In our previous post, we touched on the idea of helping people thousands of miles away while simultaneously ignoring the plight of those standing right next to us. This entry takes the problem even further.
In 2005, police reported 7,163 hate crimes nationwide. This was down from 2004’s 7,649. According to World Net Daily,
“Race-based criminal activity accounted for 54.7 percent of hate crimes last year [2005], up slightly from 52.9 percent in 2004, the FBI found.
Another 17 percent of hate crimes in 2005 targeted victims for their religious beliefs, and 14.2 percent for their sexual orientation.
Victims were assaulted in more than half – 50.7 percent – of the hate crime cases against people. Six people were murdered and another three were raped in reported hate crimes last year [2005]. The rest of the victims, or 48.9 percent, were intimidated, the report shows. The FBI also looked at hate crime incidents that targeted property, with 81.3 percent of cases resulting in damage, destruction or vandalism. “
We are not discussing some third world country with no telephones or access to the internet. This is America, one of the greatest and most developed nations on the planet. In America, we still have to deal with over 7,000 hate crimes per year. And, keep in mind, these are only the cases that the police reported. This may not cover the full extent of the problem.
A lot of the trouble with hatred and unity begin when people start asking about what is considered prejudice. To illustrate, the website mentioned above goes on to say, in different articles, that Mexican gangs are a threat to American civilization and that race is not a significant factor in most hate crimes when, clearly, the statistics they presented say that this is not true. Is this site prejudiced or merely stating one side of the argument?
This is the bulk of the problem.
It is 2007 and people still aren’t sure about the nature of a hate crime. What makes one, who does it and why are they still open for debate. The following questions sums the obstruction to co-existence up: How can people hope to accept the views and values of other cultures when there is so much turbulence in their own?
How can we honestly say that they are willing to form relationships, business or otherwise, with the global community when our own communities are tearing at each other everyday? The idea that, somehow, we can accept people so different from us that everything they do is considered foreign makes absolutely no sense when weighed with the fact that we can’t even deal with what our brothers do domestically.
“American Jews top hate-crime targets: Outnumber Muslim victims by 7-1 ratio, FBI stats show.” WorldNetDaily 23 Oct.2006. 08 Oct. 2007 <http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=52568>
Amen. Hate crimes legislation is a far cry from a “fix.” You can’t legislate hate out of existence – and we are a long way from where we need to be.
By: nicolen on October 9, 2007
at 12:48 pm
This is a great observation, and one that is not often made by people here in the United States. We know that we have problems and that we still have hate crimes, yet most people choose to turn away and focus on the problems of other countries. Many people see the United States as an invincible force that does not have any weaknesses or problems. However, for those of us who do not turn a blind eye, we know that this is definitely not true. We need to focus our efforts on helping people in our own country before we can help those half a world away.
By: bicklejoe on October 11, 2007
at 9:49 am
I agree that hate crimes in the United States need to be dealt with. But I feel that the best way to handle crimes of this nature is to teach tolerance. Often people hate what they fear or do not understand. It is important to work on these issues domestically but I see no reason why it should prevent forming relationships worldwide. Meeting people from all over the world helps build tolerance. I think it is a big step in the wrong direction to limit relationships and the knowledge that could be gained on the basis that it might lead to hate.
By: hilltopblogger on October 15, 2007
at 7:12 pm