You? Or The Word?

Since Kanye is now revealed as a rancid antisemitic fuck bag does everyone really need to fall in line when he announces a new name? Is that really a thing? Is it in the regs?

— Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) November 29, 2022

I’m no fan of Ye, but this has the stink of Cassius Clay/Muhammad Ali to it.  That name change caused a lot more controversy than people remember (or than Ken Burns acknowledged), and no small part of it had to do with Ali’s self-determination. Critics seemed to think they had a right to say what his name should be, and how dare he contradict them? Yes, unthinkable today (which may be why Burns slighted it); but here we are.

I thought it was kind of silly when Prince changed his name to an unpronounceable symbol, but everyone got used to “the artist formerly known as Prince “ pretty rapidly.

Ye can say his name is Mordecai Jones for all I care. Sure, he’s a rancid antisemitic fuck bag, but he’s still entitled to decide what his name is.