Hate crimes are violations in which the victim is persecuted due to his or her demographic status; whether perceived or real. Demographic status compromises an individual’s race, sexual orientation, ethnic background, nationality of origin, et al. Different from other crimes, hate crimes have an immediate impact on the victim and the community at large where an individual stems from. According to a research study by Herek, Gillis, etc. (2001), it was established that hate crimes have the effect of causing psychological distress such as depression, anger, and anxiety, among others. This paper aims to offer an insight into the least focused part of crimes, that is, hate crimes. This paper will ensure details of the effects of hate crimes on individual victims and the community.
Revel and Riot established that, in law, a hate crime is directed toward a particular individual because of their association with a specific religion, race, sexual orientation, ethnicity, etc. The idea of hate crime emerged in the United States in the 1970s. Since then, hate crime has continued due to biased individuals and laws that have failed to deal with this crime. Most citizens have called for strict regulations and heavy punishment for hate crime perpetrators. Others have argued that hate crimes befit a minority of people who are not affected nor related to the groups that experience hate crime in society. However, the basis of these differences makes a nation.
In the declaration of independence, it was spectacularly mentioned that “we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.” It implies that every human being is born with equal rights and freedom. The phrase sounds good, but there is a wide bath. Everyone is free but cannot leave free because of association with factors such as ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion, etc. Recent research studies have indicated that race is the most prevalent form of hate crime. According to American Heritage College Dictionary, racism is the “belief that race accounts for differences in human character or ability and that a particular race is superior to others.” This type of hate crime revolved around the era of slavery in the United States of America. The black race was considered inferior to whites.
Historical research by the National Museum of Crime indicates that the Roman Empire marked the first example of a hate crime. In the era of the Roman Empire, Christina believers were persecuted and hanged on wooden crosses. Clearly, victims of hate during the Roman Empire were persecuted due to their Christian faith. It marked one of the earliest examples of hate crime. Hate crime stems from a wide variety of how humans treat each other. Others judge their fellow humans based on differences in sex, religion, race, or ethnicity. Failure to tolerate one another resulted in atrocities against one another, i.e., in the case of Jesus Christ in Rome, Martin Luther King Jr (subjected to inequality), and Anne Frank during the holocaust.
Sociologists argue that simple hate crimes commence from little misunderstandings that stem from discrimination, bias, and ethnocentrism. Misunderstanding between individuals results in full-scale acts of violence grounded on prejudice and intolerance. In the new era, hate crimes continue taking new shapes and forms. The growing number of hate crimes in today’s generation is owed to stereotypes that propel distrust among different cultures. According to a recent study concerning human tendency to interact with one another, it was established that humans tend to stick to clicks and judge others who do not resemble or support their stereotypes. A research study by Edward Dubar interviewed offenders and came out with a similar conclusion.
In today’s era, studies have indicated that hate crimes have not been recognized as real threats or murder. When individual bullies or targets another individual based on differences in ethnicity, sex, orientation, race, etc., make up a hate crime, it is clear that hate crimes are likely to get out of hand. Individual differences have amounted to several atrocities against others and have even claimed lives. The people and leaders have constantly sent their voices out; however, this is not enough to curtail this kind of violence. Hate crimes and groups are likely to get out of hand. It is, therefore, necessary to alleviate this problem. We as human beings do find different cultures to be expected. If we had little tolerance for others’ religion, race, sexual orientation, etc., hate crimes could be non-existential right now.
Hate crime was worse in the past than it is today. Prevalent hate crimes in history include the Ku Klux Klan. The Ku Klux Klan was an organization, predominantly white, that targeted Black Americans, according to the Tanenbaum organization. They tortured homosexuals, people who cooperated with the black Americans, and most Catholics. Tanenbaum is an example of a popular extremist group that perpetuated hate crimes on individuals. They treated individuals as if they were not equal. Hate crimes vary from simple hateful messages to kidnaps and murdering of individuals. The holocaust in Europe is considered a hate crime. Groups like the Jews were targeted because of differences in faith. The Human Rights campaign discovered that, since 1998, federal laws have not been able to deal with hate crimes effectively. Aspects like voting have been improved, but hate crimes against gay and lesbians have not been alleviated.
The bombing of the Twin Towers in America resulted in Muslims being hated. The atomic bombing of the Twin Towers united Americans; however, the downfall of the incident attracted significant hatred for Muslims. The Muslims were targeted with hatred because they were allegedly accused of being the attackers. “The Americans had hatred growing on Muslims even if they were believed not to be the attackers” (Hrc. Org). The past hundred years marked the climax of hate crimes. In the era of today, hate crime is lingering beneath the surface. Compared to the past, hate crime is not more pronounced today than it was in the past. However, cases of hate crime still exist today.
According to the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), hate crime is a violation of the law that is motivated by the biases of the offender towards a disability, ethnicity, religion et al.(FBI, 2004, P. iv) (Stacey 3). Although this is a standard definition of hate crime, it remains a puzzle for scholars to incorporate the aspect of gender into hate crime. Characteristics of sexual-based hate crimes are controversial and unique to their own. However, in most cases, sexual-based hate crimes are depended on gender roles and the relationship between the perpetrator and the offender. According to a research study by the FBI, it was discovered that 15 % of hate crimes in the United States are motivated by sexual orientation biases.
Overall, hate crimes are violations in which the victim is persecuted because of their demographic status, whether perceived or actual. The basis of hate crimes is differences in religion, sexual orientation, race, etc. Humans are intolerant to cultures that differ from their own. They do not treat them as usual. This logic applies to the majority of people. If we learn to tolerate each other regarding differences in religion, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, etc., we could alleviate the challenge of hate crimes. However, this is easier said than done. Hate crimes may continue to grow into the future. However, hate crime is lingering on the surface today and is not more pronounced than it was in the past. If we choose not to act or do anything, the challenge of hate crime might be here to stay. Hate crimes have the potential to grow into something more extensive, like a war. With the support of everyone and mass sensitization throughout our communities, we can turn everything around. We can educate others not to hate but instead love others irrespective of religious differences, sexual orientation, etc.
References
Dixon, T., & Wintz, T. (2015). The Clansman: An Historical Romance of the Ku Klux Klan: An Historical Romance of the Ku Klux Klan. Routledge.
Sutton, H. (2019). FBI reports an increase in hate crimes nationwide for a third consecutive year. Campus Security Report, 15(9), 9-9.
Tada, I. (2021). The Relationship Between Bullying and Fire Setting in Juveniles and Young Adults.
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