Rap music of the "gangsta" variety is degrading our society

You said: "I am not in favor of rap music and the gang culture that has emerged hand in hand with it." I say: If you do not like rap, don't listen to it. It is your free choice. But you should not infringe upon my choices. I happen to like rap. Secondly, you state that "gang culture has emerged hand in hand" with rap music. This is not true at all. Gangsta rap music is reflective of gang culture, but it did not create it. The modern black gang culture began in the 60s, on the West Coast. Hip hop developed entirely separately, in the mid 70s, in New York's South Bronx. Original rap music was about fun and partying -- nothing violent or sexist, etc. You said: "The true purpose of rap does not seem to be to create anything of beauty..." I say: By now you've abandoned any distinction between gangsta rap and rap in general, to your own folly. Not all, or even most, rap is gangsta rap. In fact, gangsta rap comprises just a small percentage of rap music. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I think Kanye West's production is a thing of beauty. I think Jay-Z's lyrics are beautifully constructed. I think old-school hip hop is a beautiful thing. Beauty is subjective, and you are free to find something ugly that I find beautiful, and vice versa. Furthermore, what does it matter what the "purpose" behind creating the music is? If it were discovered that Beethoven sat down and tried to make the ugliest piece of music ever for his Fifth Concerto, would that change the fact that so many people view it as a thing of beauty? Similarly, if an untalented musician attempts to craft a thing of beauty, but ends up sounding like a million cats scratching their claws on a giant chalkboard, does it matter that my intention was to create a thing of beauty? How do you know what someone's intention was and what does it matter? All that matters is the finished product, and the value of the finished product is in the eye of the beholder. You said: "While challenging the status quo is true of many forms of music, rap music is unique in the threat of violence that stands behind its message." I say: Only a very small percentage of rap music advocates violence. There is some heavy metal, country, and virtually every other form of music that also advocates violence. Perhaps the percentages are smaller than those of rap, but so what? If pro-violence classical music were on the rise, would that make non-violent classical music any less viable? What if 99% of all bluegrass music were suddenly pro-violence. Would that make the remaining 1% bad by association? No. You said: "I would disagree EMPHATICALLY with any idea that gangsta rap music and black culture are the same thing." I say: I agree with you. But that's not what we're supposed to be arguing. We are supposed to be arguing whether gangsta rap degrades our society or not. So far, you have made no such arguments that it does/has. You said: "why is it that rap music is so often blasted in confrontational manner from car stereos?" I say: Because some sub-genres of rap music is designed to show off car-stereo-systems' subwoofer capabilities. It is obnoxious. There are often local ordinances against it. But this is not the fault of rap music as a whole. Someone who makes a "Bass CD" cannot be held accountable for how that CD is used. I may want to play the CD on my own private property where I cannot be bothered, and I should have that right. So too should the artist have the right to make it and sell it. Attack the criminal -- in this case, a very petty criminal -- who disturbs the peace. IN SUMMATION: You made no arguments that rap music degrades society. Instead, you only made arguments for why you don't like rap. I cannot convince you that you're wrong not to like rap -- it is up to personal preference. You are free not to like rap. Thankfully, you do not seem to call for any legal restrictions against free speech or rap music in general. That's good. Most troubling, you dropped the distinction between "gangsta rap" and other forms of rap music (including Christian rap) and painted all rap music with one broad brush. But still, even your arguments for not liking rap are filled with many untruths and inaccuracies. You make no argument that rap music degrades our society, in my opinion, because there are no such arguments to be made.