American rapper, songwriter, record producer and fashion designer Kayne West, legally changed to Ye, is well known for his songs and new designs in recent fashion shows. But, what he is most notorious for are his comments and tweets on social media.

Ye has recently gone on a binge of tweeting and commenting controversial opinions on many sensitive topics. But the one that appears to hurt people the most is the anti-Semitic comments he has been putting out on twitter.

As many know, Ye struggles with having bipolar disorder. According to Mayo Clinic, Bipolar disorder is classified as “a mental health condition that causes extreme mood swings that include emotional highs (mania or hypomania) and lows (depression).” As seen on his recent tweets, he goes from bashing family members and claiming false information to making unnecessary comments.

For example, Ye wished DEFCON 3 on Jewish people. According to The U.S. Sun, this phrase is commonly used in the U.S. military, meaning to “increase in form readiness above normal readiness”.

This command does not necessarily mean to start a war or riot, but it means to be prepared or on high alert for potential danger. According to Ye’s comment, he believes that people should be careful around Jews and stay on high guard whenever approaching them in any way.

This not only sparked Ye’s fans to change perspectives, but also caused others to act on it. In recent CNN headlines, “Los Angeles officials are condemning the display of banners from a freeway overpass this weekend by a group of demonstrators seen in bystander photos showing support for anti-Semitic comments recently made by rapper Kayne West, also known as Ye.”

Not only does Ye have the status to convince others to follow his beliefs, but he gives others an excuse to their hurtful behavior. Ye is able to persuade his fans into believing false allegations or ideas on multiple different topics because of his social standing, which is incredibly dangerous because not only could the Jewish community be endangered by this behavior, but it could lead many to believe that listening to someone who is mentally ill and refuses to get help is justified.

As shown on the left, this comment is what cost Ye to lose many ties with a variety of different brands. These lost partnerships not only take a toll on marketing, but are also a representation for the loss of respect for the man Ye once was. These include Adidas, Gap, The Creative Artistic Agency (CAA), Balenciaga, MRC Entertainment, TJ Maxx and Foot Locker. These brands are part of what allowed Ye to be as successful as he was, and now that they are no longer in contact, his reputation is now going downhill.

Because of this information, people should realize that what Ye is saying is problematic for many companies and fans should open their eyes to realize that supporting someone who has caused so many issues is probably not the best choice to take.

Emily Savy, a senior student at Solon High School (SHS) and employee at Chabad Jewish Center of Solon, stated that she feels unsafe because of Ye’s claims on the Jewish community she is a part of.

“I really like his music, but knowing that he has been saying these things about a community that I have been a part of makes me feel unsafe,” Savy said. “I feel like he needs to get mental help, and I also think it shows a lot of truth about celebrities and everything going on with mental health especially with celebrities because a lot of them don’t get the attention that they need to get. It’s kind of promoting mental illness with them because of their popularity.”

Celebrities like Ye who have mental illnesses, in a way, glorify their diagnosis more because of the way they present themselves on social media. Holding this mantra causes others to believe that it’s okay to hurt others because they have the excuse of a mental illness to back themselves up, and that is not a respectable excuse for rude behavior.

To follow this idea, SHS history teacher Bryan Ashkettle exemplifies how Ye’s social standing affects others and how his illness plays along as well.

“I do think he is sick and needs some help, but that doesn’t defend his actions,” Ashkettle said. “People think, ‘if he said it then I can say it’.”

Ashkettle illustrates how some of Ye’s fans would find reasoning if they were to start implementing harmful actions. They believe that if someone with that much authority is able to not be held accountable, what could possibly happen to them?

On the other hand, SHS sophomore student and involved Jewish citizen, Shayna Friedman reveals how living in the Solon community has made her feel.

“Personally I am not that threatened because Solon has a big Jewish community, and I feel safe here,” said Friedman. “But I think in areas where there aren’t as many Jewish people it would definitely affect them more.”

Solon has grown into an inclusive community, but online, thousands of different opinions and perspectives can be displayed, providing controversy and major turmoil like Ye is continuing to express.

Ye’s actions and comments could not only cause an unsafe environment for the Jewish community, but he has the power to spark more hate groups to rise and spark violent activity throughout the United States of America. People should be aware of these hate groups and take a stand to protect the Jewish community from any hurt.