What Makes a Hate Crime a Hate Crime?
A man walks into a bar and asks the bartender whether the bar is a gay bar. The man then walks to the back of the room and watches a game of pool before attacking three patrons with a hatchet and a pistol.
Some details are still unclear, but based on the CNN story, it seems that the man, 18-year-old Jacob D. Robida of Massachusetts (pictured, AP photo), severely (and possibly mortally) wounded three people solely because the victims were gay.
Of course, all violent crimes are horrible, but those who commit a crime toward someone based only on his or her race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or religion are more dangerous to society than those who commit a violent crime with a clear motive. While no motive justifies assaulting or murdering someone, motives are specific and limit the attacker's potential targets. With a hate crime, by contrast, anyone who is black or gay or an immigrant or a Roman Catholic is at risk, regardless of whether he or she has had any prior dealings with the perpetrator.
Hate crimes, in other words, are a form of terrorism. They intimidate large segments of the population and cause several people of a given race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or faith much fear and anxiety—people who have become potential victims because of something fundamental to their identity.
In short, all violent crime is bad and should be punished harshly. But, I think, hate crimes are indicative of a larger danger to society and warrant especially severe repercussions.
Some details are still unclear, but based on the CNN story, it seems that the man, 18-year-old Jacob D. Robida of Massachusetts (pictured, AP photo), severely (and possibly mortally) wounded three people solely because the victims were gay.Of course, all violent crimes are horrible, but those who commit a crime toward someone based only on his or her race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or religion are more dangerous to society than those who commit a violent crime with a clear motive. While no motive justifies assaulting or murdering someone, motives are specific and limit the attacker's potential targets. With a hate crime, by contrast, anyone who is black or gay or an immigrant or a Roman Catholic is at risk, regardless of whether he or she has had any prior dealings with the perpetrator.
Hate crimes, in other words, are a form of terrorism. They intimidate large segments of the population and cause several people of a given race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or faith much fear and anxiety—people who have become potential victims because of something fundamental to their identity.
In short, all violent crime is bad and should be punished harshly. But, I think, hate crimes are indicative of a larger danger to society and warrant especially severe repercussions.
posted by Tinley | 6:14 PM
5 Comments:
That is brutal... simply brutal... I can't believe that
Josh,
Thank you for your comments. I am gay and would like people to know that I never hear the word "faggot" in public without concern that what will follow is a violent attack. It is, as you say, terrorism--the attempt to control or oppress with the threat of violence.
But in this particular case I also am saddened that this immature young man has ruined the rest of his life because of a prejudice instilled in him by society. Most of these types of assaults are committed by men of this age or only a little older. It is tragic that our culture instills this prejudice in them.
This guy sure was a sick bastard, but I don't think that hate crimes should be equated with terrorism. After all, terrorism is usually politically motivated; individual hate crimes are often just the results of misdirected psychopaths.
That said, however, I hope this dude is forced to French kiss Michael Landon in Hell for eternity. Jerk.
The problem with hate crime laws is that you criminalize certain ideas.
Just punish people for what they did. In this case, lock this guy up for the rest of his life w/o parole.
It's that simple.
I agree with John. Lock him up without the possibility of parole.
Hate crimes are terrorism to those who are being set apart as the hated. And I feel for those people no matter who they are.
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