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Printer-Friendly ModeFear of hate crimes has gone too far
December 3, 2007 —
Ever since the 'Jena Six' story made national headlines last year, there has been an incline in the number of reported cases where university students have left nooses hanging, waiting for the rash hysteria that almost always follows.
The copycat noose epidemic that is spreading nation-wide has now hit close to home. Central Michigan University became one of the latest universities to feature the trait when four nooses were hung in its engineering and technology building. The reaction to the incident was much like the others; the spokesman for CMU came out and deplored the act. The NAACP held a rally, and Rev. Charles E. Williams II of the National Council for Community Empowerment called for a federal investigation. Apparently, the FBI was listening, and soon federal authorities decided to start an investigation of their own. All because of four hangman nooses in a classroom.
If someone can hang nooses inside a classroom and cause this much chaos, who really has the power? What does it say about America when we start fearing symbols so much that we criminalize them? It's one step closer to Germany-like laws that forbid the symbols of their Nazi past as well as the denial of the Holocaust. Our country is known for tolerating all kinds of offensive speech and expressions, yet somehow nooses slipped by the guard. The nation is raising a generation of ultra-sensitive crybabies. This is especially true when it comes to race.
It happens all the time. Our fear of being labeled a hate-monger or a racist sometimes prevents us from having an honest discussion of race, and that's unfortunate. It's no longer become about the content of the conversation, but about the conversation itself. We no longer talk. Instead, we invent 'hate crimes.' Hate crimes such as the one in Arizona last week that suspended a 9-year-old boy for using the expression "brown people" in class. This is getting ridiculous. Where does it stop? Is it okay to take a picture of a noose? How about a painting? When are we going to stop being so fearful of symbols and objects, stop letting them control us so much, and start addressing the real hatred in this country - murder, rape, and child-abuse. Call me crazy folks, but I'll take a noose over a murder any day.
In October, Congress announced it will be focusing on expanding federal hate crime status to crimes against people with different genders, disabilities, different sexual orientations, and my personal favorite, different gender identifications. Best not threaten any more drag-queens.
Whether we like it or not (I do), the First Amendment protects offensive behavior and materials. It is the culture of fear and political-correctedness that is killing the public discourse in this country. It needs to stop. I conclude with the wise words of Supreme Court Justice William Brennan who said it best in Texas v. Johnson (1989): "If there is a bedrock principle underlying the First Amendment, it is that the government may not prohibit the expression of an idea simply because society finds the idea itself offensive or disagreeable."