The local news has started using the term "bias crime" instead of "hate crime."

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

It sounded very forced and artificial.

Anybody know what the deal with that is?

[The Straight Story]

1. LIke this?

HATE CRIME ALERT: New Mexico Family Become Victims of Bias Crime

http://newsblaze.com/story/20080606100807tsop.nb/topstory.html

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

2. Pretty much.

Except they removed all the use of the term "hate crime."

[jobycom]

3. Hadn't heard that, but that's interesting. "Bias" is a softer word, but OTOH, "hate" isn't accurate.

Calling them "hate" crimes gets people caught up over individual motives and arguments like "Aren't all crimes hateful?" or "Is the crime worse because the victim was part of a persecuted group?" The word is misleading, since the "hate crimes" punish a criminal for the terroristic aspect of the crime, for targeting a group to terrorize and threaten the entire group, rather than just the victim.

But "bias crime" doesn't get at that any better.

I'd guess they are trying a more emotionally neutral word because their right-wing paymasters feel "hate" stirs up anger, and that anger gets aimed at racists and other bigots, which makes Republicans look worse. Going into this election especially, right wingers want to downplay the hateful side of bigotry.

Just my guesst. Probably wrong, as always.

[uppityperson]

4. Sounds like a sewing term. Maybe it is to make it sound not so bad?

I haven't heard it, but it seems like emotional manipulation.

[AndyTiedye]

5. This is Obviously Being Orchestrated

They are trying to make racism and racists (even violent ones) more respectable to help McCain beat Obama.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

8. Well, yes, it's obviously orchestrated.

It's not so obvious as to whom or why.

[AndyTiedye]

11. You Only Have to Ask "Why NOW", and

[Wizard777]

6. I like it! It sound less religious and more Constitutional.

This doesn't sound like a war with Satan or a war against Evil and the prosecution of hate. All that other crazy religious right neocon republican crap. Bias crime sounds more like an enforcement of the equal protection clause of the Constitution. With as much value as we place on equality. Bias should be a crime. It doesn't sound like we are trying to outlaw an emotion. People have a right to hate. I hate Usama bin Laden. I Hate Al Qaida. I hate Bush and I hate him with a purple passion. Does this make me a criminal or even a bad person? No. But the bias in Congress concerning his impeachemnt absolutely should be a crime. Also hate can be a motive for a crime. But I don't think that we should be criminalizing singular elements of a crime. When all three come together THEN you have a crime. If we allow teh criminalization of motive. How long before someone wants to criminalize ability too? Every gun owner has the ability to commit murder. This is all in the vein of crime prevention. So why wait until the crime occurs? Why not allow prosecution upon finding ofany of the three elements of a crime? Motive, Opportunity, and Ability

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

7. Bias should be a crime, but hate shouldn't?

Huh.

[Wizard777]

9. What other emotions would you outlaw? How about sorrow?

Actually I'm all for calling a spade a spade. Why not prejudice crime? Crimes of prejudice rolls of the tongue more easily. There are crimes of passion. So why not Crimes of prejudice too? Not all prejudice is fueled by hate. Some bigots can actually rationalize their prejudice. Crime of prejudice also sounds Constitutional the enforcement of equal and civil rights. It sounds more accurate to me. What's not to like?

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

10. Give me an example of bigotry not fueled by hate.

Please.

[DadOf2LittleAngels]

13. Ive been called a bigot for my religious beliefs

despite the fact I dont hate based on them so finding bigotry without hate is all dependent on the person who is calling another a bigot..

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

14. Are you talking about homophobic bigotry?

If so, it'd be because of hatred towards homosexuals, and nothing to do with your religious beliefs.

[DadOf2LittleAngels]

16. Nope in all kids of areas..

Ive been called a bigot because I believe Christ when he said that he is the only way..

Me believing that does not mean I think in any way Im better than anyone else, nor do I think any particular group is inferior to me but some people take my belief to be, in and of itself, bigotry..

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

19. What was the real reason?

Somebody didn't call you a bigot because of that. There must have bene another reason.

[DadOf2LittleAngels]

22. Sure they did, Ill hunt around for it

but it was some time ago, some people think if you are exclusionary in your theology you *must* be a bigot. That because I don't think there is any way but Christ that I must think I am better than others ( <-- The effective outcome if bigotry )

e.g. They take my theology and assume I apply that to the civil world in which I live weather or not I actually do that..

[anigbrowl]

29. Ignorance is often very impersonal

Bigotry is a hateful emotion (to non-bigots) but often bigots themselves hold their views pretty dispassionately have simply never had those viewpoints socially challenged so they've become ingrained. Since 'hate' is an emotional term to begin with, it's hard to make objective characterizations. How do you measure it, for example? I feel that 'hate crime' is an unfortunate term myself; as with other attempts at redefinition, people often project meanings onto it that were not the ones intended.

I'm reminded of the attempt to redefine all terms relating to disability some years back, which threw up gems such as 'visually challenged' for 'blind'. A few were useful descriptors and persisted, but eventually people came to the conclusion that terms like 'blind' or 'deaf' were perfectly good words to begin with rather than loaded terms of abuse.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

30. So if hate crimes are hateful to the victims (i.e. "to non-bigots")

Then what is wrong with the term, and why is "bias crime" superior?

