The Commodification of Harm: It's Time to End Dehumanisation Capitalism
- Leah
- Jun 29, 2025
- 6 min read
Updated: Sep 30, 2025
In a world where words shape reality, Ye’s song titled 'Heil Hitler' didn’t just echo hate. It amplified a toxic ideology. And I’m not only referring to the grotesque invocation of Hitler and his genocidal legacy. The track is part of an album steeped in dehumanisation. Jews are just one of many targets.
This isn’t merely one artist’s outburst. It’s a coordinated commercial production — a profit-driven collaboration involving writers, producers, marketers, platforms, and more. It’s the embodiment of an ideology that normalises the commodification of harm, where hate and degradation are packaged and sold with impunity.
It’s the rise of what I call Dehumanisation Capitalism — a system where harm is monetised, and human decency is dismissed as non-essential.
I hesitated before mentioning Ye and his new album at all. There’s a paradox in drawing attention to something I believe should be starved of attention. In naming it, I risk becoming part of the very system I’m critiquing — a system that profits from outrage and humanity’s harm.
But silence comes with its own cost. And I’m not writing this for clicks or visibility. I’m not an 'influencer', and I gain nothing from engagement. I’m just a person with a conscience. I’m trying to make sense of a culture where hatred is sold as entertainment, and profit is placed above humanity.
My purpose in speaking up is not to amplify the artist. It’s to shine a light on the ecosystem that turns dehumanisation into a business model. What concerns me is bigger than any one song.
I have been wondering:
Who profits from Ye’s album?
How far does the ripple of profiteering from Dehumanisation Capitalism reach?
Who and what are paying the price of Dehumanisation Capitalism?
How do we make this business model go bust?
I decided to consult AI, using Ye’s WWIII as a case study.
AI came up with a comprehensive list of the types of people, roles, and entities likely profiting from Ye’s album, including those who benefit monetarily, through attention/clicks, or brand alignment. I also asked AI to come up with a list of those who could be harmed, the 'casualties' of Dehumanisation Capitalism.
The Profiteers
Here are the likely ‘profiteers’ AI came up with:
🔊 Music Production & Distribution
Ye (Kanye West) – as the artist, producer, and rights holder, he profits directly from sales, streams, and media attention.
Collaborating Artists – featured artists gain exposure, streaming revenue, and relevance.
Producers & Sound Engineers – paid for work done and may receive royalties if credited as co-writers.
Songwriters/Lyricists – compensated upfront and through royalties (performance, mechanical, and sync).
Recording Studios – receive fees for the time and equipment used in production.
📦 Record Label & Rights Management
Record Label (if applicable) – earns a share of revenue from sales, streams, and licensing.
Distributors (e.g., TuneCore, DistroKid) – take a cut for placing music on platforms.
Music Publishing Companies – collect and distribute royalties from performance and licensing rights.
Licensing Agencies – profit from placement in media or through sampling.
💻 Digital Platforms & Tech Companies
Streaming Platforms (e.g. Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, etc.) – earn from ad revenue and subscriptions, with higher traffic from controversy.
Social Media Platforms (e.g. Instagram, X/Twitter, TikTok) – benefit from increased engagement, shares, and virality.
Digital Advertisers – sell targeted ads against traffic spikes around album discussions and music videos.
📰 Media & Content Creators
Music Journalists & Critics – drive traffic through reviews and opinion pieces (negative or positive).
News Outlets & Blogs – capitalise on controversy with click-driven headlines and coverage.
YouTubers, Podcasters, TikTokers – gain views and followers by reacting to, dissecting, or debating the album.
Cultural Commentators & Influencers – gain social currency by staking a public opinion or 'hot take'.
🎭 Marketing & Merch Ecosystem
PR Firms / Publicists – profit from managing the album rollout and handling controversy.
Merchandise Designers & Sellers – sell branded apparel or controversial designs.
Event Promoters & Concert Organisers – earn from live performances, festivals, and appearances.
Ticketing Platforms (e.g. Ticketmaster, etc.) – profit from shows tied to the album or controversy tours.
📈 Investors & Business Partners
Brand Collaborators (if any) – may ride the wave for exposure, even in backlash.
