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Hate Crimes

By on June 16, 2011

ETHNOCENTRISM – PREJUDICE – DISCRIMINATION – REJECTION – HATE – HATE CRIMES

There is a continuum that begins with ethnocentrism, which leads to discrimination and hate, and can result in hate crimes. Every social system has a system of ranking (usually by race and ethnicity, gender, and/or social class) and those minority groups are those in the lower ranking levels. Ranking leads to prejudice. The sources of prejudice are: ethnocentrism, in-group and out-group feelings, competition (split labor market) which leads to frustration and aggression, socialization (we are socialized to have specific feelings about different groups within our society), and stereotypes (which are further emphasized by the media). The social context or social climate impacts the specific prejudicial beliefs or discriminatory actions of a given society at a given period in time. This means that specific situations occurring in a given society (social climate) and the beliefs about specific groups of individuals at the time (historically) dictate which groups will experience prejudice and discrimination. For example, immediately after and ever since September 11th we have seen numerous hate crimes against individuals of Middle Eastern decent. (Image courtesy of federico stevanin / FreeDigitalPhotos.net)

LYNCHINGS
Lynchings are the first examples of hate crimes. Lynching is defined as “one group’s use of mob action to kill a member of an oppressed group.” Historically lynchings were quite common and the violent death was considered a warning against a specific group (most example are of lynchings against Native Americans and African Americans). Historically violence against the specific racial minorities was to 1) keep the social order intact and 2) as a means of winning control over the minority group.

HATE CRIMES
Hate crimes are motivated by 1) racial bias, 2) religious bias, 3) sexual-orientation bias, 4) gender bias, or 5) disability bias. The types of hate crimes include those crimes against people (70%) or those crimes against property (30%).

FBI: UNIFORM CRIME REPORTS
Go to the following link. Click on and read About Hate Crimes. Then scroll down and click on Hate Crime Statistics. Look at the various data compiled on hate crimes in the United States by year.

http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/ucr.htm#hate

Hate Crime data tables (2005 Data):
http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/hc2005/incidentsoffenses.htm

Look at:
• The number of hate crimes that were reported and investigated in 2005
• Types of offenses and data
• Data on offenders
• Data on motivation or bias
• What type of bias is more frequently reported?
• What type of bias is less likely to be reported?
• Data on victims
• How many hate crimes were reported in your city in 2005?
• Number of hate crimes nationwide

WHAT CAN WE DO TO PREVENT HATE CRIMES?
• Support federal antidiscrimination laws and statutes
• Support community relations service (CRS)
• Support programs (training for police and victim assistance professionals)
• Support community education efforts

OTHER WAYS TO PREVENT HATE CRIMES
• Openness: respect and appreciate each other’s differences
• Respect diversity
• Work with children to dispel racist myths
• Support school efforts to fight hate crimes
• Avoid workplace hostility
• Neighborhood watch

STUDIES HAVE SHOWN THAT THE FOLLOWING CONCEPTS HAVE HELPED TO REDUCE PREJUDICE:

• Education: begin by educating young children on the issue of group difference, prejudice and discrimination and continue educational emphasis throughout each educational level.

• Intensive Interaction: more interactions between the groups have been found to reduce prejudice; less segregation between the groups; Deutsch and Collins research (1951).

• Noncompetitive Relations: emphasis on cooperation rather than competition; Johnson and Johnson research (1985).

• Cooperative Tasks: groups working together towards a common goal; Robbers Cave Experiment (1950).

HATE GROUPS
Hate groups have increased at rates of up to 20% each year and their memberships continually increase due to the ease of access or joining the group via the internet. What causes individuals to hate in today’s society? Why would someone join one of these hate groups? Think about how joining a hate group on the internet can protect the anonymity of individuals and make it more likely that a person would take that next step to join one of these groups.

“Home Box Office” (HBO) recently filmed a documentary on hate groups and the internet. Visit the following website for information on this documentary:

“HATE.COM EXTREMISTS ON THE INTERNET”
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/600876.stm

Is this simply freedom of speech or should we do something about these hate groups on the internet?

You can also look at the following website which includes some “stop the hate” quotes:

STOP THE HATE ORGANIZATION
http://stop-the-hate.com/

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Teaching Sociology is very enjoyable for me. Sociology is like a gateway to a plethora of knowledge and understanding. The subject material is directly applicable to real-world events and situations found in everyday life. The methods and concepts of sociology yield powerful insights into the social processes shaping the contemporary world. The ability to identify and understand these processes is valuable preparation for professional participation in an ever changing and complex society.