Hate’s Irrational Justification

Hate’s Irrational Justification

On Sept. 6, 2001, Richard Baumhammers, “a 36 year-old immigration lawyer, received five death sentences plus 112 Ѕ to 225 years in prison for a mass shooting rampage in April 2000 that killed his Jewish neighbor, two Asian men, and Indian man and a black man.” (“For the Record”) This incident was classified as a “hate crime” (a crime motivated solely on hate). Hatred is an extreme, on-going outburst powerful resentment and dislike of something or someone. How can something so powerful, such as hate, fulfill the minds of so many people? The odd thing about it, also, is that, hate does not cloud the minds of certain people only, the range of people is too great to be able to even start classifying them. Hate, like human feeling, is not rational but it has its reasons.

Hate is irrational. Hate is created when people lose their ability to properly reason with anyone or with themselves for that matter. Hate is felt when someone feels trapped, unable to find another way of finding a solution to something that does not sit well in their minds. The Ku Klux Klan, who openly demonstrate hate towards African Americans, for example was compiled of middle to lower class white citizens that felt like their families, jobs, and lives were being threatened by the increase of African Americans living in the United States (Office Copy: Hate). As a result of this feeling of hopelessness and fear, they lynched and attacked African Americans for many years. Even till this day they have not completely seized harassment. Many people will agree that this is not a suitable solution for anything. Nothing was done to peacefully solve this conflict or mediate, instead, the KKK resorted to violence and open hatred. Another example is the Neo-nazi formation in the U.S. (Intelligence report magazine) The Nazi party headed by Hitler in the nineteen thirties and forties hated Jews and anyone not part of the, so-called “Aryan nation” because they also felt threatened. As a so-called, “solution” to their insecurities they persecuted Jews. So why would Americans adopt this now, in the twenty-first century? According to William Pierce. Leader of the National Alliance, “…American people permitting the Jews to run their government and use American strength to advance Jews’ interests… ”(Published Interview) What Jewish interests? Pierce fails to say exactly what. No sense is being made. Is it that Pierce truly believes they pose a threat to modern society? Pierce’s reasoning skills are clearly under-developed. Pierce truly and completely believes in what he is saying.

Beliefs, ideals, and personal standards perpetuate hate. Hate can not be created from thin air. Many of the hate groups in the United States have very definite and straightforward reasons for why they feel the way they do. Fred Phelps, Pastor of Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka Kansas, uses religion to justify his hate towards homosexuals because of their defiance of the bible. Phelps said, in response to the Sept. 11th attack, “The Rod of God hath smitten fag America!” (Published Interview) The Ku Klux Klan also has very controversial but definite beliefs to justify their hate toward non-whites and-or non-Christians. On their website the webmaster stated, “Our children's minds are being attacked daily in all spheres of their innocent life by anti-White and anti-Christian propaganda. By the time they reach adult hood they are an obedient slave to the ideas of race mixing, globalism, homosexuality, abortion, and dozens of Marxist based…” (www.kukluxklan.org) To many, these beliefs are inadequate excuses for just being angry all the time. However, looking beyond the horrors of hatred and hate crimes, these beliefs and ideals are, in the hater’s mind, strong and justifiable enough to fuel their hate. People who do not hate are not overcome with such an obsession, but it’s sad that many are. In Phelps’s case, he has believed so deeply in the book