Kanye’s tweets are forcing a ‘woke’ crowd to wake up about free speech

Sadly, diversity of thought is now shocking, but that’s exactly why West’s tweets are desperately needed and why some are considering the Twitter commentary as the beginning of a cultural revolution. I, for one, thank him for forcing the “woke” crowd to wake up, even if it’s temporary.

Hollywood, higher education, and the digital sphere has all but shut out free speech, free thought, and freedom of association. Many in these circles would call such freedoms antiquated American values. Legally these rights still stand, but culturally these values and those who believe in them are certainly under attack.

This is evident in the way that Facebook and Twitter censor political commentary, Antifa riots over the mere announcement of a conservative speaker coming to a college campus, and in the way that many questioned West’s mental stability after he expressed his support for President Trump. Those who truly understand the beauty of free-market innovation and appreciate robust and diverse thinking, on which our country was founded upon, are now considered extreme when they mention such ideas.

This devolution of the American values of freedom and individuality is not a Republican-versus-Democratic policy debate. As West tweeted, he does not fully support everything Trump stands for nor does he dislike Hillary Clinton.

To paint his tweets as pro-Trump misses the point entirely. His tweets are about true diversity, independent thinking, and being willing to break the mold. West is a cultural icon praising the president he is supposed to hate.

The apoplectic freak-out in response to West’s “stepping out of line” shows just how little Americans respect one another and how uncomfortable we have become with the idea that other ideas exist. We have become so uncomfortable with ourselves that discourse and debate itself is now oppressive or considered insane or out of control. This cultural pressure to conform is what West calls “the mob.”

For those trying to belittle his contribution to the conversation, West is more than a musical artist. He’s an industry-disrupter, a hallmark creative, and a successful entrepreneur. While Hollywood award shows are lecturing on the latest leftist talking point, West’s sobering admission that we have surrendered to the cultural thought police shows he is focused on something much bigger than a piece of legislation or the next march in Washington, D.C. West and others are screaming at the top of their lungs that we must first find respect for the idea of differing viewpoints before we can discuss those specific individual views.

Instead of staying “woke” for the causes of social justice, true cultural innovators think for themselves and are pushing the boundaries, questioning mainstream thought, and waking up to the fact that regressive leftism is no longer an edgy counterculture, but instead a conversation and culture suppressor. Those heralding independent thinking serve as today’s cutting-edge leaders, and the fact that a stream of tweets could shake a nation’s cultural identity shows just how strongly this conversation is needed.

Much like Trump, West has tapped into the pulse of the nation, and he doesn’t like where “the mob” is taking us. Both men had the courage to speak up, despite great pressure to do otherwise, and hopefully more will follow. Consider me grateful, as I listen to “The Life of Pablo” and wear my MAGA hat.