The film, "The Two Towns of Jasper" opens with Billy Rowles , the Jasper County sheriff and the local funeral directors explaining how they discovered James Byrd Jr. had been murdered. The scene then shifts as individuals in the community describe their responses to the murder and the victim.
Your task is to answer the key question below in the comments section. Please refer to outside examples of hate crimes, harassment. You may use contemporary or historical examples.
How does the idea that a crime is "race-related" shape the way the people react to the crime and its victim?
Also, this is a case of harassment (non-violent), but it is local and may interest you in answering this question.
I think that when a crime is related to race, it brings a stronger effect in people of that race, and denial in those of the race committing the crime. People don't like to think that their race is bad, or that they are the cause of violence. Especially in today's society, most believe that racism is not nearly as big of an issue as it has been in the past. Some even accept that there is no more racism. Therefore, racist crimes often lead to anger by the targeted race, because they are told that they have equal rights, and then see obvious discrimination and unfair treatment against themselves. I think with Obama becoming president, race is a large issue. If a crime were to happen involving Obama, it would be because he is black, not because people dislike his presidency. Any hate crime such as the potential of that one would result in an uproar from the offended race, because racial crimes are no longer accepted in society.
ReplyDeleteI think most of the time when crime is related to race it's due to stereotypes. Even though our society is seen as mostly anti-racist, society still uses stereotypes. Most of the time they are not true, they can be but most of the time they are not. Like in the story Ms. Ruback made a linked to, the teacher assumed the African American kid was from Boston, and the white women offered the African American woman directions when they both lived in the suburb. People just assume by apperance. I know from a friend who did a science project on fouls in baseketball due to peoples race. She found that if it was a split second decision between a African American player and a white player, the African American player was more likely to get the foul called on him. This is not exactly like a crime but closely realted. Also since stereotypes arise when talking about crimes while people try to figure out who committed it, the people who are race of the person who is suspected, end up getting mad because they think its racist. I think most of the time when crime is related to race it starts with pointing fingers due to stereotypes and create tension and the apperance of racism. It could also be people being not consciencly racist.
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ReplyDeleteIf a crime is race-related people react much more strongly. Some people react more because they feel being treated equally based on race is one of the most basic human rights that should be enforced. Other people may react strongly because they support the hate crime and the superiority of their race, and believe that the victim got what they deserved. Race-related crimes relate to people more personally than the murder of some stranger, so they become more involved in their outcome. People feel targeted themselves when they are of the same race as some one who was harmed based on their race. People also feel more sympathetic towards the victims of race-related crimes because being of a certain race is not something you can choose; so when someone is harmed based on their race, there is absolutely no basis for the crime and the victim never would have deserved the treatment they received.
ReplyDeleteWhen a crime is considered to be based off of race, everything escalates and becomes bigger than it needs to be. People start to associate specific acts of violence or crimes with particular races and groups of people, which is never fair, because targeting one group of people for a single individual's actions is completely ridiculous. 9/11 is an example of this, in which the radical actions of a small group of people resulted in the majority of Americans to, for a period of time, assume that all Muslims were in fact extremist and wanted to cause harm to America. Obviously, this isn't the case; I'm pretty sure I won't be bombing anyone's house anytime soon just because I'm a Muslim. Race related hate crimes unfortunately hurt everyone on both sides; those who are targeted allow their viewpoints to be biased because they were victims, and those who carry out the crime only indirectly make things worse for other people of their race, as well as themselves.
ReplyDeleteOur society tries so hard to ignore race that anybody involved in an issue concerning more than one race becomes hyper-sensitive to their actions, knowing that they can be interpreted as racist. There is no way to ignore that fact that, say, a victim may be black and the perpetrator white. If a white murderer was acquitted, it would be a much bigger deal if the victim was black than if he was white because everyone would assume that the acquittal had to do with some level of racism of the jury. I also believe that blacks sympathize with other blacks, much like other minority groups sympathize with other members of their specific group, whether it be a race, culture, religion etc.
ReplyDeleteIn the article, the black boy was assumed to be in the Metco program. But I don't think that the teacher who ushered him onto the bus was being racist, she just was looking out for the child and assumed that he was from Boston because nearly all the black students at that school were from Boston. What the article does show is that racial diversity is not prominent in many towns.
