Eric Levitz
The Intelligencer, Oct. 12, 2022
“… human beings in general do not need to be mentally ill to be antisemitic. But would the specific human being Kanye West have developed antisemitic beliefs if he had never suffered from bipolar disorder?”
Kanye West has been having mental-health issues — and he’s also been histrionically antisemitic. In recent days, debates over whether there is any relationship between these two facts have roiled the discourse.
For those unaware of West’s recent misadventures, a quick recap: Last week, at his fashion show in Paris, the billionaire rapper sported a “White Lives Matter” T-shirt while delivering a nearly two-hour sermon on the divine provenance of his new collection. Diddy, among countless others, took exception to the message, and West responded by accusing the artist formerly known as Puff Daddy of being controlled by Jewish puppet masters. West then tweeted that, though he was “a bit sleepy tonight,” when he woke up the next morning, he was “going death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE,” who he said try to “black ball anyone who opposes your agenda.”
In between, West took the time to inform Tucker Carlson that Planned Parenthood was created to “control the Jew population” — clarifying that, “when I say ‘Jew,’ I mean … who the people known as the race Black really are.” West also told the Fox News host that “fake children” had been “placed into my house to sexualize my kids.” (Fox News chose not to air these sentiments, but Vice published the cut footage.)
The impulsiveness and egotism of West’s recent behavior is consistent with the symptoms of a manic episode, and West has previously spoken about his struggles with bipolar disorder. Still, many insist on drawing a sharp line between his disordered mental state and his odious ideological pronouncements. They argue, quite rightly, that neither bigotry nor antisemitism are characteristic symptoms of bipolar disorder. People with mental disorders are no more prone to hatefulness than those without. To suggest otherwise — by baselessly attributing West’s antisemitism to his psychiatric affliction — is both to promote stigma against people suffering from mental illness and to excuse his hateful diatribes as helpless spasms, if not “harmless amusements.”