why should a crime against a gay or minority be punished any different than the same crime against some one in the "majority?"
2007-07-16 15:49:57 · 9 answers · asked by markhulk 1 in Politics & Government ➔ Government
It's not terrible at all unless you're a fan of the continuing moral decline of the US as sponsored by crypto-racist, homophobic conservatives.
Does that describe you?
2007-07-16 16:15:11 · answer #1 · answered by Robert B 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
You misunderstand the point of hate crime legislation. It's not a matter of punishing someone based on who they attack.
Hate crime legislation is a sentence enhancement to some other criminal act or statute.
The reason hate crimes are considered worse is a function of the mental state involved. Just like intentional murder can be treated as more severe than reckless homicide (manslaughter) or negligent homicide. The more culpable mental state allows for a greater punishment, even though the physical act and result (death of a person) is the same.
Similarly, where a crime is committed based on racial or gender or religious or other prejudice (thus being a hate-motivated crime), the mental state is not merely a desire to harm one person. It's a desire to harm or destroy everyone who exhibits a certain trait. The victim at the time just happens to be one of many who exhibit that trait. Thus, the the victim was attacked not for anything unique to that individual (as in most other crimes) but because the victim was a representative of some larger group.
That different mental state compared to other crimes allows for the sentence enhancement.
People ask why all crimes aren't considered hate crimes. The answer should be obvious from the above definition. If you attack one person because they made you angry, that's hatred against the the individual you are attacking. But based on that same motivation, you would have no reason to attack a thousand other people, unless each one of them individually also made you angry.
Hate crimes are where you want to attack those thousand other people, because they all share the same trait (are all members of whatever group) that you hate. And this particular victim just happened to be the first one you came across. But your attack on them had nothing to do with them as an individual. It was your intent to attack an entire large group, and they just happened to be handy.
2007-07-16 16:09:21 · answer #2 · answered by coragryph 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I don't understand the "hate crimes" definition, except that some self-styled victim group wants to have special treatment when a crime is committed against them.
So, if a person is not gay and is beaten on the streets, does that make it less painful for them than a gay? If somebody beats a gay and was thinking "rotton gay" while they were doing it, does it hurt the gay more?
I think that it is actually a first step toward the goal of declaring disapproval of the gay lifestyle to be a crime.
2007-07-16 15:58:54 · answer #3 · answered by Free To Be Me 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
to help address the issue of hate-motivated crime. Do you have another idea? I'm not sure where you're writing from but in most areas with hate crimes, sexual orientation is not included. The fact that you list it first makes me wonder if homophobia is what is driving this question.
2007-07-16 15:57:22 · answer #4 · answered by snoopy 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
This is in the same family as the 'Fairness Act', something that appeals by name but has underlying goal. Both take a major chunk out of the diminishing freedoms of the American people.
People are hurting themselves far more by voting these 'control' acts in.
2007-07-16 15:57:32 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
boy, do you have alot to learn. Hate is always going to come back and hit you where it hurt's three times fold. What does gay have to do with it. Did you take God's job and judge these people? Clean your own closet out, before you start cleaning someone else's.
2007-07-16 15:57:20 · answer #6 · answered by cprucka 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I thought you guys were tough on crime!!!
Why are you afraid to punish hate crimes?
To answer your question: a hate crime participant is logically more likely to re-offend.
2007-07-16 15:53:55 · answer #7 · answered by Schmorgen 6 · 1⤊ 2⤋
How many Americans would one muslim extremist on American soil have to kill until it was obvious to you that hatred for ALL Americans was his primary motive?
2007-07-16 20:51:51 · answer #8 · answered by RIFF 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you were murdered, wouldn't you RIP easier, if you knew whether or not your murderer hated you or not? (Sarcasm)...
2007-07-16 15:54:56 · answer #9 · answered by Ken C 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