I think that when a crime is race-related, the accused criminal and the victim feel stronger emotions to the crime. Though people do not beleive it, the fact that there still is racism in the country plays a big role in crimes. The victim and criminal feels a stronger connection to the crime if it is based on race because people do not like to admit that racism is still evident in today's society. When a crime is related to race, people of the same race feel targeted by teh criminal and those people similar to the criminal. When people graffiti buildings with racial symbols, it is considered a racial crime. People representative of the racial symbols feel targeted and may even feel that their lives are in danger. Thus, it is important to eliminate bias and racism. In a graffiti incident, the people being targeted feel that they need closure so that they are not further targeted and the people committing the crime should apologize and serve to make up for his/her crime.
ReplyDeleteI agree that people react more strongly when a crime is race related, however, I think that the reason for this differs between white people and people who are part of a minority group. As people have said, for people who know and have experienced racism, crimes based on race effect them emotionally more than other crimes might. However, I think that white people, including myself, react more strongly to crimes that are race related because they do not want to seem racist, or they feel that they should feel more strongly about such a crime. This is similar to the study (which was disguised as a study about teamwork) that we read about a little while ago, where people who witnessed racism reacted less strongly to it than those who heard about it or saw it on a video. Although no crime was committed in this case, I think that the concept is the same: A community will react more strongly to a crime that is race-related because people think that their community is not racist, and therefore naturally should be outraged with a racist crime. This is not to say that people are faking, I just think that race related crimes get more publicity and reaction than may be people's first gut reaction.
ReplyDelete(This is my opinion for how most people would react in this area – there are probably also people who would condone a race-related crime, but I think that is not so much the acknowledged norm.)
I think that it makes the crime all the worse in the public’s eyes. A race-related crime isn’t just a crime against the victim, it is a direct attack on all members of that race. However, I think that this is often blown up in the public view – any attack on a person from a minority group seems to be a direct attack on that minority. I thought it Alyssa’s comment about Obama was interesting – I agree that if anyone tried to assassinate Obama, people would immediately assume it was because the assassin was racist, not because he thought that Obama’s presidency was bad. I do think that the Wellesley episodes were also blown a bit out of proportion – if you’re a police officer, and you’re told to arrest a guy who just robbed a bank, and the only description of him you have is that he’s black, and you know your town is less than 2% African American, what are you supposed to do? Are you supposed to think: “There’s a man there who fits the description and is in a car right by the bank, but I don’t want to arrest him because I don’t want to seem racist” and in the meantime while you’re deliberating, let him (if he were the real robber) drive away?
ReplyDeleteI definitely think that when a race related crime occurs, it's due to stereotypes and the pre-judgements made on that race. Naturally, the race targeted would get upset because of the discrimination and unequality. As for the majority, or the people not targeted, I think that they can react in two such ways: one way being that they could ignorantly agree with the assumption that the crime was race related, or, as Piya said, they can feel more sympathetic for the victims because their race is their race and that isn't something they can control.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, and probably everyone else's, believing that a crime is "race-related" is terrible. There is no such thing. In my opinion, the person accused of a crime, depending on his race, might be treated in different ways for his crime. An example of this might be Emmett Till himself. He was mutilated and abused just because he flirted with a white woman. As I had asked in my letter assignment, what if a white boy had done that to a black woman in those days? Would the reaction be the same? What if Emmett had been dared to do something else, like steal something from that store? Again, would the reaction be different than the reaction to what really happened? Would stealing something be as terrible as flirting with a white woman? When Emmett's mother decided to have the open-casket funeral, she was probably trying to say: This is a clear example of what a hate crime is- beating and mutilating a 14-year-old boy.
ReplyDeleteIt also seems like some people are treated as scapegoats. People would assume that the races that are believed to commit certain crimes, did commit the crime. And here they are (the accused) maybe trying to do the right thing, but people assume that he did the wrong thing because of what they think of him.
I think that when a crime is race based it tends to cause a greater gap between races. I think this gap is formed because the race that is targetted tends to stick together to support eachother,and, at the same tame, the race that has been convicted of committing the crime also sticks together to defend eachother and hold a certain title and reputation to their race- usually by denying that their race could ever commit that sort of crime.
