Hate Crimes (homosexuals, dogma, religion, islam)

[Pah]

FBI: More than 7,400 hate crimes last year

Monday, November 22, 2004 Posted: 11:55 AM EST (1655 GMT)
http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/11/22/hat....ap/index.html

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Over 7,400 hate crime incidents occurred nationwide last year, more than half of them motivated by racial prejudice most often against black people, the FBI reported Monday.

Hate crimes motivated by anti-black racial bias totaled 2,548 in 2003, more than double such crimes against all other racial groups combined. There were 3,150 black victims in these cases, including four who were murdered, according to the annual FBI report.

The overall total of 7,489 hate crime incidents reported in 2003 was slightly above the number reported in 2002. Nearly two-thirds of the crimes involved in such cases are intimidation, vandalism or property destruction.

But there are also hundreds of violent crimes, including 14 murders. There were more than 2,700 assaults, 444 bias-related robberies, burglaries and thefts, and 34 arson incidents.

The report shows that crimes categorized as anti-Islamic remained at the about same level in 2003 -- 149 crimes -- as the year before. There had been a spike in such crimes immediately after the 2001 terror attacks, helping drive the overall hate crime number much higher that year.

By far the most hate crimes based on religion were directed at Jews, with 927 incidents in 2003, about the same as in 2002.

The report also found more than 1,200 hate crimes based on sexual orientation, including 783 against male homosexuals. That included six murders.

The FBI hate crimes report is drawn from information submitted by more than 11,900 law enforcement agencies around the country. Only about 16 percent of those agencies reported any hate crimes in their jurisdictions during 2003.

[Engyo]

I would be really interested to see a deeper study done on these statistics. What were the motivating factors, beyond the obvious one of the selected target? Were there religious motivations, or ethnic/racial ones? Were these acts personal or dogmatic? Were they done under emotional stress or intoxication of some sort? How much mob mentality was involved? How many perpetrators have feelings of remorse later?

[Dadball]

Anger, hostility, resentment and aggression are all rooter in fear.

[Engyo]

So, why are all of these people afraid? Why are people afraid of homosexuals, or blacks?

[Sunstone]

Is it simply a matter of how people are raised, brought up, and taught from a young, uncritical age to fear and hate some group of people?

[Engyo]

I don't know. I am a straight white guy, 45 years old. I live in a small mixed neighborhood, hidden away in one of the worse areas of Houston, TX. I have lived within a mile of here since 1986. I have never had any problems with black people. I have never had any problems with homosexuals, male or female. I have numerous friends, acquaintances and co-workers in both groups. I just don't know how to tell people that most of this stuff is all in their heads.....For example, I was at the gas station a few weeks back. A white man approached me (the only other white person visible) and asked for a couple of bucks for gas "so he could get out of this neighborhood alive". I stared at him dumbfounded, and asked him what was wrong with this neighborhood? I told him I had lived here for almost 20 years, and there was nothing dangerous around here. He looked at me like I had lost my mind, and almost ran to get away from me. How can I help someone like that? Giving him money will only reinforce his image of the area........How could I have helped him to understand that the only danger was his own fear?

[Sunstone]

Sounds like you stumbled across one very closed-minded individual, Engyo. It reminds me of the old adage "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink." If someone is determined to cling to their fear and hatred of some group of people, they will find all sorts of "reasons" why that fear and hatred is "rational". There is not much you can do about someone who is unwilling to learn, IMHO.

[Dadball]

How could I have helped him to understand that the only danger was his own fear?

All we can do is plant seeds by our actions. The seed may never grow, or it may grow and we will never get to it, but it won't grow if we don't plant it.

[Pah]

Originally Posted by Sunstone

Sounds like you stumbled across one very closed-minded individual, Engyo. It reminds me of the old adage "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink." If someone is determined to cling to their fear and hatred of some group of people, they will find all sorts of "reasons" why that fear and hatred is "rational". There is not much you can do about someone who is unwilling to learn, IMHO.

Perhaps, in the case of that particular individual the saying should be "You can lead a horse to water, but if you can't make him drink, drown him"

Bob

[Simon the Cat]

I think it all relates back to this fear that there may not be enough for everyone and the guilt associated with that fear. It is easier to exclude people you don't like/think are deserving/equal etc....

"freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose...."