Understanding Why People Commit Hate Crimes Essay

Hate Crimes

The rise in the instances of hate crimes in liberal democracies is disturbing and it cries out for a better understanding as to why it occurs -- and what to do about it. What are the potential solutions to the ugly specter of hateful acts against people because of their ethnicity, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, nationality, the color of their skin or their gender? This paper reviews the literature relative to the best ideas and proposals for identifying the root causes that produce hate crimes. Argument: hate crimes can be reduced through education, by paying close attention to bigoted conspiracy theories, and by infiltrating extremist / hate groups.

Original Issue -- Initial Solutions

Erik Bleich writes in the Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies that in order to try and stem the tide of racist and other hateful public pronouncements against individuals or groups, several European countries passed laws "…against racial incitement" (Bleich, 2011, 919). The House of Commons passed the 1965 Race Relations Act, making it illegal to "intentionally use threatening, abusive or insulting language" which is used in order to "stir up hatred against" people on the grounds of "…colour, race, or ethnic/national origins" (Bleich, 919).

After WWII Germany created Article 86 of the criminal code that makes it illegal to use Nazi symbols (swastikas and Nazi flags) (Bleich, 920). In 1960, the German Parliament voted "unanimously" to make it illegal to "…incite hatred, to provoke violence, or to insult, ridicule or defame 'parts of the population' in a manner apt to breach the public peace" (Bleich, 920).

France passed an anti-racism law in 1972 that banned "defamation" and "provocation to hatred and violence based on ethnicity, nationality, race or religion" (Bleich, 920). Austria enacted "Verbotsgesetz" in 1947 (amended in 1992) -- making it illegal to "deny that the Holocaust" occurred (Bleich, 920).In the U.S. The 1968 Civil Rights Act made it illegal to injure, intimidate, or "interfere with another person…by force…based on race, color, religion or national origin"; and in 2009 it became a federal crime to assault a person due to his or her sexual orientation of gender identity (CNN, 2009).

Critical Examination of Best Solutions

Those above-mentioned initial attempts at solutions serve a "symbolic and practical function," Bleich admits (928). Meanwhile other solutions are available for research as part of this paper. One solution to hate crimes is education: teaching young people about what causes others to hate, requiring them to examine their own beliefs. This is a vital step in the right direction.

Professor. Phyllis Gerstenfeld teaches a university course on hate crimes (at Cal State Stanislaus); and after discovering a dearth of texts on the subject, she authored a text on hate crimes and co-edited an anthology that accompanies her text. Students in her class are often reticent to voice opinions on sensitive subjects -- so she creates posters of stereotypes (African-Americans, gays, Latinos, etc.). On the first day of class she breaks the ice with these posters because "…students feel more comfortable discussing things once they are out in the open" (Gerstenfeld, 2004, 110). She breaks the class into small discussion groups, gives research assignments, and invites personal testimonials (one….....