Posted by Scott on December 15th, 2007 — Posted in Hate Crimes
I just read an interesting but unfortunate story about a hate crime that occurred on New York’s Q train. According to the charges, a group of 10 young Brooklynites attacked and beat up a group of three Jewish riders after the Jewish riders wished them a Happy Hanukkah. The gang of thugs yelled anti-Semitic slurs, including stupidly claiming that the Jews killed Jesus during Hanukkah.
Witnessing the three Jewish people getting attacked, a 20-year old Bangladeshi Muslim named Hassan Askari jumped to their aid, which resulted in the gang of thugs similarly beating Hassan Askari. Walter Adler, one of the victims, credits Hassan Askari with saving him and his two friends.
In a verse about 9/11, Talib Kweli said, “we see the best examples of humanity in the face of the worst,” and I think that applies to this situation as well. Despite the terrible foulness of the anti-Semitic hate crime, we can find hope in the brotherhood and humanity that a Muslim stranger demonstrated for the Jewish victims.
Police arrested the 10 attackers, and the prosecutors will pursue hate crime charges.
In the following video, Walter Adler and Hassan Askari talk about the attack.
In that video, you can see some of their bruises, most notably the ones Hassan Askari received trying to defend the Jewish strangers.
I hope to see less hate crimes and less hate in general. I hope to see more brotherhood and humanity.
What do you think?
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Posted by Scott on October 1st, 2007 — Posted in Hate Crimes
Chris Paredes recently wrote about a new study that shows that victimization due to sexual orientation correlates with suicidal behavior. I include an excerpt:
Students victimized because of their sexual orientation are more prone to commit suicide, according to a new study by UW researcher Heather Murphy.
The impetus for the study was a question posed by a 15-year-old gay male with suicidal tendencies whom she counseled during an internship at the School of Psychology.
The student asked her: “Does it get better in college?”
The study, conducted in 2007, found that individuals who identified as heterosexual but also reported being attracted to same-sex individuals were three times more likely to plan suicide and six times more likely to have attempted suicide in the past year, when compared to heterosexuals.
Individuals who identify as gay, lesbian or bisexual were found to have been twice as likely as those who identify as heterosexual to have planned or attempted suicide.
I find it interesting that students with homosexual thoughts but who do not identify as gay have more suicidal tendencies than those who openly admit their homosexuality. It makes sense, though. Someone who admits their homosexuality both to themselves and others has probably accepted it more than someone still on the fence.
I hope that our society learns to accept and tolerate homosexuals, and all people for that matter. It saddens me greatly that nice people get victimized based on their sexual orientation. It’s bad enough when violence happens from personal conflict or for personal gain, such as when someone gets hurt during a robbery, but hate crimes happen merely out of intolerance.
Hopefully, universities will do what they can to stop intolerance and prevent hate crimes and all victimization for that matter. By doing that, they can help create an environment where students neither get victimized nor feel depressed as a result of their sexual preference.
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Posted by Scott on July 23rd, 2006 — Posted in Hate Crimes
America is strong because of our diversity
The United States always proud as a home to a rich diversity of ethnic and cultural groups. America is strong because of its diversity. Known as the great “melting-pot” of the world, American democracy is founded on respect for individual differences. Those differences in culture, religion, ideas, and ethnicity have contributed to the strength and richness of our country.
Problem-Today we have an increasing number of crimes motivated by hatred or bias (Hate Crime Statistics: http://theyaboutus.com/Statistics.htm )
Not since the turn of the century has the United States experienced as much diversity as in the last two decades. While this diversity has given our country its vitality and cultural richness, it has also caused some serious problems including racism, prejudice, discrimination, and lack of respect for one another. Today we have an increasing number of crimes motivated by hatred or bias. Much of the violence that humanity suffers in our times is rooted in misunderstanding as well as in the rejection of the values and identity of different cultures. ( Find Famous Quotes & Famous Sayings about Hate Crime at http://theyaboutus.com/FamousQuotes.htm).
In the current situations, the biggest problem & inappropriate behavior is that some people, by generalizing the actions of a few members of certain ethnic or cultural groups, are judging and hating that group as a whole. Hate crime was and still is one of the biggest issues for our society and for a whole World. The worst manifestations of hate crime and racism are Genocide, Massacres, Fascism & most of the Wars. (From http://theyaboutus.com/HateCrime.htm find out more about Genocide, Massacres & Hate Crime-Studies, Photos, Videos).
Groups of people should not be judged by the actions of a few. It is wrong to condemn an entire group of people by association of religion, race, homeland, or even proximity. No one likes to be blamed or threatened for the actions of others. All people deserve to be treated with fairness, respect and dignity.
Solution-Understanding Other Cultures & Respecting Cultural Differences
Understanding Culture
The first step to becoming a confident, effective inter-cultural communicator is knowing how to communicate your own culture — and yourself — to others. The knowledge of cultural differences, and self-knowledge of how we respond to these differences can help make us aware of hidden prejudices and stereotypes that can be barriers to tolerance, understanding, and good communication. Which of your cultural values do you value most? Which of your cultural beliefs and experiences would you most like to share and celebrate with others? The more you understand your own cultural beliefs, values, and attitudes, the better prepared you will be to recognize, understand, and accept the cultural beliefs and behaviors of others and the world will become a wonderful, peaceful — and fun place to live!
Respecting Cultural Differences
Cultural differences exist among groups of people with different backgrounds, histories and heritages. In order to achieve world peace, we must all desire to acquire a healthy respect for different people and cultures. Respecting cultural differences leads to tolerance of cultural differences, and tolerance leads to peace.
When we start to respect one another’s differences, we can begin to respect our similarities, and the cultural barriers come tumbling down! To help stop stereotypical thinking and/or behaviors before they start, we must follow the Golden Rule. You may know the Golden Rule as treat others as you would like to be treated. But did you know that a version of the Golden Rule exists in just about every culture? The rule is there. We, together, just need to follow it.( http://www.TheyAboutUs.com )
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