[John K.]

Recent news events have proven the hypocritical basis for hate crime legislation. The dragging death of Mr. Byrd in Jasper, Texas was instantly labeled a hate crime. However, just a few days ago, a similar incident occurred. This latest incident received perhaps two minutes of news time.

The case: a man on a South Dakota Indian reservation was beaten and left for dead with a rope around his neck and his ears missing after being dragged around a field by the rope. The man's face was kicked in by steel-toe boots and he could barely be identified when found. The catch? The victim was white, and the assaulters are American Indians. Unlike the Jasper case, authorities trying to label this a hate crime are getting heavy resistance. Even the county commissioner is attempting to blame this on 'alcohol and dope'. Never mind that the assertion is racist...it is a blatant attempt to keep this anti-white crime from being labeled a hate crime.

So how can anyone tell me that these laws are fair and just? They are not even applied equally! Both incidents are nearly identical, but the press coverage and the outrage by advocates of hate crime legislation are utterly absent from the South Dakota case. If the hate crime laws were truly in place to protect every citizen from this kind of biased assault, then why are the local authorities meeting resistance? Therein lies the hyprocisy.

User Detail :  

Name : John K., Gender : M, Age : 27, City : Cranford, State : NJ Country : United States, Occupation : Chemical Engineer, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[John K.]

I disagree with you completely. Questions regarding the minor physical differences between whites and non-whites are as valid as any other question. You claim that the questions assume that the physical features of whites are standard and everything else is deviant. On what evidence do you base this assumption? The only logical basis for the questions you detest would be curiosity about something different from one's self. How is that racist or sinister?

Determining the cause of differences in physical characteristics of human beings is the entire thrust of genetics and genetics research. Is that entire branch of science invalid and degrading, because it seeks to determine why two people (or groups of people) might have different physical characteristics?

Your interpretations seem to assume racist assumptions on the part of anyone white asking questions regarding physical differences between people of different races. Do you really believe that you can assume the motivations of every person asking an honest question? Do you really believe that every white person asking such questions must be doing so out of a racist point of view? Or is it just as possible that you are making the racist assumptions?

By the way, I do admit that it is at least possible that some of the questions come from people trying to be offensive. By the same token, most of the questions seem to come out of simple ignorance, not ulterior motives.

User Detail :  

Name : John K., Gender : M, Age : 27, City : Cranford, State : NJ Country : United States, Occupation : Chemical Engineer, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[John K.]

Actually, this is a very interesting thought. How successful has the government enforced integration policy been since its inception? Not very, if you think about it. When nonwhite students were bussed into white school districts, the two groups did not suddenly build bridges of understanding. If fact, it began the current trend of a new kind of segregation. Yes, we are told that every culture is equally valid, but there is no attempt to bring cultures together into any kind of understanding. Race quotas of every type, from student bussing to affirmative action, seem to further define the trend. Instead of bringing about a culturally diverse workplace or student body, the differences are made more clear and striking. Look at any college and you can see a perfect example. There are student unions for every single minority group in attendance, dividing the student body into isolation from one another.

This leads me to believe that the efforts of the federal government for the last 30 years have actually served to increase tension along racial lines. Why? Politics, for one. Candidates that supposedly support federal race programs also play for votes from the groups that result from those programs. They look like they care, while they openly do everything possible to delay any true integration among the people. Some nonwhite 'leaders' consolidate their political power by playing on the fears and prejudices of their own people, further dividing for personal gain.

So how does this end? The original goal of civil rights was to change the system so that opportunity could be had by all, regardless of race, color, or creed. That seems to have been forgotten. Each minority group fights with some other over some imagined advantage, rather than working together.

I think that the only way to get back on track is to fix the educational system, pure and simple. Getting the parents and communities involved at the local level is essential to success. While I may not agree with everything that the original poster believes about the educational system in this country, I do agree that education is the only way to begin equalizing opportunity for everyone.

User Detail :  

Name : John K., Gender : M, Age : 27, City : Cranford, State : NJ Country : United States, Occupation : Chemical Engineer, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

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