“Do You Like My Hat?” and What I Learned from Trump & Kanye’s Meeting
In case you missed the news, cultural icon Kanye West met with President Trump yesterday in the Oval Office. While many reactions I’ve read about the spectacle have focused on either the comedy of the situation or the horror of it, I came away with a different impression. Kanye West demonstrated a particular communicative-psychological tactic which is the basis for reconciliatory discussion between two parties.
Among the load of ideas Kanye ranted about using his free-associative rhetorical style, he hinted once more at the statement he’s trying to make by wearing Trump’s “Make America Great Again” hat. By sporting MAGA, Kanye is trying to break out of what he sees as “boxes”. These boxes are essentially pre-determined societal expectations, and if we know anything about Kanye West, it’s that he hates restriction. But what Ye said next in regard to MAGA surprised me.
I quote, “People have an issue with the word ‘Again’ […] and it hurts us because we need to focus on who we are now, today. But I actually brought in some hats that have a bit of a transition. I made a hat that says, ‘Make America Great.’ Just that. But I would love to see, at the Super Bowl, Trump wearing the ‘Make America Great’ hat and Colin [Kaepernick] wearing the hat, showing that we can benefit on this side and on [that] side, and we can learn to be malleable […] we are one unit, we are one country. The greatest value people have is other people.”
A fundamental axiom of Communication Studies is that in order to have healthy discourse, one must begin with agreement. Only then is the stage set to productively engage with disagreement. Of course, it doesn’t have to operate in this way. That is, if you’re content with today’s politics — Which Kanye aptly observed, “Looks like a gang”, Red vs. Blue.
But notice what was said, and if you have time to watch it (minute 19:36–20:55) then notice how it was said. Trump already understands both emotionally and logically that Kanye is not trying to hurt or attack him, he’s trying to help. And as a result, Trump trusts Kanye and gives him room to speak. Next, Kanye says sheepishly while (and this is important) wearing the MAGA hat, that he has an idea.
Uh oh.
Ye says he’s made a “bit of a transition” to the hat, and not only that, but he brought these hats with him to the meeting. Immediately, Trump is probably gathering that there’s a sub-communicated, implicit problem with his MAGA slogan. And he listens.
Kanye continues by saying that the solution is not to burn the hat, or destroy the stupid, easily offended liberals, but rather to simply remove the word “Again” from MAGA. After all, how many Americans would reject the slogan “Make America Great”? It’s a profound observation, and it’s even more profound that he’s able to successfully deliver this criticism while inside the Oval Office and right to Trump’s face.
If you’re not impressed, I wonder: Who else do you think would be in the position to potentially alter Trump’s campaign slogan? Or get Trump and Kaepernick to stand together? And if this has any chance of occurring, then why would it have to stop there?
Did we just get a lesson in bipartisan politics from a rapper trying to redesign a hat?
Apparently, the dream for Kanye is to see both Trump and Kaepernick publicly wearing the hat together. And in case you didn’t realize, the hat is not the point. The point is seeing enemies taking a step toward reconciliation and a common, productive purpose.
On the off-chance that you ever decide to take improvisational acting classes, you’ll be taught a rule called “Yes, and”. This rule states that when a scene plays out, if one actor begins taking things in a bad direction, the only way forward is to reply with an attitude of “Yes, and”, even if you can’t find anything to say “yes” to.
For example, actor-X might say to actor-Y, “You are from Mars.” If actor-Y replies, “Wait, I’m not from the planet Mars” then the scene dies.
It doesn’t matter that you aren’t from Mars. What matters is for the scene to not die. By utilizing “Yes, and”, actor-Y could respond, “Yes, and I love my family from Mars, but I’m beginning to love being here on earth too…” On to the next scene we go, building the future with every conversation.
I do realize politics is more complex than an improv. class or an article of clothing. But we’ve got to start somewhere.
Maybe if we can make a better hat then we can make a better nation.
