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As a Jew, an anti-Semitic celebrity rampage is far from new to me. With every passing year, a new name is added to the long list of public figures who I am forced to avoid due to their threats against my people. For the last decade or so, the likes of Pink Floyd frontman Roger Waters, Hollywood actor Mel Gibson and rapper Ice Cube, have unfortunately secured their names on this register. Never before, however, has a public figure鈥檚 actions shocked me so personally as Ye鈥檚. The way I see it, the public has disappointingly failed to consider the hurtful impact of Ye鈥檚 words when making its decision whether or not to boycott his work.

I deeply admired Ye鈥檚 music for years. His tracks dominated my playlists, and I often quoted him as my favorite musical artist. Don鈥檛 get me wrong: I had always been wary of listening to his character outside of his music because of his erratic behavior and frequent media controversies. But never did I consider that Ye鈥檚 harmful views would ever grow to include anti-Semitism. What started out as pixels on a screen became truly tangible when the phrase 鈥渂ut he made Graduation鈥� began circulating around me. This expression caught fire instantly in the wake of Ye鈥檚 punishments, and has since been jokingly spread as a way to justify Ye鈥檚 actions by virtue of the quality of one of his most critically acclaimed albums, 鈥淕raduation.鈥� In essence, the people spreading this are saying that the punishments for Ye鈥檚 anti-Semitism aren鈥檛 fair because his music is really good.

Hearing this specific phrase from my friends, both Jewish and non-Jewish, was an unpleasant experience in the least. By social convention, I laughed, pretending it was just 鈥渄ark humor,鈥� even though I knew deep down, my friends were spreading more tolerance for Ye鈥檚 hate speech. Even if my friends did not know the gravity of their words鈥攁nd I鈥檓 sure some of them did not鈥� it was uncomfortable for me nonetheless. In fact, this issue鈥攑eople being unaware of the effects of their words鈥攊s perhaps what is most aggravating about this whole experience. While I clearly acknowledged Ye鈥檚 anti-Semitism, I couldn鈥檛 correct the people around me. I couldn鈥檛 say anything back to my friends, because in my friend group when someone takes offense to a joke, they are ridiculed. I know that my social circle is not the only one that would react this way.

People鈥檚 lack of respect for my decision to boycott Ye has been frustrating. In the car with friends, I鈥檝e asked for Ye鈥檚 songs to be skipped, to which my friends have usually responded something along the lines of 鈥渨ho cares?鈥� I鈥檓 sure this experience is not exclusive to just myself.

What they may not understand is that for a non-Jewish person, it鈥檚 fundamentally easier to say 鈥淚鈥檓 supporting the art, not the artist.鈥� For non-Jews, the acknowledgment of Ye鈥檚 flawed ideals but continued support of his music comes with absolutely no strings attached, no implications for the tolerance of their religion.

The societal discussion around the controversy was equally frustrating. Let鈥檚 get this clear: The main point of this whole spectacle is that Ye鈥檚 words hurt people. I didn鈥檛 care about how much money he was losing, or that he was becoming a victim of 鈥渃ancel culture.鈥� What did matter, and does matter, is that California neo-Nazis flew banners on highway crossings just days after his statements, reading 鈥淜anye was right about the Jews.鈥� When I saw that picture, I realized that Ye鈥檚 statements were being actively listened to. That was a scary reality to face. So while I am glad to see certain non-Jews stand up against Ye, I also recognize one fundamental difference between me and them: They are boycotting Ye out of their personal choice, whereas I am boycotting him out of concern for my safety to practice the Jewish religion in this country.

At the end of the day, I will respect the decisions of people who decide to continue listening to Ye鈥檚 music. My one request for students is to acknowledge the fact that Ye鈥檚 tweets are more than just words. I hope that even those who choose to continue consuming his art respect the decision of those who morally cannot. Most importantly, I hope that either camp, regardless of its decision, is more mindful before spreading so-called 鈥渄ark humor.鈥� People can tolerate the art. Just please don鈥檛 tolerate the hate.