When I first saw the video, via YouTube, of Kanye West delivering his now infamous Angry Black Man mantra, “George Bush Doesn’t Care About Black People,” I stood up and applauded. Finally someone, albeit it was Kanye West, had the courage to speak up for those who’d either witnessed or were personally affected by the government’s failure to act rapidly in response to Hurricane Katrina.
West’s statement, while not the most eloquent of phrasing, was raw, emotional and ironically hilarious, especially when you observe the face of co-presenter Mike Myers, who appeared to be caught between a state of bewilderment and mortification. Personally, I think that his remark, and the accompanying video, should be added to the National Archives to confirm the hurt and pain people of darker hue had to endure.
So you can imagine my utter amusement when former President George Bush, of all folks, listed West as one of the most disgusting moments of his presidency. Really Bush? West’s remarks were more upsetting than the two wars that you helped to start; the worst economic crash since the Great Depression that your administration oversaw; and the torture—which was authorized by your administration—at Guantanamo Bay and Abu Ghraib?
West’s remarks even hurt worse than the back spasm you must have received dodging, not one but two, shoes thrown at you by a disgruntled Iraqi journalist? If Bush is this shallow and ignorant about all the bad choices he made during his presidency that he should regret, than it’s safe to say that not only does George Bush not care about black people, but human life, regardless of what color.
And yet, it is West, not Bush, who is continuously being asked to apologize for what, I’m not quite sure.
Regardless, West has spent the last year through his music and interviews being remorseful. Even after he was baited by Matt Lauer of The Today Show to apologize to Bush (okay, technically it wasn’t so much as an apology as it was a show of empathy for the former president), West can’t seem to evolve past his bad-boy persona, depending on whom you ask.
What’s up with that?
According to Cord Jefferson, writer for The Root, West has an untreated mental problem and is probably in need of therapy. Despite not having any medical certification or ever having met West, Jefferson compares West’s “behavior” to symptoms common with bipolar disorder—a brain disorder that causes unusual shifts in mood, energy and activity levels.
Of course, West has had his fair share of controversies: from the beat-down he gave a member of the paparazzi in the airport over an unsolicited picture, to the unforgettable “I’ma let you finish…” Taylor Swift incident, (although he expressed what many of us were thinking: how the heck did Swift win an award over Beyonce?) West’s knack for generating headlines even caught the attention of President Obama, who labeled him a “jackass” in an off-the-record comment.
West is a talented artist with an eclectic personal flare that happens to have a habit of speaking his mind too freely at times. Though what he says can be alarming sometimes, if not downright politically incorrect, it is in no way less truthful or irrelevant to his personal reality. Though some may identity his actions with an egomaniac that has a mental illness, we shouldn’t be so dismissive about the man’s authenticity.
Watching what’s happening to West is like witnessing the same public flogging of Michael Jackson. Despite his personal issues, Jackson had to endure years of malicious headlines that sought to vilify his every move and thought. Of course, we have seen this done many times over recent years—from Britney Spears’ breakdown to the Tiger Woods’ extramarital affairs. All of these entertainers—who were once gems in the eyes of the public—have fallen from our finicky graces and made to beg continuously for our forgiveness.
West has chosen to bravely speak from the heart, which has sometimes struck a nerve within the mainstream. It is his willingness to run off at the mouth and follow his brain wherever it takes him that makes him a unique artist, whose lucid tongue has the ability to not only produce a hot track, but is not afraid to hold up a mirror and expose the world to all of its inglorious contradictions.
Charing Ball is the author of the blog People, Places & Things.
