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The few times I pay attention to the news I sometimes hear about "hate crimes." I watch a lot of crime docudramas and there'll often be mention of "hate crimes."
But what exactly is a "hate crime"? People seem to ask if something was a hate crime when extreme violence was involved and the victim was black, gay, or some other special group. A "hate crime" seems to be a crime committed because the criminal hates what the victim is.
That's silly. If one person beats or kills a second person it seems reasonable to assume that the first person hated something about the second person. If that emotion wasn't involved that'd be much more scary. The idea behind "hate crimes" seems to be legislating how people think. That doesn't seem right to me at all.
But then, I believe people should be treated equally. I really don't care what color skin the victim had or what sexual perversion if any he or she subscribed to. I don't even care if the victim was biologically male or female.
This is all intellectually, of course. If I hear that the victim was a small child that tugs at the heart strings. Any crime of violence is terrible, but the impact is worse when the victim is helpless. But a "hate crime"? No. I don't acknowledge that as a legitimate category. Call it what it is, whether that be assault, battery, attempted murder, or even murder.Current Mood:  blah Current Music: something classical, I think |