On November 21, after a seemingly bizarre series of days including voicing his support for Donald Trump at one of his Saint Pablo Tour Concerts, calling out Beyonce on subsequent concert only to end it after three songs, and then canceling all of his other tour stops, Kanye West was hospitalized. Initial reasons for West’s admission have been reported to be not only exhaustion and dehydration, and reports are saying that his release may come as soon as November 29. Still, nothing official has come out of the West camp ever since.

So, can we finally lay off Kanye?

Perhaps that question should be considered from the bias that I am a fan of Kanye’s music. Still, regardless of what you think of him, can’t we all agree that any person has the right to recover from a state, physical or mental, of significant vulnerability away from intense scrutiny?

Unfortunately, it seems like we can’t even agree on that basic decency. Disgusting stories speculating on the deeply personal circumstances that have contributed to Kanye’s health are infuriatingly accessible by a quick Google search (which I suggest, on principle, that you don’t seek out).

Sure, there is a lot that can be said about how mental health stigma has shaped the way the media has covered Kanye. Yet, I think an even more basic issue we should be discussing is how big of a role the media played in crafting Kanye into the image of our favorite megalomania, now using that image to create the narrative of an Icarus who flew too close to the sun of celebrity.

There’s a very un-nuanced way of viewing Kanye West: quite simply, an asshole. There’s certainly quite a bit of evidence that can be used to justify that view. There’s the general misogyny of Hip-Hop music that West continually embraces, as illustrated in the controversy he generated with his “Famous” lyrics. There’s his seeming insensitivity to social and cultural issues, such as when he tweeted, “BILL COSBY INNOCENT !!!!!!!!!!” He uses Twitter and radio talk shows to rant about whatsoever might cross his mind, often as much incoherently as angrily. Finally, of course, there are the times when he used television as a platform to publically humiliate prominent figures, namely then-President George Bush and Taylor Swift.

Of course, thinking a person is an asshole does not justify not respecting his privacy, especially in a time where they need it most. Yet, one may be tempted to say that Kanye should be the exception, that he is an exceptional asshole and has intensely lusted for the spotlight over the years.

There is no excusing that Kanye has done bad things, but there is also no excusing the seeming refusal to recognize the realities underlying why Kanye has done some of the things he had. While the prevailing narrative had been the rudeness West showed to President Bush, there should be a greater recognition of the issue he was trying to advocate for: the lack of attention being paid to, both in terms of media coverage and government resources, to black families affected by Hurricane Katrina. And for all the vitriol directed toward Kanye after his incident with Taylor Swift in the 2009 MTA VMA awards, there was little attention paid to the true substance of his protest: the lack of recognition for black artists, which was represented by Swift winning the award of Beyonce. West even clarified his statements afterward saying that he protests were not directed at Swift themselves, despite the prevailing narratives of how Swift was a victim to West’s cruelty.

There should also considerations for the personal context that has shaped West’s career and antics. There’s his near-death-experience in a 2002 car accident that emboldened him to craft his debut album and can explain the pride he takes in his success. There’s also immense trauma he faced when he lost his mother to plastic surgery complication in late 2007 (something he ultimately blames himself for) and, a few months later, ended his long-time relationship with then-fiancee Alexis Phifer, both which underlay the deep emotional distress he conveyed in his 2008 album 808s and Heartbreak.

Yet, perhaps most importantly, there should be a consideration about how much we (the fans, the media, society) have played a part in the creation of Kanye West: not the man, but the myth embroiled in egoism and myth. There has always been this self-fulfilling prophecy, a vicious feedback loop of action that creates controversy, resulting in outrage, and reaction to the outrage that creates further controversy. Case in point, Kanye says he would vote for Donald Trump, we react with outrage, Kanye reacts to outrage by saying even more inflammatory things and cancels all his remaining tour appearances.

Next thing we know, Kanye, after years of speculation about his mental health and stability and going through relentless media scrutiny, is hospitalized for exhaustion.

So, let me ask this again: Can we lay off Kanye?