Article Title: FBI reports hate-crime increase in 2006
In today's society you would think that hate-crimes would be decreasing instead of increasing. In my opinion I think that we should be more accepting of people and not discriminate against people because of the color of their skin, or because of the lives they choose to live, or because of their ethnic background. To me I think that we should all be treated equally. Now I know that in today's day and age we are not here yet, and this article made it even more clear that we are not getting any closer, instead we are stepping backwards.
This article was very interesting to me. I didn't realize how many hate-crimes are committed not only in the Seattle area, but all around the world. The part in the article that interested me the most was, because a black student sat underneath a tree that white kids normally met under they hung a noose. I could not believe this. There is no reason why anyone should have this much hate towards someone, and this is completely disrespectful. The other thing that I found amazing was the kids who hung the noose received no punishment. They were sent home from school and that was it. What is it that we are teaching our children when we do this. When they are not punished for something they don't see that they did anything wrong. To me this is completely inappropriate, and to not punish these students is not teaching them anything.
This article was kind of an eye-opener to me I can't believe that from 2005 to 2006 the percentage of hate crimes nationwide went up 7.8%. I think that our society needs to be more accepting of people and stop judging and acting on these judgments. To go into a building and start shooting at people because they are Jewish or any other ethnicity other then your own is ridiculous. To me I think that there needs to be stronger punishments for people who commit hate-crimes and they need to realize that this type of behavior is not going to be acceptable in our society.
The biggest question that I have for you is what are you doing to help our society move away from hate-crimes like the ones that are described in this article?
archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/texis.cgi/web/vortex/display?
slug=hatecrimes20&date=20071120&query=Race+and+Ethnicity
Sorry this did not all fit on one line!
Word Count: 392
3 comments:
I think that you chose a great article. I agree with you and would have thought that hate-crimes would be decreasing in our society. It is quite surprising to learn that hate-crime incidents have risen nearly eight percent last year. When thinking about how far we’ve come and how hard people have fought for equality, it is kind of depressing knowing that there hasn’t been much of a change. Then again, everyone will have their own opinions on other ethnicities, whether it is good or bad.
I do agree with you that there should be harsher punishment for those who commit hate crimes. Not only that, but everyone should be given the same kind of punishment, not matter what your ethnicity is.
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It does make one stop and think when reflecting on the rise of hate crimes over the past year, especially considering that we live in a time that has seen events such as the civil rights movement come before it. Racism is supposed to be a thing of the past, but sadly not only is it not gone, it is on the rise. Perhaps it is because racism is not always just an individual bias, but is sometimes a community bias as well. Where I come from, those who slander someone based on race are quickly corrected, and those who pursue are ostracized. However, not all communities are like this. Even if racism is viewed negatively in a community, that doesn’t necessarily mean that others in that community will take action against racism when it does occur. There is no difference between apathy and endorsement in situations like this. It is up to the individual within that community to brake with this lackadaisical tradition and speak out against such crimes, regardless of social perception. (174)
It does seem crazy that those kids who hung the noose were not punished. I go to Bothell High and when we were playing Inglemor a boy in my class hung a dummy dressed in Inglemor colors over the student section. Not only was he expelled, but also they are pressing criminal charges. He is being more severely punished for a prank than those kids who legitimately performed a hate crime. Our society seems so messed up.
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