Hate Crimes: Do they Punish Unpopular Speech, Thoughts?
Hate Crimes: Do they Punish Unpopular Speech, Thoughts? (Book Notes: Hiding from Humanity) Sunday March 12, 2006 Many people believe and argue that so-called ‘hate crimes’ are really just attempts to criminalize unpopular ideas and speech. The label certainly gives that impression because it seems to make certain types of ‘hate’ into a ‘crime,’ but if we look at the actual implementation of hate crime legislation – to increase penalties for violent crimes – this perception does not hold up. In Hiding from Humanity: Disgust, Shame, and the Law, Martha C. Nussbaum writes: [O]ne might argue that treating a hate crime based on race or sex or sexual orientation more severely than a similar crime motivated, say, by hatred of ones brother is a way of penalizing unpopular political opinions. The only difference between the two acts is the natu