"I'm reminded of the attempt to redefine all terms relating to disability some years back, which threw up gems such as 'visually challenged' for 'blind'. A few were useful descriptors and persisted, but eventually people came to the conclusion that terms like 'blind' or 'deaf' were perfectly good words to begin with rather than loaded terms of abuse."

Then what's your opinion on "redefining" hate crimes as bias crimes? Seems to me that "hate crime" is a perfectly good term.

[anigbrowl]

32. Because it's harder to impute an emotion than demonstrate a pattern of behavior

The objection to a hate crime is that it's motivated by hate (as opposed to opportunism, venality, or personal animus), not that it's hateful. However, proving the existence of such an emotion is inherently difficult. As I said elsewhere, I'm think the name 'bias crimes' might possibly result in more successful prosecutions, as it's less emotionally loaded and thus harder to object to.

[Wizard777]

33. Okay how about this rationalization of bigotry from the bad ole days.

Negro's are not humans. They are primates. But they are not human. Negro's have a muscle in their ankles that humans don't have but monkeys do.

That lead to you have to beat them down for looking you in the eye. That is a signal that the animal is about to attack. Just like a dog. If you look an angry dog in the eye it will attack. If an angry negro looks you in the eye. That means the animal is about to attack.

In those days that was the height of mainstream reasoning. No hate. It was all very anthropological and cause & effect. The prejudice manifested in logic. Not an emotion like hate. The emotion the logic played upon was FEAR.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

34. Sounds pretty hateful to me.

"The prejudice manifested in logic."

No, they attempted to use logic to justify their hate. There was nothing logical about it whatsoever.

[Wizard777]

37. That can't be done. Logic defies emotion. Emotion can defy logic.

The earth circles the sun. What emotion would you ascribe to that piece of logic? We aren't Vulcan's. We are creatures of both logic and emotion. They can be independent of each of other. They can also play off each other and even intertwine. But emotion is not formed of absolutes like logic is. The assassination of Bush would involve logic or logistics. A bullet obliterated his brain stem and he died. Anyone who has their brain stem obliterated by a bullet will die. That's the absolute logic of it. The assassination of Bush would prompt sorrow in the republicans and joy in democrats. There are diverse responses in the emotion of it.

But what I can honestly say having lived through it. Is it was ugly. It was real ugly. That's one thing I love my parents for is not teaching me that ugliness and not allowing anyone else too either.

[DadOf2LittleAngels]

12. Well it depends

The *action* should be a crime but not the thought... be it hate or bias..

[Wizard777]

35. I agree with that. How can we make this more wrong than wrong? Hate crime!

Wrong is wrong. Crimes of prejudice should be a category of crime. For recording, analyzing, and reporting purposes. Like property crime or crimes of violence. But not a charge.

[DadOf2LittleAngels]

36. I think thats what ranges in sentencing should be for...

Assault is assault but the range varies..

If a judge is convicting someone who did it because the person was gay, and tats pretty apparent then they should be apple to use the stricter end of the spectrum.. Let the Judges be judges..

[Wizard777]

39. Make it an agravating circumstance. Like rape or torture in conjunction with murder.

That brings an Automatic death penalty. Make it a condition of a capitol crime or mandatory minimums. I can see that too.

[Dukkha]

15. Then Fox News commits hate crimes every day

this is the same as "climate change" which allows those to not admit it's global warming

[harun]

17. I don't like it. Hate is a fact, bias is in the eye of the beholder. Who

defines what is bias'd? The media? LOL!

[DadOf2LittleAngels]

18. Hate is not a fact any more than Bias or Love is...

They are all feelings..

[harun]

21. You can teach young people to hate, not so much with Bias or Love

They get those two w'out trying. Bias and Love are programmed in, hate comes from other people.

[anigbrowl]

26. According to you. These are opinions rather than factual arguments.

You're fully entitled to this opinion, but but I don't agree with your 'hate is a fact' line of thinking. It's hard to demonstrate in any objective manner, and this has been a major obstacle to getting hate crimes prosecuted as such. I think a less inflammatory term like bias might actually result in a wider and fairer application of the law.

I'm not sure about your 'born with' vs. 'learned from other people' distinction either. I can think of lots of counterexamples, so I think it's hard to make a compelling case there.

[DadOf2LittleAngels]

27. ummm you cant teach people to love or bias?

I guess emphasis on tolerance (the diametric opposite of bias) and acceptance in schools is wasted time then right?

[Oeditpus Rex]

20. A fact is something for which there is proof

Let me see you prove hatred.

[harun]

23. See post #21. I was trying to make the distinction between what we

are born with and what we learn from other people. Saying it is a "fact" probably didn't explain that point real well.

[Oeditpus Rex]

24. I'd say they're going for accuracy

Since "hate crime" is in the same category as "terror alert."

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

28. How is it different than "bias crime?"

What are the similarities between "terror alert" and "hate crime?"

You're saying "bias crime" is less dramatic than "hate crime?"

[Oeditpus Rex]

31. I'm saying no such thing

The similarity between "terror alert" and "hate crime" is obvious: Both are actions in regard to emotional concepts that cannot be proven. Shall we next have "The War on Hate"?

[baldguy]

25. We are living in George Orwell's nightmare.

[theboss]

38. I actually find that more accurate than "hate crime"

"Hate crime" also led to the question, "Isn't every crime a hate crime?"