The boycott against West is significant because there are so many young black boys and girls who don’t know the history of the Civil War, the story of slavery, and the visceral reaction from African Americans to the Confederate flag.
Would you want your child embracing West’s racist Confederate flag-clad gear without understanding the decades-old context?
Ironically, West unveiled his Confederate flag clothing line around the same time the new film, “12 Years a Slave,” was released nationwide. The provocative film tells the story of a free black man who was lured from his home in New York in 1841 to be sold into slavery.
So with all the weighty and painful discussion about slavery and the dehumanization of black people, West decides to make a mockery of black oppression for profit. And, as a black man, West proudly – and oddly – claims the Confederate flag as his own.
“The Confederate flag symbolizes dehumanization, injustice and pain. It is a stark reminder of an era in our history that was defined by the abhorrent practice of slavery,” Sharpton said in a statement. “And it is representative of a mentality that looked upon blacks as inferiors who needed to remain in the shackles of subservience.”
There’s no doubt that West is well aware of the controversy surrounding the Confederate flag, but he probably doesn’t care because he stands to make a hefty profit from his clothing line. For West, it’s apparently all about business; it’s all about making money.
And for Sharpton, conversely, it’s all about shutting West down.
Here’s to a successful boycott.
What do you think? Should West’s clothing line be boycotted?
(Photo: Retna)
COMMENTARY: Kanye West Makes a Mockery of Black Oppression for Profit was originally published on blackamericaweb.com
