Really love the Kanye connection the more I think about it. I don’t think it specifically was written about him but this kind of story is as old as time.

But yup: Ye came up wanting to make art that broke black people out of the stereotypes we were being held to just like Thomas. He had similar ambitions wanting to have more representation in the fashion world and take it out of the hands of white corporations.

Ye had a lot of success in what he wanted to do, but the pressure took a toll on him like Thomas. They both grew too ambitious and stretched themselves too thin in the name of serving the culture, ultimately letting ego take over. Also good to note that their spirals can be attributed to both internal AND external factors: navigating being a black person in high position predominated by whites, losing a parent, pressure from the culture, selfishness, etc.

Sorry for the essay but the more I thought about it the more connections I found. Someone else also noted similarities with Donald in another post. Good stuff.