Olivia Levin wrote a book, The Story of Us, to cover Taylor Swift’s fan community. It’s a really interesting angle, and it made me wonder how a story covering Ye’s fan community would look.

Right away, the phrase, “A fan of yourself,” immediately came to mind. In addition to the music, and the products, Ye earned his fans’ respect by making work that encouraged them to chase their dreams.

Unlike Taylor Swift, Ye has let down many of his fans. He expressed racist, hateful, and incredibly hurtful opinions. He pushed away family and friends who tried to help him. He didn’t take good care of himself. Fans were forced to let go. The Ye fan community is more like a diaspora, with different segments.

The happy ending, to me, isn’t with Ye. It’s with the fans who learned to be people who appreciated themselves, became more confident, and pursued their dreams. Journalists Gene Park and Tre Johnson respectively shared great examples.