ReplyDeleteI think that when a crime is race-related the aspects of the situation are magnified more than a normal case. There are actually probably a lot of crimes that are race-related but go undetected, but once it comes into view, a lot more people hear about it and everything is examined very carefully. It is during these times that human nature is often examined and people really start to look at how we treat people of different races. Unconscious prejudices become clear to people and racial relationships are given a second glance. For example, the murder of Emmett Till was an eye opener for many whites because a lot of them didn't know that murders like that happened. But once people heard about it, they realized that these types of killing had been going on for a long period of time. People then really started to look at the situation between blacks and whites after Till's death.
ReplyDeleteI believe that when a crime is race related impact communities and the certain races involved much stronger. Because it seem that when it comes to race it can come between any bond. Like in the story of the black and white orphans or who very close until it came to the racial protests later on in their lives. They went to the defense of their seperate races right away instead of consulting one another. Also when a crime is race related it becomes a lot more personal to the race that was targeted. Therefore it becomes an argument of equality and civil rights. Also the targetted race may turn against anyone of another race in retalation. They feel as if they all are one. The feuding races also try
ReplyDeleteto find the negatives in the opposing race by attaching broad stereotypes about them.
As many people have mentioned, when a crime is labeled as being race related, the reactions to the issue become stronger. This might be because people begin to view the issue as Us vs Them. One group wants to seem less prejudice than they really are, and the other feels the crime has been committed against everyone in their race. This creates stronger reactions in everyone; especially because racism is often something that people would rather pretend didn’t exist. When crimes are labeled race related when they aren’t actually, it can unnecessarily blow things out of proportion. But in a case such as the Dee Brown incident, it was very helpful to look at the issue through the lens of race relations, because the town was then able to see what is actually going on. People came forward with stories like the woman who was asked if she needed directions in her own town. And after examining the town’s situation the town was able to begin to begin to take measures to change people’s underlying biases against minority groups.
ReplyDeleteWhen a crime is "race related" society reacts strongly. The society reacts strongly because they feel remorse for the vitcim. If the vitcim is the same race of a person, the person has a deeper connection with them because they share a common background. People do not want to think that racism and discrimination is still prevalent in America.
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I think when a crime is race related it opens peoples eyes and shows them that the world we live in is far from perfect. It shows that there are prejudices against 'them'. People don't want to see those prejudices or differences, and usually try to ignore them, but when a race related crime comes up it becomes hard to just turn away and ignore it. There's crimes usually lead some people to distrust those among other races, and cause even more biases and prejudices for pop up. It almost like a never ending cycle.
ReplyDeleteI think that when a crime is considered race-related it has effects on both the victim and the person committing the crime. In terms of the victim, if they are of a minority race a lot of people jump to the conclusion that the crime was done based on racist feelings toward the victim. In terms of the person committing a crime, people might think it is stereotypical of whatever race they are to be more violent or have criminal actions. When people consider crimes to be race related, wether or not it is true, it just makes the issue of racism in our world bigger and adds more negative feelings rather than peace.
ReplyDeleteBecause of the way our society ignores racism and the whole race issue in general, when a crime happens that is "race related" it creates a situation that is as Megan put it "a never ending cycle". When a crime that is 'race-related' happens, both the victim and the perpetrator are turned into sterotypical people. And that sterotypical nature of the crimes creates more and more bad feelings until another 'race-related' crime happens and the bad feelings burst.
ReplyDeletewhen a crime is race related, the reaction becomes stronger; for the last few decades the American society has been trying to recuperate from strong racial tensions that aren’t to far back in history. so when a crime against someone’s race is committed whether it would be black on white, or white on black or what have you, it becomes a huge problem. for example over the weekend I heard in Louisiana that an officer shot and killed a black man. family and witnesses say it was race related because he planted a gun on him to say it was self defense. and now its national news
ReplyDeleteWhen a crime is race related the way people react to the crime strongly differs from a crime that is not race related. People care a lot about who they are, their race and how they are treated because of their race, and if a certain crime involves their particular race they may feel targeted. The victim involved in the crime may not recieve fair justice because of their race. Also, if the crime is known publicly then people of the same race of the person who committed the crime can also face unfair consequences. After the 9/11 terrorist attacks, a person who lives down the street from me, who happens to be from the middle east, got a rock thrown into their window. This person obviously had nothing to do with the terrorist attacks, however they are the same race as some of the terrorists, so therefore they suffered, which is obviously not fair.
