Isms and hate crimes

Forget the mind control

Michael D. Shaw Apr 30, 2024 @ Mike's Point of View

The modern civil rights movement was jump-started by the landmark Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka decision of 1954. Brown reversed the doctrine of “Separate but Equal” that itself had been established in the other landmark case of Plessy v. Ferguson (1896). While diehard segregationists bemoaned Brown, cynics at the time observed that precedent is vitally important—until it isn’t.

Racial segregation still exists in housing and schools, but the Civil Rights Act (1964) represented the first major federal foray in its quest to eliminate racism. Indeed, as a child of the 1960s I can recall that a day scarcely could go by without hearing about how we must clear our hearts and minds of the eighth deadly sin of racism. Soon after came sexism. In the wake of the October 7th attacks, we hear anew of antisemitism.

With the 1998 murder of James Byrd, Jr. came a new term: “Hate crime.” Somehow, Byrd’s brutal murder was even worse, since the offenders apparently hated him. Or did they simply hate all Black people? Are there other classes of homicides whereby the killer loves the victim? Can a hate crime only be perpetrated on a minority victim? Is it a crime if I simply hate someone, but do them no harm? Is it OK for MSNBC to hate Donald Trump?

Of course, none of these questions was ever explored, and those who—by their own testimony—do not hate anyone, can feel proud of how virtuous they are. Yet, it was noted at the time that the very notion of a “hate crime” opens the door—wide—to the dangerous realm of thought crimes.

Prejudices of all sorts, originally fueled by ancient tribalism, have been with us since the beginning of time, and they always will be. In many cases, it is simply prudent to pre-judge an individual, for your own safety. Proverbs notwithstanding, everyone judges a book by its cover. If appearances didn’t matter, there would be no fashion or makeup industries, all cars would look the same, and all packaging would be generic.

In the most practical sense, it really doesn’t matter whether or not you hate that guy, and for whatever stupid reason, as long as you do not harm him.

To be sure, we are admonished in the Sermon on the Mount “So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48) And, famously, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’  But I say to you, everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” (Matthew 5:27-28)

These passages, and those that accompany them, are attainable, but to Jesus’ audience—and to most imperfect humans—are aspirational. We can start off with the Golden rule: “Do to others whatever you would have them do to you. This is the law and the prophets.” (Matthew 7:12)

Self-control and the Golden Rule will take us a lot farther a lot faster, than trying to cleanse someone’s heart and mind of hate and prejudice. Even if we lose that opportunity to virtue signal.

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