Ye, formally known as Kanye West, doesn’t shy away from being the center of attention. At his Yeezy Season 9 RTW fashion show in Paris, he wore a shirt with the quote “White Lives Matter” on the back of it. It wasn’t only his shirt that sparked controversy, but many models in the show were also sporting the shirt. Garnering even more attention, he gave out these shirts to the homeless on Skid Row in Los Angeles.
West isn’t afraid to speak his mind on topics that would be considered controversial. This has caused tension between him, certain celebrities, and the public. The quote on his shirt is a direct hit to the “Black Lives Matter” movement. This movement was started to highlight the racism, racial inequality, police brutality, and other social injustices that the Black community has faced for over 150 years.
On Instagram, West released screenshots of his conversations about the shirts. He stated he “thought it was so funny….” and that no one can “get in between” him and his profits. These pictures were later taken down. What Ye might have considered a money move has quickly turned into a debate on whether he needs to be canceled. Diddy appeared on the radio show, The Breakfast Club, still supporting Ye despite the confrontation. He calls him a “free thinker” and believes that Ye isn’t really a White Lives Matter activist.
Instead of worrying over this, Jesse McCauley, an environmental spatial analysis major at the University of North Georgia, believes that people have “better things to worry about like bills.”
“I mean just from an everyday person perspective, it’s just a shirt…I mean who really cares? Who really gets mad over some words….” – Jesse McCauley, Environmental Spatial Analysis major
As it turns out, many people didn’t share the same humor that West has. Instagram and Twitter have already banned him from their platforms after he made an antisemitic post. Social media users have labeled him as a white supremacist because of the photos he posts and the content he shares. West’s more controversial posts have gone viral but were taken off his page. They can still be found with a simple Google search. One image shows West wearing the Confederate flag, which has racist connotations to it. His fans have tried to excuse his behavior because of his bipolar disorder, but this seems to have been the last straw.
Whether or not West’s actions can be excused because of his mental illness, McCauley says, “Maybe. It’s tough to say.”
Isabella Montoya, a nursing major at the University of North Georgia, doesn’t care to keep up with celebrity drama. After she heard about this situation, she wondered why he would do something like this. She is one of many that thinks his mental illness can’t cover his actions in this situation.