ReplyDeleteWhen people are aware that a crime is race related there is definitely a stronger reaction. It is general knowledge that racism is not tolerated and when a violent crime is committed because of a person's race it stirs controversy. Crimes committed against a certain race make them feel targeted as a whole, not as just a single person. Consequently, most people view themselves as not being racist so when a person of their race commits a crime against someone of another race they feel targeted as well.
ReplyDeleteIt depends, in TODAY's day, it is true, if there is a race related crime, there is a stronger reaction since race is such a big issue and there is a rather low tolerance for race problems. For example, for something smaller (as in no death/fights are involved) if one says out loud the "N" word, there would be a rather large reaction.
ReplyDeleteHowever, back then, race crime were not all that important, the N word was thrown around and black people dying are nothing to the whites.
These reaction are based on the value of importance of the race. And apparently, in today's world, we value race pretty dearly.
The difference between a "normal" and a racial crime is that at a "normal" crime the assault was held against one person, regardless of race, looks or outer characteristics and therefore it attacks just one man/woman or one family feels offended, maybe a whole clan, but thats about it. At a racial crime the reasons of the crime might or might not be very similar to a "normal" crime but not only one family but a whole race feels offended, under attack or they feel that they should have at least revenge. Therefore the racial crime is more dangerous for society because these crimes create a big wall between the races, prejudices are created, hatred is spread.
ReplyDeleteTherefore the main difference about these two types of crimes is that one of them just offends a small group and the other offends a whole race of persons.
When crime is race-related, I think everything is blown out of proportion. Though I'm not saying that it's wrong, people takes things too personally in a race-related crime. In the linked article, it talked about a black boy being confused as a METCO kid on the first day of school. As Mary Kloppenberg, the executive director of the Wellesley Community Children's Center had said, it was a normal thing on the first day of school. Many kids take the wrong bus home. However, the whole incident got blown up and had a separate investigation because of the race card.
ReplyDeleteI may be playing the devil's advocate here, but I think minorities use their race to get the advantage. They exploit racism on themselves and use it to gain benefits instead of equality. For example, because of their past in American history, African Americans are treated with special care. The topic of race is so on the forefront of people's minds that minorities are treated gingerly. To me, this is not equality at all.
When hearing about a crime, any crime, it is all too easy to remove yourself from the equation by saying that if it doesn’t directly relate to you it really is just bad news. The news might be shocking and certainly horrible to you, but there is an element of “I don’t know anyone who would do what that person did” or “that would never happen where I live”. In hate crimes there is an uncomfortable intimacy between the crime and the public. The public would like to believe that an uncomfortable issue such as racism is a thing of the past, but hate crimes are a constant reminder otherwise. This combined with the fact that race relations are a powerful force in society no matter where you go changes the public’s outlook on race related crime as opposed to crime unrelated to race. Race related crime causes a much more personal and emotional response in people, because it forces them to look around at their surroundings and rarely are they satisfied.
ReplyDeleteWhen a crime is seen as race related people act much more strongly to it then they would with other crimes, and race related crimes get a lot more attention from people. It is easier for people to get upset when a crime is race related because the crime is attacking a specific group. Although it is still a common occurrence, racism is seen as something very bad now, so when a crime is motivated by race, people will naturally get upset and will usually be angry at the criminal and have more sympathy for the victim.
ReplyDeleteThe case with the boy being put on the metco bus is an interesting one. I think that it would be easy for people to assume that an African American in a predominantly white school would be in metco because these towns have such little diversity. The incident wasn't motivated by hate, but by false assumptions and stereotypes. Race related crimes also bring up the topic of race in communities and get people to talk about the racism that is there, that is usually ignored.
Although I think that race probably was the main factor in why this boy was put on the bus, I think that the incident got more attention then necessary because it had a connection to race. I know that this is somewhat different, but if some random white elementary school kid had been put on the wrong bus it probably wouldn't have gotten any attention, and would have just been seen as a mistake. Race played a part in what happened, but also in how much attention the incident got.
