Kanye West's statements about slavery have landed him in the crosshairs of millions of Americans. First, West went on TMZ and claimed that 400 years of slavery sounded like a choice to him. Following his performance on Saturday Night Live this past weekend, West posted a picture of himself wearing a MAGA hat. "This represents good and America becoming whole again," wrote Kanye as the caption to the Instagram post. "We will no longer outsource to other countries. We build factories here in America and create jobs. We will provide jobs for all who are free from prisons as we abolish the 13th amendment."
After the internet lashed out at Kanye West for inferring that the amendment that ended slavery should be abolished, he attempted to backtrack. "The 13th Amendment is slavery in disguise meaning it never ended," he tweeted in response to the critics. "We are the solution that heals." It appears that Kanye West is once again referencing for-profit prisons, a concept he attacked on "New Slaves." In the 13th amendment, it states that, "Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction." Translation: those in jail may be placed into a form of slavery. Although West does have good intentions in mind, he once again botched the delivery. Yes, prisoners as slaves and private prisons are wrong. But abolishing the 13th amendment isn't the answer.
Chris Evans, who has made a name for himself playing Captain America in the Avengers universe, took to Twitter to respond to West's latest rant. "There’s nothing more maddening than debating someone who doesn’t know history, doesn’t read books, and frames their myopia as virtue," he wrote. "The level of unapologetic conjecture I’ve encountered lately isn’t just frustrating, it’s retrogressive, unprecedented and absolutely terrifying."