I love Kanye West. I used to say I liked his music and didn’t really endorse him as a person, but now I don’t feel the need to apologize for the fact that I’m not just a fan of his music, but admire some things about him as a person. I believe he is, as he has proclaimed, a creative genius. He is a gifted producer and an entertaining performer. He creates well-crafted and listenable music which pushes the boundaries of popular music and provokes. Admittedly, some of Kanye’s music is vulgar and offensive, so you may not want to listen to it if that offends you. I don’t listen to it because it is vulgar and offensive, but I appreciate his willingness to provoke and be honest.

That brings me to my next point – my admiration for his public persona. Many have been shocked or disgusted by, and eschewed some of his antics and proclamations. He is ever the contrarian, espousing views and opinions which may exist solely for shock value, but I like that. I don’t take celebrities very seriously – at least as seriously as they take themselves sometimes, or as serious as we the public tend to take them. But as a general rule, when someone is willing to stand up in a public forum and not just spout the party line or what is expected of them, I kind of respect it. At the very least, I think it’s funny because it makes people uncomfortable.

Also, I just love him as a human. When it comes to endorsing or “loving” public figures, we tend to think of them differently than we do when we are talking about people with whom we have personal relationships. We tend to hold celebrities to a higher standard, like we should be able to endorse everything they do and say. I’m pretty sure Kanye is not holding himself out there as a Mister Rogers-esque father figure for kids. I believe Kanye West is a deeply flawed individual (which he also proclaims), just as all of us are. Which of you is willing to claim you are not? Let them cast the first stone, I guess.

I also appreciate that Kanye is open about his struggles, flaws and mental illness. Would that we were all so vulnerable. Are you willing to go on television and talk about your mental illness? I am not that brave. I appreciate that he is a powerful creator and a human being with certain vulnerabilities. I don’t endorse all the decisions he makes or positions he takes, but I hardly endorse my own sometimes. 🙂 I must learn to love myself as I must learn to love other human beings, and everything that disgusts me within them and within myself.