12 of 27

No

Write now Article Tools

The mere fact that this is a debatable question in today's society saddens and disgusts me. Hanging a noose in public view as an expression of bigotry and discrimination is a terrible and reprehensible thing to do. It echo's back to a dark age of knuckle dragging, inbred rednecks who think their bed linen is evening wear and physical appearance is a litmus test of social value. I'm quite sure that the mere act of hanging a noose in that context reduces the IQ of the perpetrator by at least 30 points on the spot, not to mention tripling the chances that he will marry a close relative and do his part to keep the family tree forkless. But should it be a HATE CRIME?

That concept also sickens me. What the heck is a hate crime any way, the opposite of a love crime? Aren't all crimes of violence or intimidation motivated by hate on some level? If the noose in question is a threat directed at a specific individual and that individual has reasonable cause to feel in peril because of it, then it can be prosecuted as an assault. Physical harm is not needed for that charge, only the reasonable fear or expectation of physical harm. If it is a general statement of the stupidity and/or substance abuse level of the perpetrator and not directed at any specific person or people, then it is merely offensive, not criminal.

Why should an offensive display or statement be a crime? Where in the Constitution of the United States of America are we guaranteed a right not to be offended? The answer of course is that we are not guaranteed any such thing. In fact, the first amendment guarantees the right of any of us to express our stupid and offensive ideology without fear of persecution or prosecution. That gives us a level playing field. Yet some hate filled, bigoted individuals want to slant things their own way. They want to make it a HATE crime for "Bubba" to offend them with his little rope in a tree trick. Yet they don't say it's a HATE crime if someone beats the living crap out of "Bubba" as a result of his dumb stunt. How does that make sense? It seems to me that beating the crap out of someone is even more HATEFUL than leaving offensive items in trees.

In short, I don't believe anything should be a "hate" crime because I don't believe we need to designate some classes of people as more protected under the law than others. Hey! Doesn't the constitution say something about equal protection?

Learn more about this author, Rev. R. D. Brown.
Click here to send author comments or questions.

Add your voice

Know something about Should hanging a noose in public be considered a hate crime??
We want to hear your view. Write now!