The subreddit dedicated to rapper Kanye West, who began going by the monosyllabic name Ye in 2021, has been flooded with Holocaust education and Taylor Swift posts after the rapper’s repeated use of antisemitic and racist remarks in recent months. The polarizing entertainer, who had maintained a high-profile friendship with Twitter CEO Elon Musk afterMusk advised Kanye on his 2020 presidential bid, was recently suspended from Twitter after posting a picture of a swastika entwined with a Star of David.
Kanye West has been a polarizing personality for nearly as long as he has been a public figure, with a long history of making controversial statements and a habit of staging often bizarre public outbursts. Though he is probably most well known for his career as a rapper and producer, West has also dabbled in side projects ranging from running a clothing line to starting his own church. Kanye has also made several mostly unsuccessful attempts to extend his influence to the world of video games, including on one occasion whenKanye West pitched a video game to Shigeru Miyamotofrom Nintendo.
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Following months of making increasingly bizarre, racist, and antisemitic remarks online, Kanye faced a new round of backlash after appearing on conspiracy theorist Alex Jones’ livestream with Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes and espousing his love for Adolf Hitler. Within hours of this appearance, r/Kanye was flooded with posts sharing the photos and stories of Jewish victims of the Holocaust, condemnations for West’s statements, and posts aboutpop singer Taylor Swift. Fans of the two performers have clashed ever since Kanye interrupted Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech at the 2009 VMAs, with one post on r/Kanye from a Swiftie stating that Taylor is “ready to carry the music industry on her back” after Kanye’s public downfall.
As r/Kanye continues to be dominated by deeply heartbreaking stories about the Holocaust alongside cheerful posts celebrating Taylor Swift, support for the titular rapper among posters on the subreddit was virtually nonexistent. In addition to the Holocaust and Taylor Swift posts, several former Kanye fans made posts stating that they were done listening to or financially supporting the rapper. While many gamers on Reddit may never venture beyond themost popular video game subreddits, this positive takeover of the hugely popular r/Kanye shows that many Reddit users are willing to stand up to fight hate, and those who espouse it, on the platform.
The takeover of r/Kanye, and the abandonment of the rapper by many former fans, is just the latest twist in the increasingly bizarre story of Kanye’s fall from grace. While online communities can sometimes serve to reinforce hate, this flood of facts and positivity on r/Kanye shows that they can also help fight it. And as Swifties show their willingness to fight hate with cuteness online, some of the adorableTaylor SwiftAnimal Crossingcreationscould make wonderful ammunition.
