Kanye, What Are You Doing?

I don’t know anymore, you guys. I’m at a loss. I feel upset and I feel uncomfortable. And all I am is a person who read Twitter.

Here’s what happened.

Last night, Kanye West logged onto Twitter (we assume), and he typed this: “BILL COSBY INNOCENT !!!!!!!!!!”

And like, that’s it. No “JK!” afterwards. Or “Only an idiot would think that!” Or “…Said no one, ever, because holy shit, the man has been accused by over 50 women of drugging and sexually assaulting them!”

Just . . . that. Which came on the heels of his rant against Puma earlier yesterday (in the wake of news that Kylie Jenner would be working with them) and the infamous Wiz Khalifa showdown two weeks back. But while each indicate that Kanye is dealing with, well, something, to advocate for a(n alleged) serial rapist is another story. It either indicates that the rapper’s issues with women are not limited to dragging his exes or using derogatory words in music, or that something is very, very wrong.

And I’m not kidding. Guys, I love a good Twitter ploy. I appreciate a play for attention, I love a PR stunt, and I also (duh) like Kanye West. But I don’t think there’s a way any of us can slice his Cosby tweet to justify a man of massive influence undermining the testimonies and accounts and experiences of dozens of women whose lives have been traumatized by a man who took from them. At the most, he doesn’t believe them. At the least, he just triggered them.

And neither is okay. Like, neither is okay at all — especially since Cosby’s saga is not one of conspiracies or of anything other than a man using his power to intentionally hurt women. This means the only talking point around it should be “Finally.” (Or: “Now how do we make sure something like this doesn’t keep happening?”) “Innocent” isn’t an argument to put on the table.

So Kanye’s tweet — even if he firmly believes the opposite and this is a pathetic attempt at satire — is inexcusable. And if it’s a PR move, it’s wrong. Ethically and factually wrong, because it serves to plant (unfounded) seeds of doubt. It perpetuates the myth that victims are not to be trusted. And with every RT, this myth becomes more and  more powerful as “told you so!” reactions begin rattling the work Cosby’s victims have done to paint him in a realistic light. Even if Kanye is joking. Even if he tweets today, “Guys I’m sorry I was just kidding, and I took it way too far and of course I believe the victims, and I can’t stress this enough.” Even then.

The other explanation? That Kanye is obviously not well. Because while that tweet was a lot of things, it was also 140 (or less) characters of very upsetting and illogical thinking. So would it be a question of burn out? Of something else? Should we be worried?

I mean, I am. But right now, it’s about how many people I know are going to step out of the woodwork to defend Cosby’s latest defender, and whether it’s possible to draw a line between an artist and what they say, do, and believe.