Stupid topics merit stupid headlines, but as a hate crime victim, I feel obliged to give my opinion. A firestorm of false hate crime episodes swept across the country this past year. A George Washington University student admitted creating an anti-Semitic hoax targeting herself by drawing swastikas on her door. A black firefighter hung a fake noose at a Baltimore fire station and claimed the department tried to bar him from pursuing his career goals because of race. Columbia University officials refused to turn over a videotape that could have brought evidence against the culprit of a hate crime, stimulating speculation that this was yet another bogus hate crime. This kind of behavior encourages insincerity for the sake of vanity. Hate crime victims are put on a pedestal as examples of what’s wrong with America. The victims of the highest profile cases, such as Mychal Bell of the Jena 6, are made into martyrs. Naturally, self-centered people saw an outlet to reap the celebrity attention bestowed on real victims. This is because American culture has become so egotistical and self-absorbed. How else can the rise of reality TV be explained? I am not attempting to liken Mychal Bell to these people. I only note the difference between Bell as a victim and imitators who target themselves. This is also an example of why we should get rid of hate crime laws. This is the only crime that merits an expanded sentence because of motivation. Racial motives should be treated no differently than any other motives. This legislation only highlights the idea that people are different and should be treated differently, as the brilliant commentators on South Park tell us. A crime is a crime, and if the result is the same, the sentence should be as well. The moral of this story is equality: we should hate each other equally, regardless of skin color. As for racism still prevalent today, I believe most of it can be traced back to the use of the N-word- which is just as offensive as the C-word -though people rarely point it out. No, not that C-word. I was referring to “cracker.” This is something I’ll never understand. In most instances it’s not only customary to use this as the conventional dialect among members of the black community, but it’s also the preferred nomenclature. I’ll never understand why some black people use this word, and white people typically do not. I’m not advocating the use of this word by white people. I’m advocating the voluntary renunciation of the word by all. Further, I believe media portrayals of criminal behavior stemming from the black community not only allow stereotyping of black people, but they also permit black people to fall into that same stereotype. At some point we have to quit blaming the media and take responsibility. Our campus faced this problem with the purple-and-gold Confederate flag two years ago. The University handled the situation successfully by promoting First Amendment rights but distancing itself from flag owners. Activists failed to note an inconsistency. Supporters were up in arms that the flag was offensive to blacks, but they never denounced behavior from the black community that might offend whites. How often do you hear vulgar music coming from a nearby car or hear a black man call his friend the N-word? Many black rappers feel no white people should ever use this word under any circumstances. They want white people to listen to their music, but they don’t want them to sing along. I can’t find a hint of plausibility in that campaign. Racism is very much alive today. I don’t want to decrease the value of its discussion, but I will say racism in America is not what it used to be. This problem provides foresight into what’s wrong with this country: both sides recognize a problem, but neither will compromise. So what’s the solution? Quit saying the N-word whether it’s meant as an insult or not. If we don’t come to a consensus to find an answer, we will never fix the problem.
—-Contact Daniel Lumetta at [email protected]