Despite Probable Sales Hit, Kanye Did America A Service

Jim Derogatis of The Chicago Sun-Times weighed in on Kanye West’s controversial comments about the media and President Bush in his column Monday. “Unlike Public Enemy, which was famously criticized for embracing some of the anti-Semitic views of the Nation of Islam, West’s beliefs reflect those of millions of mainstream Americans strong on family values, the merits of hard work and Christian teachings,” he writes. “Indeed, the message of ‘Jesus Walks’, the phenomenal hit from his 2004 album ‘The College Dropout’, is that anything is possible with the help of Christ, a theme that allies him with many of Bush’s core supporters. But Friday, West’s statements were much closer to those being made by critics of the Bush administration from across the racial and political spectra. And while he is being criticized by many on the right — and will no doubt pay a price with some lost album sales and less radio play in more conservative markets — he did Americans a service by putting the issue on the table for national debate.”