Doc Hoff’s #BlogBlogProject | “Should we separate the art from the artist?” by Ryann Keating
I’ve been sharing blogs written by my University of Delaware students since 2013. This blog was written by Ryann Keating, a senior double-majoring in Political Science and Communication with a minor in Politics & Social Justice . She is also a Community Engagement Scholars and wrote this blog for my National Agenda class this fall. Ryann examines Gen Z’s reaction to cancel culture — a topic that has come up frequently in our classroom. Ryann’s blog was selected by her peers as one of the best blogs of the semester.
When an artist in the realm of music, television, visual arts, or anything predominant in pop culture, does something to offend the masses, this is often brought up. It usually happens because — while we can hold public figures like politicians accountable for what they say — it becomes more ambiguous when it comes to artists. Maybe we should boycott the artist, or not give the artist attention when they do such an act? Or maybe people feel they should not have to stop listening to their music just because the singer said something they might disagree with. But then many are left wondering how we can hold figures that dominate pop culture and have a large impact accountable for spreading hateful rhetoric.
This has been the discussion as of late when it comes to artist Kanye West, also known as “Ye”. In the past few weeks, West has made many hateful comments aimed at the Jewish community, many branding West as an antisemite. The most recent controversy around West began after he posed next to controversial conservative commentator Candace Owens in matching white lives matter shirts. The phrase is perceived by many as offensive and aimed at taking away from the Black Lives Matter movement. After millions of people, and many Gen Zers, protested for months in the summer of 2020 against police brutality and systemic racism, I do not think anyone would have expected one of pop culture’s biggest contributors and highly accredited artists — who is also a Black man — to be the face of the white lives matter movement.
Yet many Americans became even more shocked when Kanye West did not stop there, but instead began an attack on the Jewish community. After receiving public backlash for stating he was going to “go death con 3 on Jewish people”, little action was done on the front of business partners and social media platforms where he was able to make the comment. Many of his fans were still quick to defend him saying that he did not actually mean what he said and saying that he is still “a genius,” which is a reference to what West calls himself in his Netflix documentary.
However, things took a turn for the worst when West appeared on the popular podcast “Drink Champs” where he stated that George Floyd died of a fentanyl overdose. This was alarming on many levels, as the statement is not only false but it also buys into conspiracy theories rooted in racism. The effects of his words were an especially bitter pill to swallow for his younger fans who had spent the majority of their summer in 2020 protesting against Floyd’s murder. In the same week, he was shown in an interview stating “I can say antisemitic s*** and Adidas can’t drop me… now what”. What followed was not an immediate response from Adidas but instead an outcry on social media with many celebrities — including his ex-wife, Kim Kardashian — denouncing the hate speech.
As John Della Volpe points out in his book about Gen Z “Fight: How Gen Z is Channeling Their Fear and Passion to Save America,” Gen Z have become dominators in the consumer market and are increasingly linking their consumer behavior to their political values. Thus, if Adidas did not have reason enough to end ties with West, many Gen Zers were pledging to never buy from Adidias again as long as they supported a person who spread such hateful and boastful claims. Many were pleading with Adidas to cut ties, and they eventually did but many believe it was done too late.
So the question remains, can we really hold West accountable for his hate speech in all aspects? How do we move forward when he is still considered one of the greatest artists of our generation? Well, I think for many, it is too late. If people were not convinced to stop supporting Kanye before, they certainly were after a group of white nationalists put a banner above the 405 freeway in Los Angeles that stated “Kanye is right about the Jews.”This really hammered down the idea that although Kanye is not a politician or a person of political power, his words have a huge impact on social groups. As John Della Volpe discussed in his book, there was nearly a 20% increase in hate crimes during the Trump presidency. Maybe the Trump effect is what overtook Kanye and emboldened him to make such remarks himself. But what we do know is that Kanye West is a person with social capital and influence who has already empowered others to share hate speech in a very public manner. In my opinion, we absolutely can not continue to make excuses for a grown man.
While people are quick to say that we should be able to separate art and artists, especially in a time when cancel culture is so prevalent, Kanye may have just become the exception. We can acknowledge that the man has graced us with culture-changing music and he is an artist in his own right, while also coming to the conclusion that the person we were all once fans of does not seem to exist anymore. I think that is how many people will come out of this and how Kanye’s image will change forever in the media.
Our country is already divided enough as it is; we do not need another person spreading hate and targeting ethnic and social groups. West needs to be held accountable; what’s stopping the next celebrity from spreading false information and hate for the people that look up to them and admire them to consume? This can not simply be another conversation about “cancel culture,” but about holding people in power accountable.
This blog was written by Ryann Keating, a senior double-majoring in Political Science and Communication, for my University of Delaware National Agenda class this fall, 2022.
