The Psychology of Hate Crimes

Hate crimes are a menace in most parts of the world. They refer to violent actions against individuals, properties or corporations because of their affiliations. Many people have suffered as a result of these misconducts. It has led to the destruction of assets, buildings, and places of worship in many jurisdictions. The worst types of these offenses are attacks against individuals belonging to different races. Some of these injustices can be a simple assault against a person without necessarily using weapons.

Additionally, most of these cases are based on religious or ethnic unfairness. Research indicates that African Americans are the largest groups that are at risk. The problem of racial hatred has been there for decades. It commenced throughout the 1960s during the civil rights movement. Though, most of the crimes originate from religious bias. Catholics and Jewish members are the most affected by hate crimes.

Moreover, most of these misconducts happened during the Second World War. It was the time when attempted to kill all the Jews. Other categories of people that are affected by hate crimes are the gay and the lesbian society. This is because their actions are against the morals of society. These individuals are disgusted by teenagers and adults. Most of them face verbal abuse from those who are against their behavior in the community. Despite that these crimes continue to occur, they are against the rules of natural justice. This essay will mainly focus on the significant causes of animosity, their effects, and recommendations on how to eliminate the problem among people.

Hate offenses can be as a result of extremism. This is where children are taught to hold specific negative thoughts about a particular group of people. Thus, they grow up knowing that such kinds of people are their enemies. Radicalization is primarily based on religion. Therefore, people can use it to spread hatred against others which might result in violence. Another cause apart from faith that can result in this crime is political competition. Leaders can incite one group against another thus, leading to animosity (Brudholm, 2014). It is a common phenomenon where political leaders and their parties fail to focus on ideologies. Instead, they send negative messages that can incite the public to violence. This will eventually lead to a bad relationship between the competing groups.

Religious affiliations can also create problems among the members of the public. They can lead to hatred among members belonging to various religions. This challenge is brought about by the lack of tolerance among dissimilar beliefs. Besides, ignorance might also result in animosity among people from different races. Most of the people who practice discriminative behaviors may not be aware of their consequences to the community (Cheng, Ickes & Kenworthy, 2013). Additionally, fear can also lead to offenses. It occurs where people from diverse races or religions are suspicious of each other. Therefore, they can end up disliking one another in society. Some of these crimes occur because they are norms that have existed in some regions for long. Therefore, some people might not view them as serious issues, and the trend may also be passed to future generations.

Another cause of hate offenses is ideological differences. A good example is the Western populations which do not share similar ideologies with most of the Arab speaking nations. It is the reason why most extremists target them among other welcoming countries. However, some nations like the US have managed to deal with the challenge by tackling terrorism head-on. For instance, they manage to weaken the al-Qaida group by killing their leader Osama bin Laden.

Hate crimes can result in insecurity in society. The community which has been insulted can retaliate as a way of showing their anger to the people victimizing them. This trend can lead to the loss of lives and the destruction of properties. Also, it can decrease the productivity of individuals as they cannot work peacefully (Dokmanovic, 2014). Secondly, it can create fear among people who have been mistreated. This anxiety can result in low self-esteem among persons as they will feel inferior to others. It can also set a dangerous precedent for future generations. Children are likely to imitate what adults do which can cause more problems in later periods. Moreover, this trend can hinder people from accessing fundamental rights in life such as access to job opportunities. Therefore, they will be discriminated because of their race or religious associations.

Additionally, it can result in extremism which is now becoming a threat to humanity across the globe. Terrorists carry out attacks because of the hate they have towards a particular group of people. It is one of the ways that they use to express their anger towards others. In some cases, it can result in the displacement of individuals from their homes because of the fear of being intimidated or being killed. It is an unfortunate trend because it hinders development since persons cannot continue with their businesses as usual. Furthermore, it can lead to long-lasting conflicts between people from races or religions (King and Sutton, 2013). For instance, the black Americans and the Jewish people have been having a bad relationship with the whites. The challenge has existed for long, and some of the hate crimes were reported in 2017. These cases can be found in the FBI records in the US. Finally, they can have psychological effects on the victims. Most of them can suffer from mental stress for a long duration. Some of these offenses have been seen in most of the Middle East nations where Christian workers have faced exploitation in the past. Most of the victims usually develop negative thoughts and even end up committing suicide.

The problem of hate crime can be reduced through various interventions. One of the ways is by enacting laws that will help in eliminating the problem from society. Those who are found guilty of engaging in discriminative practices should be arrested and prosecuted immediately. The intervention can influence individuals to obey the law and have respect towards other people. Therefore, the public will embrace tolerance among each other. As a result, this can create harmony among members of the general public regardless of their race or religious affiliations.

The government should also sensitize the people on the consequences of these offenses. In this case, the state should inform them how the attack can bring down a nation. This can motivate the members of the public to change their behaviors towards other individuals (Cheng, Ickes & Kenworthy, 2013). Thus, they can forget about the past and begin working as brothers and sisters. Heads should also educate their followers to be tolerant of other people’s faiths. Such actions are vital in any community as they will assist individuals to co-exist with one another. This strategy is critical because most of the followers tend to obey their leaders. As a result, it will help to eliminate religious hatred in society. Finally, the intervention can reduce cold wars among the members of different faithful’s.

Extremism can also be decreased by investing in intelligence that will lead to the arrest and prosecution of the offenders. The step can assist in preventing future crimes from happening. Besides, governments should invest in youths by creating opportunities for them. This intervention will ensure that they are always busy. Therefore, they may not develop extremist thoughts. Politicians should also compete based on ideologies instead of focusing on personalities (King & Sutton, 2013). The leaders should also control their supporters and tell them to respect their opponents.

Additionally, group leaders in social media should punish those individuals who spread propaganda. This can eventually decrease the tensions that are usually created during the times of intense political campaigns. Action should also be taken against leaders who incite the public through the use of hate speech. It can help in checking the conduct of people and ensuring that they respect the law.

Parents and teachers should teach children to embrace good morals. They should be informed about the need for respecting others. Moreover, they should be sensitized on the impact of negative hatred in society. The curriculum developers should also ensure that topics that touch on social issues are incorporated in the syllabus (Dokmanovic, 2014). The step will ensure that all children benefit from the lessons which they can apply in their future lives. Ultimately, those who face hate crimes should report the matter to the relevant authorities. The main aim is to prevent the situation from becoming worse. The victims should also exit the area and settle in a safe location if their lives are at risk.

The cases of dislike have been a significant threat to individuals living in different locations of the world. These challenges have been in existence for many decades. Several human rights have made efforts to eliminate the problem since the sixties. Though, people continue to experience these wrongs in society up to now. Some of the persons are usually discriminated against because of their race and religion. Besides, others also face these crimes because of their ignorance. Most of these persons do not understand their rights, and they continue suffering in silence. The problem can hurt the members of society. This is also the source of conflict among people who hold different opinions. Though, the stakeholders must take action to save the victims. One of the approaches is by sensitizing the masses on their rights. Therefore, they can defend themselves when faced with such situations. Besides, the culprits should be punished for their action to discourage such behaviors in the community. Another approach is to encourage people to be tolerant of other’s beliefs and views. Extremism should also be condemned openly. Youths should engage in nation building activities. Therefore, all these interventions are expected to eliminate hate crimes in society in the future. Finally, people should always preach peace and avoid actions that harm others.

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