I can’t say I was surprised to see Kanye West (now known as Ye) go on another antisemitic social media rant. It didn’t particularly phase me to see another mirage of Jew-hating remarks. What did phase me, however, was a Yeezy Superbowl ad, directing millions of viewers to the Yeezy website, in which the only item being sold was a swastika t-shirt. I can not recall the last time a public figure did something this blatantly antisemitic.

Many, including myself, are quick to remind ourselves that Kanye West was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and is making irrational decisions not rooted in reality. This mindset is comforting. Remembering West’s possible limited capabilities creates a sense of relief: he doesn’t really mean what he’s saying, and maybe, he doesn’t even know. But as palatable and comforting as it is, this mindset is harmful for numerous reasons. It causes us to associate bipolar disorder with hateful, almost manic actions, reinforcing a harmful stigma around the disorder. Worst of all, this mindset causes us to brush off West’s remarks and not hold his words with as much weight as they objectively carry. 

I don’t intend to stir up mass hysteria, but we ought to be extremely bothered by West’s recent actions.

Writing off his actions as merely a symptom of mental illness inherently causes us to discount the very real impact his words carry. The holocaust isn’t even 100 years behind us. Swastikas are no doubt a symbol of the mass murder of Jews and other minorities slaughtered during the holocaust, such as Romani people, people with autism, and LGBTQ+ people. West selling a symbol of this genocide exemplifies new peaks in antisemitism and prejudice. Yarin Mulla, a junior at Niles North, who is Jewish and has purchased Yeezy products before, explained his dismay.

“Honestly, a few years ago, I bought a pair of his shoes, and when he originally started saying the things, I stopped wearing them,” Mulla said. “I put them to the side. I wore them once, and then a week after he started saying all the [recent] antisemitic things, I just can’t wear them.”

Bipolar disorder symptoms include severe mood swings and hypomania (less extreme than mania). As a caveat, West recently claimed to be diagnosed with autism. Dually associating hate speech with autism creates an inaccurate depiction of the complex spectrum of the condition. Knowing friends who have bipolar disorder and others who are on the autism spectrum, I can assure you that violent antisemitic conspiracies aren’t a symptom of either of these.

We must hold West accountable for his actions, whether or not he has a disability or disorder. We also must hold the agencies that approve Super Bowl ads, like Fox News, accountable. West shouldn’t have been able to direct hundreds of millions of viewers to his website. Most of all we must hold one another accountable. We are capable of breaking this cycle. Instead of coming up with shallow excuses to sweep antisemitism under the rug, we must call it out when it occurs for what it is. West’s T-shirts are just one example of antisemitism. We must not forget that antisemitism is still rampant in our world. Acknowledging this hate is the first step in eradicating it.