There is always a question of whether race was a motivating factor when a white individual commits a crime against a minority
Why? The fact that people always question whether race plays a part in a crime when white people commit it, is in fact racist by definition. People should be treated the same, regardless of race.
White people may FEEL the pressure of the racist label on them 24/7, which sounds like what you are feeling. It's more perception than reality though.
I think it's a response to the way mainstream media handles the issue. You just said that "
There is always a question of whether race was a motivating factor when a white individual commits a crime against a minority", perhaps that might be why they (not me, because I don't have any "white guilt") FEEL the pressure of the racist label. How can you say it's more perception than reality when you just acknowledged that thought it always there?
Which brings us to the sociological issue. Crimes committed by whites have as much of a sociological element as crimes committed by blacks. There is no delineation and there shouldn't be.
Agreed.
Let me tell you what I've seen in my experience: From a cultural perspective, whites, especially older, conservative and culturally rigid whites generally feel more threatened by encroaching minorities that "pollute white culture" than other minorities feel about whites. They don't relate well to foreign accents, don't like soccer, cinco de mayo, etc.
It's no surprise then that they are more likely to lash out when they see minorities having more children, moving around the country and slowly increasing in population and power around them. The hate crime statistic just reflects that.
Just had to quote these generalizations for laughs. How ironic, someone complaining about racism, making race-based generalizations.
I'd suggest you look into the legal definition of hate crimes, how they are proven in court, the criteria involved and frankly realize that hate crimes prosecutions are not easy at all, and require a LOT of evidence.
You keep bringing up how difficult it is to prove in court, as if we're disagreeing on that. Where have I argued otherwise? We're talking about
accusations of a hate crime, not convictions. I've already said I think the concept of a hate crime is ridiculous - all crimes should be treated equally, if people are to be treated equally. To say that one victim is more important than another is ridiculous and Un-American.
And frankly, whites should have an advantage when it comes to proving a hate crime considering they generally have better legal access.
That's a gross generalization, and completely incorrect. I hope you meant rich people have better access - because all that maters in the judicial system is money. Since there are more poor white people in this country than poor minorities (US Census Bureau figures), that leaves a large population of poor white people with little legal access. I spent 7 years in prison for something I would have gotten probation for if I'd had money when I was younger. I'm as white as the driven snow, so you'll never run that bullshit past me about white people catching breaks in the legal system. At one time, it may have been true, but we're long past that point, believe me.
Money buys justice, not skin color - never forget that.
I really think one has to understand minorities and their experience before claiming that racism doesn't exist, or hate crimes don't exist.
Dafuck? Who said racism doesn't exist? You're reading into things a wee bit don't you think? Racism exists on all sides, and it will never go away - who cares? As long as we keep
institutional racism away, everybody has equal rights and opportunities. If someone still doesn't like you, tell them to fuck off and don't deal with them. That's all I ever did, and it served me well for the most part. If I got my feelings hurt every time a black person didn't like me, or treated me different because of my skin color, I would never have gotten where I am today. Very few people have the power to affect your life if you don't let them.