Hate Crimes

Hate Crimes & The South:

Via Southern Appeal, a truly remarkable piece on the accounting of hate crimes. I had always opposed the legislation creating such offenses on the grounds that it criminalized thought -- that, in other words, the crime was already a crime, so all you were punishing here was the attitude. You have a right to think and say what you want, in America, so it seemed improper.

On the other hand, that accounting has made it possible to undermine some old stereotypes, so deeply rooted that even I -- proud Southerner -- am astonished by the results.

For example:

* That it is fifty times more likely that a man will be victim of a race-based hate crime in Minnesota than in Alabama.

* That the bottom four states for such crimes are all Southern states, including my own Georgia.

* That the worst regions of the country are the deepest Blue states, especially the northeast and upper mid-west.

Outstanding. It's the kind of thing you'd want to believe about your homeland in spite of the evidence. How wonderful to see that the evidence, in fact, is on your side.