Platform Investors & Shareholders – benefit indirectly from increased platform usage and revenue.
Streaming Platform Algorithms – engineered to push 'viral' content, benefiting the platform through increased engagement.
🧠 Academics, Analysts, & Culture Writers
Sociologists, Cultural Analysts, and Think Tanks – may gain visibility, media appearances, and funding by commenting on the cultural impact or ethical implications.
Book Authors or Documentarians – might later capitalise on the moment to publish or produce content about its cultural significance or controversy.
🧨 Hate Groups / Extremist Forums (Indirect)
Extremist Propagandists – may co-opt the message or visibility to spread hate more broadly.
Conspiracy Theorists & Fringe Influencers – amplify for clicks and ideological traction.
🔚 Silent Enablers
Industry Gatekeepers & Execs – who approve, promote, or green-light projects despite ethical concerns.
Digital Ads Brokers – who place ads on controversial videos, earning commission from virality regardless of content.
Consumers/Listeners Who Engage Uncritically – while not profiting directly, they fuel algorithms and demand, enabling further monetisation.
The Casualties
I asked AI about who is negatively affected by Dehumanisation Capitalism, and how. Again I used the production and spread of Ye’s WWIII as a case study.
🧠 Society’s Moral Fabric
The General Public – exposed to hate, desensitisation, and cultural decay, especially if such content is normalised.
Youth & Impressionable Minds – internalise harmful messages, emulate toxic behaviour, or develop skewed values around fame and power.
Marginalised Communities (e.g. Jewish people) – re-traumatised, dehumanised, and targeted by emboldened hate speech.
Survivors of Historic Atrocities – such as Holocaust survivors and their descendants, who see the mocking of genocide and fascism used as entertainment or provocation.
Educators & Social Workers – undermined in their efforts to foster respect, empathy, and critical thinking.
🕊️ Cultural & Ethical Institutions
Museums, Holocaust Memorials, Human Rights NGOs – their work is trivialised or viewed as irrelevant by a culture rewarding provocation over truth.
Faith Communities – experience social backlash and increased hate crimes when bigotry is glamorised.
Ethical Creatives – artists and musicians who uphold responsibility and conscience find themselves sidelined in an attention economy that rewards shock and hate.
💔 The Artist’s Humanity
Ye Himself – loses public trust, mental stability, and connection to his own creative integrity. His trauma may be exploited instead of addressed.
His Children & Family – forced to carry the weight of public disgrace and association, potentially for life.
Collaborators Who Regret Their Role – those who enabled the project but now feel shame or moral conflict.
🧱 Democratic & Social Systems
Civil Discourse – drowned out by performative outrage, irony-poisoned memes, and algorithmically amplified hate.
Truth & Accountability – eroded as hate speech is monetised, while critics are dismissed as censors or enemies of “free expression.”
Mental Health Systems – struggle under the weight of normalised psychological harm and the glamorisation of untreated suffering.
Public Trust in Institutions – further collapses when institutions fail to draw ethical lines in the sand.
📉 Economic & Social Justice
Conscientious Businesses – those who refuse to compromise values are edged out by those profiting from controversy and chaos.
Ethical Media Voices – drowned out by clickbait, rage farming, and inflammatory content.
Employees with Conscience – those who speak up in companies involved in such projects may face backlash, isolation, or job loss.
Low-Income Communities – often absorb the social consequences of cultural toxicity without sharing in the profits.
⏳ Future Generations
Children & Grandchildren of All of Us – inherit a world where nihilism, dehumanisation, and shamelessness are normalised as “freedom” or “art.”
Young Creators & Thinkers – discouraged from producing truth-telling, uplifting work when vulgarity and hate dominate the spotlight.
We can see the magnitude of possible profiteers and the casualties of Ye's latest album. So if the takeaway is just “cancel Ye” or "put him in prison", we’ve missed the plot. By focusing on one song, one artist, or one target of hate, we’re not addressing the underlying problem of Dehumanisation Capitalism.
The real scandal isn’t just what one artist said — it’s how many people wrote, packaged, promoted, and profited from it. This isn't art. It’s a business model.
The question left unanswered: How do we make this business model go bust?
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