…or not.
Today I will be sharing an excerpt of an article I read on Kanye West. The insightful piece was written by a young woman by the name of Christiana Mbakwe. Read and enjoy.
But most of all, think about it.
My Thoughts On The Current Incarnation Of Mr. Kanye West
I have a few thoughts on Kanye’s recent press run, then I’ll leave you all to get on with your day. I think before we examine Kanye’s current state, it’s important to look at what he’s said in the past about himself.
"We ain’t retards the way teachers thought…Now tell my momma I belong in the slow class" The College Dropout, "We Don’t Care"
I remember watching a documentary and Kanye stating his school teachers believed he had a learning disability, whereas his mum said he was genius. Rather than accept the teacher’s diagnosis Donda West instilled in Kanye a level of self-belief that would even intimidate the supremely confident.
I think both Kanye’s mother and teachers were probably accurate in their appraisal. Kanye is a genius with a learning disability. Kanye displays savant like behaviour. For most of his life the presence of his mother, meant his deficiencies were tempered. When she passed away, his sole check and balance disappeared.
Critics have dismissed Kanye’s behaviour as that of an asshole. However the way Kanye persists in counter-intuitively breaking the social contract suggests to me he isn't an “asshole” but someone with an untreated condition. I don’t know enough about learning disabilities to speculate which, but a friend of mine who’s familiar with autism suggested he could be autistic. They pointed to Kanye’s reluctance to look people directly in the eye, tics that resemble outbursts, obsession with symmetry and order, and lack of emotional intelligence.
I’ve said for years I think that the car accident, fame, followed by the death of his mother and relationship could mean Kanye has Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. These life changing events occurred within close proximity to each other, and Kanye didn’t retreat from the public eye, he worked more. I’d like to underscore some of my points by stating I think Kanye is on drugs/drunk a lot. This is conjecture but I suspect I’m right (a bottle of Hennessey was his accomplice during the Taylor Swift incident) The presence of drugs/alcohol can’t be helping his mental state.
Soon after the death of his mother, Kanye begins dating Amber Rose, the diametric opposite of his ex Alexis Phifer, and the woman he loved the most - his mother. His music gets darker, his outbursts seem more sinister and after a series of public incidents where he behaved in an unbecoming manner he’s labelled an “asshole”
I think Kanye West is traumatised. Does he behave like an asshole because of the trauma? Or has the trauma exacerbated his pre-existing asshole tendencies? I can’t determine causality. Now Kanye’s with Kim Kardashian. A woman who’s unlikely to be a voice of dissent and reason at a phase in his life when he needs these things the most.
Kanye has a stable of issues. I think he’s unravelling. However an unravelling man is still capable of being insightful. Kanye’s saying a lot of insightful things. I think his intentions are murky but it doesn’t diminish the veracity of his claims.
What’s obvious to me is that Kanye isn’t a revolutionary. Revolutions are for the people by the people. They uproot and destroy old orders. Kanye isn’t a revolutionary. He’s a reformist. What he’s actually asking for is a reform of a biased framework, not for its destruction. Kanye’s a reformist not a revolutionary because revolution would mean he would lose his wealth. He doesn’t want that, he wants more. More wealth, more power, more recognition.
For more thoughts, feelings, and words from this talented young woman here is her information.
Twitter: Christiana Mbakwe
Tumblr: Christiana Mbakwe
Written by Lucius Black 2013
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