insecurities and baseless rants. While I’d hope that West would use a potential presidency to advocate for the Black voices and the Black community who gave him status, I don’t foresee him doing that. I envision a similar replica of these past four years in which an unqualified, egomaniac sets us back a few centuries.
Kanye West went into a 17-minute tirade during a concert, praising Donald Trump and calling out Beyoncé https://t.co/Y9Ej1iRvtf
— The New York Times (@nytimes) November 21, 2016
That being said, I don’t trust West and I certainly don’t trust that his intentions are sincere. Is this a ploy to steal votes from Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden in an effort to ensure a Trump win? I’m not sure. Is West really going to go through with running a serious campaign for President of the United States? Who knows.
What I can say is, simply put, Kanye West does not have the range. He doesn’t have the range to hold the highest position in the world and avoid leading us to anything but death and destruction. He doesn’t have the range to represent the Black community in a way that is not performative and appealing to the white gaze.
Instead of paying Kanye West any mind, we need to mobilize our community and focus on more important things. Period.
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