Excusable
Kanye West has always done or said something that renders us speechless.
Infamous events, such as interrupting Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech at the VMAs, the countless times that he refers to himself as a God or when he stated that the institution of slavery was a choice.
All infamous events that we brush off as just another one of West’s antics.
But should we just brush them off, or should he be held to the same standard as everyone else?
Recently, it was released that West has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. There was widespread speculation that West was bipolar but it was only recently confirmed.
Now, we have posed the question: “Does West’s diagnosis with bipolar disorder excuse his sometimes crude comments and actions?”
Well, no.
However, he should be afforded a little bit of leniency and grace.
Those who deal with a mental disorder know that not one person’s experience is quite like others’ around us. So it is a bit unfair of us to judge West’s actions so harshly and differently than we would if it was ourselves or someone close to us: whether that be a family member, friend or mere acquaintance. We would never judge someone so close to us in such a brutal manner, but somehow when it’s a celebrity, it feels okay. His experience with bipolar disorder (manic-depressive illness) not only is different than others because it is his own struggle but also because he is a celebrity, who is constantly caught in the limelight.
Now people cannot just place all of the blame for their words and actions on their disorder however, it is a major factor to take into consideration. Bipolar disorder allows for one to go through extreme highs and lows, referred to as states of depression and mania, providing intense mood swings that cannot always be predicted.
These mood swings could provide an explanation for some of his random and quite notable outbursts. Although his diagnosis with bipolar disorder does not excuse his actions, he should not be judged and criticized as harshly as he is. Mental health is extremely important and everyone should be more aware and educated on it and its implications on a person, before passing a judgment.
Inexcusable
To say Kanye West’s actions are disappointing is an understatement.
The world has witnessed for years as he’s repeatedly made insensitive and unjustifiable comments, just to watch in disgust as he mutters lackluster, ho-hum apologies.
Truthfully, West’s actions are infantile and reminiscent of a 41-year-old man-child incapable of carrying himself with even a smidge of grace or eloquence.
After recently admitting to being diagnosed with bipolar disorder, many people have begun to question its effects on his out-of-line behavior. From his thoughts on slavery being a “choice” to claiming that the 13th Amendment should be repealed, are West’s brash and curt actions acceptable?
The answer is no.
West is entitled to his own opinion and we all should respect that. But it’s the way he goes about expressing it that is distasteful. He states his opinion with little explanation and background knowledge, before retaliating against the people don’t agree with him.
When West pushed the struggles of slavery to the side, it was a blatant disrespect to the people whose family bloodline was affected by it and still face prejudice today. His luxurious lifestyle has made him incapable of being able to sympathize with regular people and understand what they go through.
While West should have the creative freedom to express how he feels, his plan of execution is questionable. Even though his diagnosis with bipolar disorder has been made public, it doesn’t justify his efforts to erase and discredit parts of history. West has offended and divided people on a national scale and nothing about that is acceptable. Frankly, he has a choice to be considerate of others or not and relying on his mental disorder as an excuse is a deplorable disgrace to people dealing with one. Expressing human decency is determined by free will, not emotional instability.
