By Demarcus Robinson

Winning the internet is no small feat, and Jimmy Kimmel and Kanye West did it in spectacular fashion last night, possibly.

Ye has had people abuzz over an interview he did in which he tackles a variety of subjects in a very animated and serious sort of way. In turn, late night host Kimmel took the opportunity to poke a bit of fun at the often demonized icon. At first there was uproarious laughter at the way Kanye handled the perceived slight by taking to Twitter with a slew of points and jabs. From there the ball was back within Kimmel’s court, and he let the world know he had just spoken with Kanye before the show. Ye had given him two options, apologize or apologize. The former “Man Show” host proceeded to read and post the tweets from Ye while mocking him after each one.

Kanye didn’t respond to the response, but his fans certainly did.

Many Ye fans were on his side from the beginning of the kerfuffle, but now they came out of the woodwork. Think pieces even popped up concerning the overall cultural tones this was taking on. Kimmel, the thought was, may have not been willful in his ignorance, but he was nonetheless acting so. The problem wasn’t Kimmel himself, but the way the media and detractors alike treat Yeezy. There is a default attitude which says that the only way to react to anything Kanye does is to label him as a clown. His opinions have no merit beyond laughter, because clowns have no merit beyond laughter. People were up in arms over this continually building sentiment and, although I have some minor disagreements, they aren’t wrong to feel so. There really is a disturbing dismissal of his opinions because of how they’re often presented.

Kaney West Twitter rant

Many Yeezy fans pointed out how incredibly smart he is, how uniquely talented he is and how incredibly serious he is when it comes to his work. He is all of these things. He can also be a child. These things are not mutually exclusive. They’re just two parts of an individual, a human.

I keep going back to how smart Kanye is, and this is why I feel like we might be getting trolled as part of a joint effort. We already know Kimmel is on a roll when it comes to getting his audience to believe whatever he puts out there. He has taken it a step further by being able to fool the news media and people outside of his viewing audience. His desire to put an end to twerking is silly, but it shows just what types of things people will jump on if you get enough of them to view it. He had to have been planning his next widespread joke, and there’s no better person to do it with than Kanye. Ye came out with an interview where he put himself out there, and then Kimmel pokes fun at it. Kanye, known for “unnecessary” outbursts, wouldn’t look out of place if he took offense to the jokes. There would also surely be an immediate reaction from his fans and non-fans. The ingredients are all there, and it’s perfect.

Ye agreed to use his distorted public image as a worm on a hook, because he’s smart. Bait people into believing the worst about you by reacting in a way that wouldn’t shock them. This would present him with a way to hold a mirror up at the masses. He can show them how unjust their behavior is towards him. Show the people how manufactured a story can be, and maybe they’ll rethink the stories they’ve already gobbled up. Show the world that it has often looked at him through a fun-house mirror. If you truly believe Kanye is as smart as you say he is, then this shouldn’t be too hard to believe. I really don’t think this theory is too far fetched.

I am leaning towards this reality. I am, however, aware that this could be an actual thing. So if it’s something that is true in nature, then some of my earlier points still remain. If Yeezy overreacted it doesn’t mean he has always overreacted. This doesn’t invalidate the things he feels or many of the things he’s said. It would just mean that this is another point in time to point to for those who wish to paint Kanye with a broad, single brush. This is a likely reality, but I refuse to give up on my troll theory since it is also likely. I’ll even give myself a huge window where you can’t disprove it, because I’ll keep it open as a possibility for six months. No matter what happens before then I’ll just say I COULD be right.

No way, I refuse to believe this.

I just refuse to believe Kanye West is out here using SpongeBob memes in an effort to thwart his enemies. He doesn’t operate like that. Nope, no way no how. I also doubt Ye called Kimmel right before the show started. I just won’t believe these things, specifically the memes part. The man who charged $120 for a plain white tee is in no way responding with something you’d see on Facebook.