A Dark Twisted Fantasy: Kanye West is More Contrarian Than Free Thinker
In all honesty, Kanye or any celebrity’s political, religious, or other views are worth absolutely nothing to me. What I do care about, however, is rhetoric being spewed and falsely labeled as free thought.
Let’s take a moment to talk to discuss free thought. A basic definition of free thought is making decisions or thinking without the restraints or influence of any system, belief, tradition, or authority. It is supposed to be a thought process that says truth is based on logic and reasoning as opposed to accepted norms. In its correct and purest form, free thought is the way I would encourage anybody to live. Challenge norms. Ask questions. Base your life and actions on truth and truth only. Truth is not to be handed to us and accepted just for acceptance sake. As fully capable adults, we cannot afford to blindly follow anything simply because we were told or are expected to do so. That, in and of itself, is a lazy, apathetic and dangerous approach to life that will lead to stagnation and a slow but certain destruction.
Kanye is not immersing himself in free thinking or even dipping his toe in it for that matter.
Here’s the tricky thing about truth: YOUR truth is fluid. THE truth is not. It’s concrete. Some things are what they are. They have been tested and proven or are historical facts. Point blank. Yes, you can challenge them; I encourage you to do so, but the truth will always remain so. One’s interpretation of the concrete facts become their own version of the truth. Without a reliance on fact, one’s opinion is reduced to mindless babble.
Kanye is a musical genius. He has always pushed the enveloped, creatively and culturally. He is the poster boy for being yourself despite it possibly being atypical. At least he was. The current Kanye spits things out, bases them on very flimsy, seemingly passing thoughts and then criticizes those who challenge those thoughts as hating. In essence, he is using his platform to push his agenda about not having an agenda while accusing others of having an agenda to squelch his agenda, which is exactly the adversary of what he claims to be waging this incessant war against. He’s flailing at a group-think mentality by trying to get others to think like him, also known as group think.
Free thinking and contrarianism are not one in the same. Going to extensive lengths to oppose the norm or accepted beliefs is the exact opposite of free thought. Kanye West is a contrarian; especially in this instance. Swimming against the current just for the sake of not going with the wave, ironically, sets one up to be a slave to being in opposition. There is something to be said for always standing on the side of the perceived minority. That isn’t free thinking at all. Free thought allows for agreement with what you feel is right, even if what is right is the popular opinion. Again, free thought requires one to live in truth and truth alone. Kanye has aligned himself with the unpopular in an attempt to show the world that you can do what you want instead of what you are told. Which is not only an absence of thought as my man at TMZ so eloquently described, this decision to ignore the facts – even more dangerously blatant wrongdoing – displays he simply desires to be in the minority for antagonistic purposes. This addiction to controversy, organic or manufactured, is no different than the propensity that he claims others have to follow the crowd. There are flaws in both approaches. Not to mention, this position of underdog creates this forged, alternate universe that he has formed to make himself the victim when people crack down on him for stepping out of line. That’s another conversation for another day.
Truth is, if Mr. West would pause the chest beating and condescending, “I’m free, y’all need to join me” speech, he would realize that many are simply digging deeper to try to find out just what the hell he is talking about. As a community, we don’t want to just throw the man to the wolves. He means too much to too many people. He doesn’t need the marketing gimmicks. When he drops music, people check for it. If some think it’s terrible, there is a stronger group of people coming to his defense. The cries for attention that have morphed into completely erroneous, delusional quotes and actions have left many baffled and others upset. The music is usually the elixir to right all wrongs, but Ye vs. The People just dug him into a deeper hole. To double down on a mistake is to remove the notion that the culprit believes it was a mistake at all.
Rarely does a musician have the dexterity to be a figure that is discussed with an equal amount of affinity by people from separate generations. It is also uncommon for that rapper to have a tangible impact both musically and culturally during that extended period. This level of influence comes with a huge responsibility. Fairly or unfairly, to whom much is given much is required. These are the facts of life. While I, along with most well-wishing humans, rejoice when others can express their thoughts and emotions free from the worry of the ridicule and judgement of others, some missteps are harder to recover from than others.
I’m out on Kanye. You are free to think whatever you want. That’s the concept of free thought. Think what you will for reasons you will. I do not take on the task or feel obligated to get you to think like me. Nor will I sit back and allow Kanye or anybody tell me that my thought process is incorrect while hurling ridiculous claims in the air in the name of free thought. I’m not buying it, bro. TI said it best, “All that free thought s***, find a better defense”. The enticement of proposed freedom that is given only when validated by an entity that has shown zero interest in the welfare of the people who make up the majority of fanbase he claims to care so much about has worked to the contrary. It seems as if Kanye West is in more captivity now than ever before. Or maybe he is staying true to his contrarian ways and standing against the majority. If Donald Trump is really your “boy” like you claim, tell your mans when he buggin’ out. That’s what friends do; check each other. If you love him, love him enough to give him the truth instead of buying into his. I don’t give a damn about a hat. Where what you want. Take pictures with who you want. Smile and hang with whoever you want, for whatever reasons you want. However, the truth is concrete. Period.
