Don’t blame it on mental illness

Re “Ye goes from hip-hop hero to hatemonger,” Dec. 3

I’m outraged by the Kanye West situation in ways I can only begin to describe.

First, there are Holocaust survivors who are being traumatized by West’s public praise of Adolf Hitler. Second, the Department of Homeland Security and other groups that monitor online hate speech have noted an increase in antisemitism lately, so West is helping to put Jewish lives in danger.

Finally, I’m sick of hearing about West’s mental health problems in connection with his vile actions. Having family members who suffer from mental illness, I can state that becoming a rabid antisemite is not a mental illness. It’s a choice.

West has a history of saying or doing shocking things to garner attention. Therefore, I think this could all be an extremely twisted publicity stunt. And I believe that, like his supposed hero Donald Trump, West is too egotistical to admit a mistake. So like Trump, he doubles down.

I hope, for the sake of those who suffered under Hitler and people who might be harmed due to his depraved actions, West loses every penny he has and perhaps feels a fraction of the pain he is inflicting on people around the world.

Matthew Singerman

Newbury Park

I find it interesting that Twitter owner Elon Musk sanctioned West off that social media platform, yet he tolerates thousands of people spewing hate speech on myriad topics.

Musk might think about sanctioning himself.

Ellen Faulk Los Angeles

West’s affection for Hitler is not only ignorant, it also resonates with antisemitism. West must have forgotten about the time when Blacks were not allowed to drink out of water fountains designated for whites, sit at a restaurant counter with whites or marry a white person.

With all the divisiveness happening in the U.S. and around the world, it is fruitless to waste print on someone as misinformed as West.

Bunny Landis

Oceanside