Opinion

Martin Luther Kanye Jr.

Kanye West has a dream.

A dream that one day the world will be free of paparazzi. A dream that celebrities will enjoy the civil rights now denied them. A dream that we will live to see an America where a famous person who slugs a photographer will be judged by his music rather than by his fists.

Forgive us for the leap back to the 1960s, but it was Kanye who took us there. He did so during a deposition in a lawsuit brought against him by photographer Daniel Ramos, who accuses West of assaulting him at Los Angeles Airport last year.

TMZ published excerpts of the deposition. It’s account says Kanye likened his struggle against the paparazzi to the civil-rights movement.

When Ramos’ lawyer asked if he really believed the two are comparable, he said, “Yes . . . I equate it to discrimination. I equate it to inequalities.”

He went on.

“Celebrities, as a group of minorities here in LA . . . have to band together to influence guys like this — guys trying to take the picture, guys trying to get the big win, guys trying to get the check.”

Please. Paparazzi may be annoying. But to equate having your photo taken against your will with what heroes such as Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King and Thurgood Marshall did is obscene.

Truth is, paparazzi are the price of the fame that sells Kanye’s music, that puts fans in the seats during his performances and that helped pay for that