Update: On Oct. 30, Kanye West tweeted that he was “distancing himself from politics” as he felt he was being used to spread messages he didn’t believe in.

The past few years have been a tumultuous time in U.S. politics. Between the start of the 2016 election cycle and now, we have seen tension in the political scene like never before. Unfortunately, this has resulted in bitterness toward the other side from both parties, and the development of what could aptly be described as a “political Cold War” of sorts, with Democrats and Republicans treating each other with tremendous amounts of scorn and disrespect.
It has also led to a phenomenon which I refer to as ‘partyism,’ that is, the discrimination toward a person or group of people based on their expressed political affiliation.
This development is more than frightening; in my opinion, it may be our prevailing national crisis. Hurricanes can destroy homes and school shootings can take lives, but the violent political divisions in our nation threaten to tear our country apart from the inside.
I’ve heard stories of family members who refuse to talk to each other because of their political beliefs. I know Democrats who want nothing to do with Republicans, and vice versa. Instead of judging people on the content of their character, we judge them on their party.
More than 50 years after Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his “I Have a Dream” speech, the United States is as divided as ever–not just on the grounds of race but of ideology. And unlike racism or sexism, partyism is a problem no one seems eager to solve; instead, the left and right drift further apart, two ships destined to never cross paths again.
Someone whose story I feel coincides with this partisan division is none other than Kanye West. A lot has been made of West’s comments in the last year, but one thing I’ve yet to see West do is attack those who disagree with him. While President Donald Trump has repeatedly hurled invective at the Democrats, West has refrained from doing so. In fact, in his recent meeting with Trump, he said “…you know, I love Hillary. I love everyone, right?”
His upcoming album is titled “Love Everyone,” and previously planned to feature a picture of the plastic surgeon whom he blames for his mother’s death. In talking about it, he suggested it would be in the territory of his song ‘Real Friends,’ which concerns a cousin who allegedly stole his laptop in order to blackmail him using the material on it. In a later song, he forgives the cousin.
I’m not asking people to excuse West for the things he has said, because we shouldn’t. We should hold people accountable for their words and actions. I’m not defending West, but I think he’s headed in the right direction, in some strange, convoluted way.
We need more love and forgiveness in America. For West, and anyone we don’t agree with. I hope there are people who feel the same way as I do. And I hope Americans can learn to respect and listen to each other again, sooner rather than later.

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