Hate Crimes: Victims Of Discrimination

Essay by PaperNerd ContributorHigh School, 11th grade February 2002

download word file, 3 pages 3.0

Hate Crimes: Victims of Discrimination Some people are trapped in body with features that are uncontrollable or brutally beaten because of the religion they were born into. Outcasts from society become victims of hate. Sound unfair? These are examples of social injustices, a modern term applied to old practices. The most recognizable forms of social injustices relate back to a central concept, discrimination. Hatred becomes the reason for violent acts called hate crimes. Caused by discrimination, these immoral acts lead to violence, and sometimes even death.

Hate crimes occur for several reasons. The main cause is discrimination. Difference in race and religion create hostility. The Ku Klux Klan, otherwise known as the K.K.K., is historically known for its racist attitude. During their initiations, prospective members must swear to uphold the supremacy of the white race for the simple reason that this country was first led by a great white man.

The narrow-minded logic of determining supremacy by color pigments in the skin is ludicrous. Religious discrimination is best exemplified by Adolf Hitler. His persecution of the Jews through unspeakable torture made it acceptable for people of that time to discriminate toward Jews openly. Power in the hands of a mentally disturbed man caused the saddest event in history. Even the mere mention of the word Holocaust brings tears to many eyes. The cruel nature of Hitler created on the worst hate crimes historically documented.

Another cause of hate crimes is learning by example. Often parental views are forced upon children. They grow up hearing phrases like "blacks are inferior" or "those people in the street are not as good as us." Other times, a child's family does not provide the emotional support a child needs. He then feels the desire to find love and social acceptance. Those types...