Kanye exposed undercurrents of anti-Semitism around the world

11 November 2022 - 07:25 By Jamie Mightie
subscribe Just R20 for the first month. Support independent journalism by subscribing to our digital news package.
Subscribe now
Jamie Mightie, Independent Africa researcher and analyst, wonders whether much of the hate we see so widely spread on the internet is simply the result of ignorance and lack of tolerance for those who are different, rather than evidence of deep-seated prejudices.
Jamie Mightie, Independent Africa researcher and analyst, wonders whether much of the hate we see so widely spread on the internet is simply the result of ignorance and lack of tolerance for those who are different, rather than evidence of deep-seated prejudices.
Image: Supplied

I find myself in the very complicated position of having to criticise and evaluate the behaviour of somebody I have admired for a very long time, Kanye West.

For more than two decades, West has captured the public imagination in his roles as a music producer, rapper and a fashion business owner. Not only is he someone who has achieved a great deal of success and become very influential in hip hop culture and popular culture, he has a very high visibility network. He was very close to Jay-Z, was married to Kim Kardashian and has been in the company of the 2021 Time person of the year, Elon Musk.

West has always been something of a controversial figure in the global discourse. This year, however, he has been mired in more than the usual dose of Kanye infamy and controversy because of the remarks he chose to make and actions he chose to take — remarks that were sexist, misogynist, anti-black, white supremacist and anti-Ssemitic.

The fall-out from those remarks has resulted in West losing access to Instagram and  Twitter, and has further led to his losing commercial relationships with some of his business partners.

Adidas, the apparel company, has terminated its commercial relationship with him and his popular sneaker Yeezy. Balenciaga has also terminated their relationship with him, and the Gap clothing company has taken down all the merchandise they were selling in their stores.

West has been advised by the bank JP Morgan Stanley they would not continue their commercial relationship with him, his talent agency has distanced itself from him and the documentary he was working on has been dropped. Even his net worth has dropped from $1bn to below $500m. It has been nothing short of a spectacular collapse.

My criticism of West is further complicated by my awareness that he is in the midst of a difficult period of his life, in which he is going through a very public and messy divorce while also dealing with being bipolar. Managing one’s mental health is difficult at the best of times, but it is even more difficult when life is throwing a lot of turbulence in your direction.

Having grown up listening to West’s music and admiring him, I must admit I was hesitant to comment on this topic. However, silence only emboldens those who occupy the vacuum it leaves behind.

His comments that George Floyd died of a fentanyl overdose were deliberate disinformation and an erasure of the hate crime committed against Floyd, a deliberate middle finger to the Black Lives Matter movement and an act of kowtowing to far-right Republicans

West’s platform is so loud and his influence so significant that I think it is necessary for the world to seriously ponder on the impact of his remarks. Given his stature, he is somebody whose remarks could influence other people to act upon them. As such, his words must be considered at a higher standard than those of somebody who did not have a similar network of billionaire friends and hundreds of millions of followers on social media platforms.

There is no justification for the remarks West has made and the innuendo in which he has participated. His comments about “going DEFCON 3 on the Jewish people” were hateful and specifically anti-Semitic, while his remark that “slavery was a choice” were clearly anti-black. Likewise, his comments that George Floyd died of a fentanyl overdose were deliberate disinformation and an erasure of the hate crime committed against Floyd, a deliberate middle finger to the Black Lives Matter movement and an act of kowtowing to far-right Republicans.

As uncomfortable as I am about saying something, it would be remiss of me not to give my view to the limited audience I have, considering that these conversations happen in the South African context as well and that these hateful remarks are often linked to other forms of hateful speech such as xenophobia. People do make conspiracy theories that Jewish people “run” South Africa and that some companies, such as Dis-Chem, Discovery, Investec and others, are successful because of some form of Jewish collusion.

A popular YouTuber even said he did not want to die for black people but rather wanted to die for Jewish people so they could send him the way they sent Cyril Ramaphosa to become president. Implied by this was the notion the Jewish community chose the president, not that he won the ANC elective congress election based on the support of his party members.

You don’t have to go very far on social media to bump into wide-ranging conspiracy theories about the South African Jewish community. Inference is made that it is this community running the banking and the business sector, and in general controlling the economy.

I studied at Wits University, where there were numerous instances of anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism (which are often conflated). Events held by Jewish students were disrupted, anti-Semitic graffiti put up and many more undercurrents of discourse occurred. This problem is not just confined to America, nor is West someone who is only influential in American discourse. His words matter even here.

The conspiracy narrative around the Jewish people is anti-Semitism and has been used for hundreds of years to blame them for many social ills. It is simply not true that Jews control the economy, nor is it true they control the politics of the country. Many of the billionaires and politicians in South Africa have nothing remotely to do with the Jewish community. Moreover, Jews themselves often have different political views and economic viewpoints.

I have had the honour of attending the Jewish achievers awards and am aware there are some very successful people within the Jewish community. However, having studied their stories and seen the value of long-term industriousness in individuals, I do not feel this success to be the result of conspiracies and collusion. The success of many individuals within the Jewish community is based on the same reasons for success we see in many other communities: a good idea, hard work and a bit of luck.

At present there are many people within the music community who happen to be black and very successful, and this is not as a result of a black conspiracy. The fact that we don’t presume that black people conspire to be very successful in hip-hop and R&B shows the creation of conspiracy theories when it comes successful Jewish people is driven by a very dark ulterior motive.

Unfortunately, West has proudly proclaimed he does not read, and a part of me wonders if he had taken the time to study the history of the Jewish people and the Holocaust, whether he would have said those very painful things.

A part of me also wonders whether if he had read the letters of Martin Luther King Jnr, the writings of Bell Hooks and the thoughts of James Baldwin and W.E.B. Dubois whether he would have said the things he said about the black community.

Ultimately, a part of me wonders whether much of the hate we see so widely spread on the internet is simply the result of ignorance and lack of tolerance for those who are different, rather than evidence of deep-seated prejudices.

Jamie Mightie. Independent Africa Researcher and Analyst.


subscribe Just R20 for the first month. Support independent journalism by subscribing to our digital news package.
Subscribe now

Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.

Speech Bubbles

Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.