When a crime is "race related", the nature of the accusation has a lot to do with the race or ethnicity of the person in question. The case will generally get a lot of press, because nowadays racial discrimination is looked down upon greatly. I remember being told about a particular incident where an African American kid (in middle school) was suspended for graffiti-ing the walls. The administration later found out that the kid who did it was Caucasian, and it created a lot of stir around the area. It was proven that the African American kid was not even near the school at the time of the graffiti-ing, abd it was pretty obvious that the principal of the school had accused him because of his race and the kids he hangs out with. This happens less and less often as time goes on, but there are still select incidents of racial targeting-- based upon stereotype and assumption rather than evidence.
ReplyDeleteI think that when crime is race related, it demonstrates a part of society that most people are not happy about, and that many want to change. Therefore, crimes that are related to race seem to generate more of a community or state-wide response. They give society a chance to see where it's at in terms of creating the racially diverse and equal place that we strive for.
ReplyDeleteRace related cases also generate a response because those that are of the same race as the victim may feel frightened or threatened. For example, Emmet Till's case created tension and upset all along the East coast primarily because people were astounded that such a horrible crime could be committed against a young, fairly innocent, boy. His case made it clear that horrible crimes could be committed against just about anyone. It made people feel uneasy, so they had to do something about it.
When a crime like murder is discovered to be race related, it provokes a much more personal response from people similar to the person that was targeted. If a black person is murdered because of his race, the crime is perceived as a crime against the entire black community, instead of being limited to the one victim. This is the same with any community that is targeted. If a Jew is murdered because of his/her religion, the entire Jewish community feels threatened.
ReplyDeleteRandom crimes, such as ones with no outside motive or hidden agenda, are often seen as inevitable. All societies have crazy or disturbed people, and all societies are going to have a certain amount of crime. But race related crimes are something that we, as a society, can fight against, and maybe one day eliminate.
If a crime is considered 'race-related', people tend to act with more outrage than if a crime is anything else. Even if it involves only one person, others of that person's race might take it personally, because the victim could have been them. It's an attack on an entire group of people, rather than just personal vendetta, and everyone is aware of it and waits with baited breath to see how the opposing side will respond.
ReplyDeleteThe case of Emmett Till exposed to the world how brutal racism can be; blacks were fearful, because they knew the same thing could possibly happen to them if they 'stepped out of line', while whites were shocked that such brutality existed within their borders. Though Emmett being just a 14 year old boy was part of the shock, the focus was that he was black, and that was an eye-opener to everyone--this was clearly an attack on the black community, and what resulted in it was the beginning of the Civil Rights Movement. If Emmett had been a white boy, he probably wouldn't have garnered so much attention.
The idea that a crime is "race-related" intensifies the tension around the crime. Especially in the south, racial relationships are on thin ice and are easily broken as there is a lot of distrust on both sides. In the south tension is more sensitive because it used to be the heart of slavery and lynchings and their civil rights movements were delayed causing more racism there still today. When a crime is race related both sides try to identify with "their own". The blacks felt like it was a personal attack on them, while the whites either thought they had to show they were not like the murderers or join sides with them. In the movie i saw two points that really struck me. One was when the daughter of Byrd said she doesn't blame the white race she blames three men. I thought that was important for her to get out to the world. And secondly, i thought it was awesome that this incident seemed to unify the town more than tear it apart (despite what the last white guy with all the tatts said).
ReplyDeleteWhen a crime is race-related it causes a lot of an attention considering it’s a threat to a group of people rather than one person alone. In a situation like that many people other than the race that is targeted would feel hurt for what has been committed considering we all try to believe and hope that crimes against races don’t exists anymore or its either is a lot less than before. People don’t just react to what has been committed but to the fact that there still is hate is this world no matter how much we try to think there isn’t. Racism today isn’t much of an issue but is still discretely done no matter how much we try to say it isn’t. In this situation everyone feels targeted because it could happen to any race and it could happen to anyone. Obviously people from that race would feel a lot more pain towards the crime, but I feel that other people would feel just as disappointed to find that crimes against race can still happen.
