"You guys have toyed with me and tried to black ball anyone whoever opposes your agenda." Half chilling, half absurd. No-one seemed to know what to make of a bizarre anti-SemiticShowing hatred or prejudice towards Jewish people. rant that rapper Kanye West, now known as Ye, posted on social media over the weekend.

On Friday, in several posts on Instagram, Ye suggested that fellow rapper P Diddy was being controlled by "the Jewish people". He then showed up on Twitter to complain about Instagram censoring the racist material, only to earn himself a suspension there as well after posting more explicit anti-Semitic material.

For some, it is yet another piece of bigotryPrejudice towards a certain group, and an unwillingness to change your mind. from a right-wing provocateurSomeone who deliberately makes controversial statements to provoke a reaction. who only recently shocked the world by making and selling t-shirts emblazoned with the slogan "White Lives Matter". 

Others think the rapper deserves some understanding. They point out that Ye has talked openly about suffering from bipolar disorderA mental condition affecting mood, which can swing between extremes. , which can cause erratic behaviour and delusionsBelieving something even though it is clearly not true. , especially delusions of grandeur.¹ They believe he needs psychiatric help.

Yet this is about something bigger than Ye. One of the first people to welcome him back to Twitter was Elon MuskA South African-born entrepreneur whose companies have included the online payment service PayPal., who will soon be the platform's owner.

Musk calls himself a free speech absolutistBelieving that one idea or one ruler is much better than any others. who is opposed to moderationAvoiding extremes and doing something within reasonable limits. on social media. Some users fear that when he takes the reins, it will become much easier to harass marginalised people and post discriminatory material on the site. Ye's rant is a reminder of what Twitter could become under Musk's stewardship. 

And some worry the whole episode shows that bigotry is becoming more and more normalised.

But surveys suggest that in many ways, people's attitudes are becoming less bigoted, not more. In 2021, 45% of British people thought equal opportunities for Black and Asian people had not gone far enough. In 2000, this figure was just 25%, with 35% thinking equal opportunities had gone too far.

In 1995, 48% of the public said it was "very important" to be born in Britain in order to be considered "truly British". Today, that figure is just 17%, and one-third of people say it is "not very important".²

However, the same surveys show that attitudes towards certain groups are going in the other direction. In 2016, 58% of the population thought transgender people should be able to change the sex on their birth certificate.³ Today, it has dropped to 32%, with 39% opposed.

Pollsters warn that Islamophobia has also gone mainstream. Just under 26% of the British public hold negative feelings towards Muslims.⁴ Hate crimes against Muslims have risen by 42% in just the last year.

Jewish people are likewise facing a rise in discrimination. Last year saw the highest ever number of anti-Semitic incidents in the USA. An elderly Jewish woman in France was murdered by two young men in 2018, and her apartment burned.

And the Covid-19 pandemic saw a rise in discrimination against east Asians. In many countries, Asian people were attacked in the streets.

Yes: We are living in unstable, uncertain times, which historically have always tended to produce racism. When people feel under threat they turn towards their in-group.

No: The overall trend is still towards greater tolerance and acceptance. In the end, people do not want to hate their neighbours; they will only be bigoted if they fall under bad influences.

Or... There is no one trend in bigotry: it is lessening towards some groups, and increasing towards others. To understand bigotry, we need to understand why hatred towards particular people rises and falls.