To say that Kanye West is no stranger to controversy might be an understatement, but he may still have caused some shock with his latest Instagram post. 

The image, since deleted, depicted a photoshopped newspaper bearing the headline ‘Skete Davidson Dead At Age 28.’

West’s post is the latest in a long line of threatening statements towards Pete Davidson — who the rapper has taken to calling ‘Skete’ for reasons that make sense only to him — since the Saturday Night Live alumnus began dating West’s ex-wife Kim Kardashian. 

The couple recently ended their relationship, likely prompting West’s Instagram post, which to him probably felt like a gloating justification of his previous actions.

West’s insistence on inserting himself into the private matters of a relationship he has no involvement in (no matter how much he may think he does) is typical of the artist, who treats every interaction as though he is the main character. 

It’s difficult to watch, not least because the rapper has so much to offer outside of the constant drama and scandals in which he entangles himself. 

While the general public — myself included —  have previously given West a pass when it comes to his embarrassing behaviour due to his difficult personal circumstances and mental health struggles, this incident may be a bridge too far even for him.

Other incidents in West’s months-long campaign against the former couple include the rapper releasing a music video that depicts the kidnapping and assault of Pete Davidson, and sharing private text messages from Kim Kardashian’s phone on social media.

While West has previously claimed that he would take accountability for some of his actions against the former couple, including sharing texts, his latest post clearly demonstrates that this is not the case.

West’s increasingly erratic behaviour over the past nine months has been really sad to see, not least because it has never really been clear what can be attributed to pettiness on the star’s part, and what can be blamed on the rapper’s well-documented mental health issues. 

What complicates this grim saga even more is the fact that this kind of conduct seems so thoroughly baked into the Kanye West brand, that it becomes impossible to tell what he truly believes and what is just for show. 

From his hard turn into MAGA Republicanism and vocal support of Donald Trump, to his rebirth as a Christian musician who doesn’t seem to see the irony in an album and tour called ‘Yeezus’, Kanye’s thought process is inconsistent at best and troubling at worst.

Like many people, I’ve been guilty of mentally filing Kanye West somewhere between ‘tortured genius’ and ‘sideshow attraction.’

He’s that unique type of artist whose creative output is so intrinsically linked with his eccentric exploits that we have often defaulted to giving him a pass on most things. 

Sure, we might tut and wag our fingers whenever he says something controversial, but many of us secretly buy into the idea that sometimes, that’s just the price you pay for witnessing a visionary at the top of their game. 

Van Gogh cut his ear off. Howard Hughes wore Kleenex boxes on his feet. Ye says outlandish stuff on Instagram sometimes.

But with this latest episode, as West’s behaviour inches further from ‘peculiar’ and far closer to ‘dangerous’, it’s clear that thinking of Kanye in those terms does both him, and those he causes suffering, a disservice. 

Kanye previously hit back at lazy assumptions that he’s ‘off his meds’ any time he does something controversial, but the fact is that many people clearly believe that his increasingly erratic output is something that is expected from him as an artist. 

Kanye’s actions have a profound effect on the lives of others

That’s obvious enough from the post itself, as verified accounts reinforced his behaviour, commenting about West’s ‘W’ (short for win), and ‘LMAO’ instead of expressing any real concern about what appears to be a pretty naked threat against another person.

None of this is to suggest that Kanye should be let off with this, though. 

Regardless of the artist’s struggles, and regardless of their cause, Kanye’s actions have had a profound and damaging effect on the lives of other people, and for that he should be held accountable. 

The most notable victims are Kanye’s own children, who have already been dragged into their father’s one-sided feud as West attempted to ban them from seeing Davidson earlier this year. 

It’s also worth sparing a thought for Davidson himself, not only as the target of the type of frequent and distressing attacks that would scare anyone, but as somebody who also suffers from mental health issues himself. 

It’s been reported that Davidson has sought trauma therapy as a result of Kanye’s bullying.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=qy7sci2az88

Kanye may be vulnerable in his own way, but he’s far from the only vulnerable one in this situation.

I’ve certainly struggled with my own mental health, from deep bouts of depression to obsessive compulsive tendencies that make day-to-day living extremely difficult sometimes. 

It also causes me to make decisions that can sometimes be harmful, or even just bring me to my wits’ end and cause me to lash out at others. 

That’s not trying to compare my own experiences to Kanye’s — there’s no one size fits all experience with mental health, and it’s impossible to understand exactly how these issues can manifest in any one individual — but I do know that when I’ve gone through the worst of it, it’s never helped me to have gone through it alone. 

I can’t imagine how much more damaging it must be to be in that situation, and to have surrounded yourself with a network of supporters that tell you that what you’re doing is completely normal, or even admirable.

The worst part about all of this is probably the fact in terms of Kanye’s behaviour, things are unlikely to get better any time soon. 

Why would they? He has an adoring fan base and is worth well over a billion dollars. He has no incentive to do things any differently. 

He will always surround himself with people who tell him that he’s doing the right thing, even when that thing is publicly threatening another person.

The best thing for West at the moment would be discovering a degree of accountability, no matter how minor or fleeting, to remind him that there is a world out there that is affected by his harmful and erratic actions. 

Let’s hope, for the sake of everyone involved in this sorry saga, that he finds it soon.

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