ReplyDelete- Tanya
Race crimes tend to draw sides. For instance, in the movie we were watching today, it seemed like almost immediately blacks took one side while whites took the other. It's not to say that anyone thought that pulling a living man behind a truck was excusable but the reactions of different races were definitely different. The black women in the barber were saying how it was the most disgusting, atrocious thing they had ever heard of. White people in the breakfast place talked about how it was awful but how he wasn't a good guy and how he had done jail time and the media attention was making him look like a hero. Hello? Race shouldn't affect someone's opinion in something like this. That was completely and excruciatingly wrong! I think the idea that a crime is race related also spreads many things. Like it thickened the line between races in this case. It also brought up the point that racism still exists. But ultimately, I'm not sure anyone could completely conclude that it was a race-related crime until the evidence was exposed that the men all had white supremacy tattoos and clan markings. But then this exposed a whole different side of the town and opened up even more adversities when the townsfolk found out that the cemetery was even segregated. In the article linked, it was amazing the stories that were told. It was pretty sad. Caucasian people mistaking black boys for each other and doing some pretty ridiculous stuff to innocent people.
ReplyDeleteWhen it becomes known that a crime was racially based, or could have had something to do with the victims race it becomes a bigger issue. When someone is targeted for their race, they are not the only ones who feel this way, everyone else in their race feels similar to them because it is realized that it could have been them who were involved in the crime. Reality hits if it could have been you that was targeted, especially if it is out of your control what you are being attacked for. More people become involved in a racially based case because the victim is usually attacked for one reason, that they are different from the attackers. Being different is not something that anyone should be punished for.
ReplyDeleteWhen a crime is race related it becomes a larger issue then just the singular event. It becomes an undeniable example of the racism which is still a powerful undercurrent of our society, despite the fact that it is often ignored. The hatred stands for not just what occurs in the individual transgression but what exists throughout in everyday life- though on a lesser scale. When a crime is race-related, the handling of it also become magnified and under a microscope. Prejudice within the justice system is exposed if the proceedings are handled improperly.
ReplyDeletewhen people believe a crime to be race related there is more hatred towards those who comitted the crime. people believe the crim to be much more evil, and bias is made o n theose invloved even before a trial, there is no such thing as a fair trial for those involved in a race related crime
ReplyDeleteI think crimes considered race related are particularly sensitive. But i also do feel like sometimes the context in which hate crimes are committed can be seen both ways. Some poeple want to use it as a scape goat to get back at another race that wronged them. I feel like there are alot of race related crimes in this world but some poeple have become to sensitive on the matter. I am not saying that matter is not important im just saying it should be taken fairly from both perspectives.
ReplyDeleteWhen a crime is racially motivated, it draws a particular set of reactions. As many others have worded it before in many different ways, the crime seems to draw a stronger reaction from the community and/or nation than a similar, non-racist crime would seem to. Typically, the offender is made out to be some sort of angry misfit, and the victim becomes a sort of icon against racism (the case especially in shocking, fatal crimes). One other consequence of a racist crime is that everybody (or almost everybody) feels in danger. Take the Emmett Till case for example. Blacks in Money, Mississippi feared for their lives. Whites felt in danger of losing their local way of life.
ReplyDeleteThis pattern of reactions holds true for nonviolent, racist crimes too. Take graffiti for example, and consider the graffiti around Lexington High School, which has reached both extremes of racial-intensity. On the low end Lexington annually sees senior year graffiti across the campus. I particularly recall a ton of "Seniors '08" graffiti, but aside from disdain about the huge mess it made, nobody really complained and I don't remember anybody being punished. Another low-key example that comes to mind was a giant black and yellow smiley-face around back of the fieldhouse. I definitely don't remember hearing anything about that being supposed to be there, so I guess it was graffiti, which is still a crime. But I also don't remember anybody saying a disapproving word about it, and one day it just quietly disappeared.
Now on the other hand (and you probably saw this coming) consider the reaction to the string of anti-Semitic and anti-homosexual graffiti that popped up around May last year. Totally different reaction; people flipped out. Almost all of my teachers addressed the class about it. Authorities welcomed any information, because they were going to do a real investigation about it. The on-campus police force tripled on the day the graffiti supposedly predicted some sort of imminent danger to the school's public safety. Generally, I found that my peers thought that the culprit was some sort of angry, disturbed student. And I do remember many people feeling in danger or at least wondering if their safety was at danger at LHS.