Kanye West panders to white supremacists

In a recent interview with the American entertainment channel TMZ, rapper and designer Kanye West appeared to suggest that slaves of the Trans-Atlantic slave trade were ready and willing to be enslaved. He said: "When you hear about slavery for 400 years ... For 400 years? That sounds like a choice." Swiftly rebuked by the Host Van Lathan, West appeared meek and contrite, but did not retract what he had said. 

On closer inspection, the apparent meaning of the statement was to pinpoint a mentality that West perceives to be pervasive within the American black community. This mentality is, according to West, what keeps black people locked in cycles of poverty and crime, and it is one which is based on a simple notion: "I am not responsible for myself, history has kept me back, everyone keeps me down."

Nevertheless, such discrepancies between intention and statement are likely to go unnoticed. The damage is already underway. West, a famous figure who has in the past used art to challenge white supremacy now seems to be directly in its service. His statement, and its underlying tones will be familiar to any far-right rag who misreads Nietzsche into every historical wrong: "slavery is a choice because people choose to be either slaves or masters" and so on. Not only does this statement ignore the historical, systematic and militaristic forces behind slavery, it also ignores the resistance of slaves who fought against their imprisonment at every opportunity. 

West's statement is in line with his recent behaviour: endorsing Trump, sidelining the needs of black Americans and disparaging black history. We can draw several conclusions: West is an attention seeker, West is a true believer, West is a moron, West is a contrarian. No matter which conclusion sparks your attention, it is undeniable that West is pandering to the rising tide of white supremacy in America. His comments received glowing praise from the Neo-Nazi movement in the States, including from leading figures such as Richard Spencer, president of the white supremacist think tank, National Policy Institute. 

Such pandering and epistemic loss may result in increased media attention (West has a couple of albums coming out soon), but ultimately, it highlights the strangeness of current politics in America: a nexus of media, celebrity, history and identity; a time when a celebrity's idiocy can trigger a tsunami of hate and justify the marginalisation of millions in a million tiny ways.