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Originally Posted by Reba
That's true that there are laws protecting the vulnerable members of our society. Like you stated, the reason is usually because they are unable either to physically defend themselves, or they are unable to make decisions for themselves. I don't think the sexual orientation category (as a whole) fits into those situations.
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Yes, and no. Yes, gays and lesbians are able to make decisions for themselves (even when many of those decisions - gay marriage, adoption, etc. - are stymied, but that's a whole different topic) and can physically defend themselves (although 1-2 defenseless gay guys getting beat on by groups of teenagers with baseball bats isn't quite what I'd call a fair fight)... but isn't this also about members of our society being systematically TARGETED and VICTIMIZED on a regular basis? If hate crime legislation is basically one of the few ways lawmakers can say, "Hey, we recognize that these groups of people are being regularly targeted and abused, and this is the measure we're going to take to serve as an extra deterrent for it, to say enough is enough"... is that a bad thing?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Reba
Except for the rabbit example, all your other examples didn't just express the feeling of hate, they also threatened violent action. It's the threat of violence that should be prosecuted, not the name calling per se.
If someone just spray painted "Get out of town!" or "You must die" or "It's time for payback!" on your garage door, those phrases don't specify hate against any group but they are still threatening. It's the threat that needs to be prosecuted, not the "thoughts" or "emotions" behind them.
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I understand what you're saying, I do. But... there is ALSO an implied threat of violence associated with hate speech. Try walking down a hall, or an alley, etc. and have someone sneer, "Fucking faggot!" in your direction, and tell me that you don't instantly feel menaced/threatened. Why? Because typically, those lovely words are the prelude to violence. By your own definition, "it's the threat of violence that needs to be prosecuted". Perhaps the difference between our opinions is that you don't see a threat where gays do. Hyper-sensitivity? Perhaps in some instances... but on the whole, I don't believe so.