The subreddit r/Kanye, a Reddit fan page dedicated to Ye, formerly Kanye West, has re-focused its attention away from the producer/rapper after he made a slew of antisemitic remarks during an appearance on Alex Jones’ InfoWars talk show. Jones, who recently filed for bankruptcy after losing a $1.5 billion judgment for slinging conspiracy theories about the Sandy Hook Elementary school shooting massacre, pushed back against some of Ye’s comments during his time on the show.
The r/Kanye sub is now focusing on Holocaust remembrance posts, as the rapper purportedly made statements denying the Holocaust on the right-wing program, stating, “I don’t really care that much about Hitler I love him. No, he seems like a cool guy, you know, it’s like he had a really cool outfit and stuff and he was a really good architect but he didn’t kill six million Jews that is factually incorrect.”
To focus conversations on combating the hate speech that Ye has been stating online and in interviews (his Twitter account has since been re-banned), the r/Kanye sub has begun posting Taylor Swift memes, a nod to the rapper’s interruption of the “Shake it Off” singer’s best music video award at the 2009 VMA’s.
The rapper’s comments have been so incendiary as of late, even die-hard supporters of Ye have welcomed the subreddit’s re-branding. Posters to the sub were sure to include multiple grim reminders of the atrocities that occurred in concentration camps, like the fact that some mass graves contained so many corpses, heavy machinery had to be used in order to move them.
On InfoWars, Ye was also lambasted for stating that “Every human being has something of value that they brought to the table, especially Hitler.”
Ye also reportedly said, “I love Jewish people but I also love Nazis,” and a slew of other remarks many decried as being antisemitic and promoting hatred.
Jones said to Ye during their conversation, “You’re not Hitler, you’re not a Nazi, you don’t deserve to be called that and demonized,” to which the producer replied, “I see good things about Hitler also. This guy that invented highways, invented the very microphone that I use as a musician. You can’t say out loud that this person ever did anything good and I’m done with that.”
Many viewers who watched Ye’s appearance on InfoWars said that he “outcrazied” Jones and managed to make the man who once went viral for launching into an impassioned diatribe over a chemical in water purportedly turning “frogs gay” look “sane in comparison.”
However, there were others who were concerned with the rapper’s mental health, stating that it’s irresponsible for TV show hosts and other outlets to have him on as a guest, as they are exploiting his bipolar disorder for views. Some have stated that Ye’s comments should be treated as the words of someone who has an acute mental illness.
Psychiatrists have also stated that continuing to demonize Ye may ultimately be doing more harm than good, like Allison Young for Everyday Health, who said: “Another concerning trend I’ve noticed is that many people have attempted to justify their mockery and criticism of Ye because they feel they’re calling out hateful and abusive behavior.” Young continued that even though Kanye is saying things that are hateful, it’s important to understand that he’s suffering from a mental illness and should be treated as such.
