With the large debate that has emerged involving artist Kanye West and his comments on Twitter of US President Donald Trump, is the artist’s reputation protected by his platform?
By asking members of the public about their opinion involving Kanye West and his actions involving Trump, we are able to get a better opinion of what others think of this situation.
Jesse Herro, 18, Bradfield Senior College Student, Lanecove:
“Honesty I believe the Kanye West controversy is blown out of proportion. I believe the media doesn’t want you seeing his own truth. If you watched the full TMZ live clip, you would see his true motives, rather than the short snippets TMZ cut out.”
Daniel Hallani, 19, UNSW Business Student, Luddenham:
“I think they’re a great show of conservatism on behalf of the black community. For a public figure, particularly given that he’s a black man, with as much influence as he has, to broadcast his approval of Trump on a social media platform is excellent. Yes, I understand why people may not agree with some of Trump’s views. I believe it’s highly unnecessary and silly, however, to constantly bash him just because he offers a type of leadership that is so different to anything we’ve previously seen.”
Tamrah Knox, 19, ACU Primary Education Student, Springwood
“I think Twitter is a massive platform and everybody does have their own right to express their thoughts, opinions and beliefs. But I feel like there is a point where you need to consider what you say, especially with the following you have and be conscious of the image you are presenting for yourself.”
Rick Garvi, 26, Freelance Writer, Burwood:
“I just think, I salute him in a way because he says what he feels. Even though he may know the consequences which may come, he still says what he wholeheartedly believes. It’s rare these days for someone, especially for an artist with as much exposure and as large a platform as Kanye, to be honest with themselves. I respect that.”
