Crimes of hatred and prejudice have been on the increase lately in most cities in the United States of America. They range from verbal outbursts on the targeted people to lynching, shootings and even burning and vandalism. Almost all the time, these bias motivated crimes are committed against individual persons who are targeted because of who they are or what they do (Herek 1989). Those who commit these crimes always feel that their targets are mistakes in the environment in which they live in and therefore get the feeling of wanting to do away with them. At times these crimes are committed in order to avenge for actions committed against those who commit the crimes. These crimes are always motivated by something which the offenders feel that they are justified to commit them.
These individuals who commit crimes of hatred have a tendency of wanting to protect themselves and the people they care about against those they feel are not good enough to meet their expectations of human beings. Their unfortunate tendencies make them feel like they are obliged to commit these crimes under the pretext of finding fault in the other party. The attackers are normally mindless of what the offended party might feel as long as they feel satisfied that they have punished their targets (Herek 2009). Hate crime perpetrators are always resentful towards their target and no matter what happens, they never regret having committed the crime. Their main motivation is often derived from feelings of anger against their target groups.
The target of hate crimes vary a great deal. There are those who are targeted due to ethnicity, others due to their sexual orientation, national origin, disability and even religion. In most of the hate crime attacks, the offenders take on their targets because they feel there is something that they are not doing right according to their expectations. It is for this reason that they descend on them because they want their targets to stop or as a warning towards their target’s own. More often than not, the perpetrators do not seem to care about other people’s interests and as long as they do not fit into theirs, that is a target group.
There are several causes of these crimes. In some cases, the victim is considered the cause of the hate crimes especially when he or she knowingly provokes their attackers. This happens for example when a gay or lesbian person literally boasts out in the open of his or her lifestyle in a neighborhood which is predominantly known to be strict adherents of a given faith that is against their actions (McCartney 2013). In some other cases, anger motivates the acts of hatred. The after effects are normally as bad to the target group and the perpetrators themselves when the long arm of the law catches up with them.
It is therefore very prudent to take on the offenders so that hatred acts can be curbed before the world is plunged into animosity. More strict laws should be enacted so that the possible offenders can keep off their bad actions (Jenness). Also, stiffer penalties can be implemented so that the perceived perpetrators can be scared dead of the aftermath of their actions. It is also imperative that the society embraces good moral values which will benefit each individual member of the society because it is only through that that people will learn to love and respect one another.
References
Herek, G. M. Hate Crimes and Stigma Related Experiences among Sexual Minority Adults in the United States: Prevalence Estimates from a National Probability Sample. Retrieved on 10th August, 2013. http://www.glbpsychology.com/html/Herek_2009_JIV_preprint.pdf
Herek, G. M. (1989). Hate Crimes Against Lesbians and Gay Men: Issue for Research and Policy. Web, 10th August, 2011. Retrieved from http://williamapercy.com/wiki/images/Hate_Crimes_against_Lesbians.pdf
Jenness, V. Hate Crime. Retrieved on 10th August 2013. http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/914040/hate-crime
McCartney, J. (2013). Every Attack is a Form of Hate Crime. Retrieved on 10th August, 2013. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/law-and-order/9990340/Every-attack-is-a form-of-hate-crime.html
