Gangsta Rap Accountability’s a Must

I am saddened that Maxine Waters, who has consistently defended the rights of women, now chooses to defend a subculture that depends on violence and hatred of women for much of its appeal (“Rap Finds a Supporter in Rep. Maxine Waters,” Feb. 15).

It’s absurd to claim, as Waters does, that male rappers should be forgiven for their misogyny because “it’s part of the culture.” Negative stereotypes of African Americans, in characters such as Amos ‘n’ Andy, Stepin Fetchit and Aunt Jemima, were very popular in this country at one time (so were lynchings and Jim Crow laws). That hardly makes them defensible.

Speech is a political act, with implications far beyond the utterance of the words themselves. Creating a musical subculture that denigrates half the human race is a political decision. Its creators as well as its defenders should be held accountable for their choices.

BONNIE K. SLOANE

Los Angeles