by Daniel Carter
Kanye West is no stranger to controversy. After Hurricane Katrina, Kayne went on live TV to tell the world that President Bush didn’t care about black people. At the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, he ruined Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech by jumping on stage and telling the world that Beyoncé should have won. Now, Kanye is stirring up the most controversy yet by telling the world he likes President Trump. Here is the tweet to prove it:
You don't have to agree with trump but the mob can't make me not love him. We are both dragon energy. He is my brother. I love everyone. I don't agree with everything anyone does. That's what makes us individuals. And we have the right to independent thought.
— ye (@kanyewest) April 25, 2018
As I am writing this article, I’m realizing how trivial this may sound to readers. I usually write about issues involving individual liberty, geopolitics, war and economics. The usual statements of celebrities seem nonsensical and insignificant. However, Kanye’s statements seem to be a cultural paradigm shift.
For decades, blacks, Latinos, LGBT people and other minorities have been expected to unquestioningly go along with the Democratic platform. However, there is little evidence to suggest that minorities are better off under Democratic leadership than they are under Republican leadership, as economist Thomas Sowell and others have pointed out. In the end, Democrats have simply treated minorities as props for political gain.
Kanye is not the first minority to question his political role, but he is definitely the most influential. He seems to already be inspiring others. Shortly after Kanye started speaking out, Chance The Rapper tweeted this:
Black people don’t have to be democrats.
— Chance The Rapper (@chancetherapper) April 25, 2018
After Chance The Rapper said this, gays, women, Jews and many other props of the Democratic party started saying that they didn’t have to be Democrats either. A major cultural shift seems to have arrived. People are shedding the idea that political preference is determined by immutable characteristics.
So, exactly what is happening here? It is probably not the case that all these people just now discovered that modern leftism is an abomination. It is more likely that Kanye and other influential minorities illuminated what is called Preference Falsification.
Preference Falsification is an idea put forth by economist Timur Kuran in his book “Private Truth, Public Lies.” His theory states that individuals convey preferences that differ from what they genuinely want due to social pressure. In other words, people are often discouraged from saying what they truly think out of fear of retribution from society. A person who hides their discontent with the political environment makes it harder for others to express their discontent. Very few have the courage to be the first one to express a controversial opinion.
In his book, Kuran used his Preference Falsification theory to explain why political revolutions often catch us by surprise. People’s true preferences for radical change are often not known until one or a few people have the courage to speak out. In case of Kanye West, I believe many more minorities will see Kanye’s courage to speak freely and be encouraged to say that they no longer belong to the leftist movement.
These developments could have major political consequences. The black community may feel more empowered by shedding the left’s victim mentality. The Democratic party may lose a substantial amount of power if it loses the minority vote. It’s hard to say what will come of this because it is so new, but it seems like the toxic leftist ideology is now thrusting people into new alliances.
Remember, just because black people (and other minorities) don’t have to be Democrats doesn’t mean they have to be Republicans. The point of all this is to think for yourself. And let your honest opinions be known. It may give someone else the courage to speak honestly at a time when it’s desperately needed. The political world is changing at an increasingly rapid pace. Enjoy the ride.