During the evening of Sept. 5-6, anti- Semitic vandalism, mainly in the form of painted swastikas, occurred in the Monmouth Heights section of Manalapan. One of the two resulting Sept. 12 News Transcript articles carried the headline, “How Do You Stop Hate Crimes?” Thinking about the contents of this article and the second one raises some interesting issues.
When a crime targets certain groups, the punishment is increased because it is labeled a “hate” crime. This is the case here: simple vandalism is “upgraded” to a hate or bias crime. How have we as a country allowed laws that punish emotions or certain thoughts? The inconceivably dire predictions of George Orwell’s novel “1984” are here today.
Why aren’t harsher penalties for “hate” crimes considered unconstitutional under our First Amendment freedom of expression? As distasteful as swastikas are to Jews, they are a form of speech. What does the American Civil Liberties Union have to say about this?
Hate is simply a part of the human experience. It is even institutionalized. During election campaigning, negative ads essentially use hate speech to demonize the other party or candidates.
Our government has a tradition of using hate speech to demonize. During World War II, the targets were Japan and Germany; next, Communism; and today, Muslims and Islam. The military uses hate propaganda to dehumanize our so-called “enemies,” so our soldiers think it is OK to kill those who do not agree with our values.
Several times the articles posited the notion that hate arises from a lack of understanding of the other side’s values and beliefs. Nonsense! Understanding does not lead to tolerance, acceptance, embracing or celebrating other beliefs.
I understand that decapitations are an accepted part of Muslim beliefs. Should I accept that? How about female genital mutilation in Africa? Within Islam, what don’t the Shia and Sunnis understand about the other side? Within Christianity, what didn’t Catholics and Protestants understand about each other that led to previous deadly battles?
What about parents who insist that their children marry someone within their faith, not some ogre outside it? Do Catholic schools accept Jews as students? Do Jewish schools accept Protestants as students? Liberals fantasize about the benefits of diversity. I say that when it is forced — like through civil rights laws or part of the indoctrination system used in schools — diversity is divisive. Liberals try to promote harmony by emphasizing the overwhelming similarities between various groups.
In reality, it is those very differences — however small — that lead to ended friendships, divorce, and even armed wars. People just cling too stubbornly to their cherished beliefs to admit that they are arbitrary, not hard-wired from birth; otherwise, we would all have the same beliefs and the world would be peaceful.
Some of the people quoted in the article attributed hate and bias to parental and peer influence.
In many cases, the bias arises simply by observing the repeated actions of certain groups. The race riots several decades ago, including burning of public and private property and looting, is one example.
Another example is the music of that same group, which includes extreme profanity, glorifies killing of cops and insults women. The ongoing popularity of that music shows it has enough popular support to continue producing and performing it.
Many perceive Jews as clannish and as controlling Wall Street, most of the United States and European banking system, the United States press, and comprising a significant number of the unelected, self-appointed elite bent on dominating the world through the New World Order and other groups.
When protestors show up at events like G20 summits, they are held at bay by police forces whose mission is to protect the powerful. (The powerful) are perceived as not only responsible for the banking and housing crises, but also directly benefiting from them.
Since the powerful live in gated, wellprotected homes and communities, isolated from us “little people,” vandalism like that in Manalapan may simply be venting of frustrations that have no other outlets, even though the vast majority of Jews (and other targeted groups) lead simple, ordinary, nonmilitant lives like most of the rest of us.
Raymond Kostanty
Manalapan