Why Kanye Thinks He’s God

Image Courtesy: Strike Magazine Tallahassee

“I miss the old Kanye” is hitting right now. We have been watching Kanye West make masterpieces since 2000. His music career is known as one of the most successful in history, having six platinum studio albums. He has since changed his name to strictly “Ye”, but others would call him a genius, mastermind, or even God. For old-time sakes, we’ll stick to Kanye, but why exactly would a large, devoted fan base see him as a God? Is this some sort of propaganda? Is he using his talent to create groupthink? Mob mentality?

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These are all options that people have discussed, but we’re looking at an unhealthy mental state. Kanye and even his infamous ex-wife Kim Kardashian have spoken up about his bipolar disorder. Bipolar disorder is a certain up and down between mania and depression that most likely causes Kanye's erratic, egomaniac behavior; which is nothing to joke about, this is a serious problem that Kanye West struggles with every day of his life. Sometimes he’s gone for months at a time, creating brand deals, making music, making clothes, and sometimes he’s making Kris Kardashian his profile picture and making blatantly racist statements. Now don’t get it twisted, this is not at all to bash Kanye or his career, just to understand what and why his decisions are so deplorable.

One of his most notable scandals would be at the 2009 VMA Awards, and while we got a top hit from Ms. T Swift, it wasn’t a great night for her. We all remember that night: he runs on stage and makes a complete fool of himself as well as Taylor. It was truly sad to watch and at the end of the day completely inexcusable no matter the mental diagnosis. But why exactly would bipolar disorder cause him to feel so compelled to do this in front of many of his famous peers and live TV? When we see Kanye in his prime egomaniac moments he is most likely suffering from a shift to a manic episode.

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These episodes are not the same for every person with bipolar disorder. In Kanye, we see a lot of impulsive decisions, goal-driven productivity (which in this case is extreme and turns out bad), mood swings, and lots and lots of rapid speech. All these factors have in common that they are all symptoms of a manic episode. While you may be laughing while scrolling through his Twitter, this is a very serious illness he is suffering at its full potential from a lack of medication. Things like running a presidential candidacy with no political background- not to mention in the middle of a manic episode- are narcissistic behaviors. Also, something that stems from having a high ego during mania.

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The problem is that Kanye fully believes he has this power, and that’s because a lot of his fans have only egged it on. He has made people fall so in love with his very talented music (also something seen in bipolar individuals, their creativity and ability to create speak volumes) that they genuinely want to follow his lead. People voted for him, just because they look at him in such a godly light. Whether Kanye knows what he is doing or not, he is not a God. His music shows clear signs of how he views himself; many people love and want to help him, without worshiping his gospel.

Strike Out,

Writer: Ella Selph

Editor: Addy Crosby

Graphic Designer: Maria Gonzalez

Tallahassee