<a href="http://https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/inspired-life/wp/2017/02/27/stand-together-against-this-bigotry-another-jewish-cemetery-vandalized-and-again-muslims-reach-out-to-help/?utm_term=.d1520ef63422"></a>
In the past year the number of hate groups has increased from 34 in 2015 to 101 in 2016. This article deals with the vandalization of the Jewish Mount Carmel Cemetery just miles away from us in Philadelphia. On Sunday night, many Jewish tombstones were knocked over, leaving the cemetery in ruins. I'm not typically one to jump to conclusions, but it doesn't seem like a stretch that over the past year the number of hate crimes has increased because we elected someone who inspires hate. You may be thinking "Abby, this is absurd! He hasn't even been in office for a year!". However, over the past year he has been in the spotlight saying inflammatory, hate-inspiring things against just about everyone. The video embedded, however, shows Donald denouncing these hate crimes. He isn't taking action, but at least he isn't staying quiet.
During this time I believe that we need to pay close attention to ALL targeted/minority groups. Do not ignore some and focus solely on others. Elie Wiesel wrote "to forget the dead would be akin to killing them a second time." I urge you and everyone not to forget.
Does Donald Trump inspire hate crimes? Should he be doing more to stop them or bring them to light? Is this looking more and more like the Holocaust? What are YOU doing to fix our world. Yes, I know it's broad. But please, someone, anyone, tell me something that they're doing to help.
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https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/inspired-life/wp/2017/02/27/stand-together-against-this-bigotry-another-jewish-cemetery-vandalized-and-again-muslims-reach-out-to-help/?utm_term=.d1520ef63422
ReplyDeleteThis is the link sorry it wasn't working!
I’m a firm believer that by not standing against bigotry you’re supporting it. As leader of the nation, Trump should be loudly outspoken against the rising bigoted speeches, but he is not. In fact, it has made it seem okay to say racist things. People we may have been closeted racists before Trump’s election are now open with their feelings.
ReplyDeleteIt’s obvious that people today are more outspoken with their racist beliefs than they once were and that is absolutely no coincidence. Many Americans are blaming their problems and fears on others not like them. In this case, I suppose the vandal hated and feared Jews enough to complete this act. Not denouncing these crimes is dangerous and can lead to more hate.
The answer to "does Donald Trump inspire hate crimes" has to be yes. We all saw the twitter stories and news clips just days after the election about how people were being called names at school, or on the street, and things like that. I agree with Shannah that most of Trump's rhetoric thus far has been what would inspire more hate crimes and speech, not less, as a good leader's rhetoric should. Yes, the video clip did include a bit of Trump saying that the situation at the cementary and the bomb threats were "sad...horrible reminders of the work" we still have to do. However, we have no proof that he wrote that speech himself, and we have no proof that he meant it. It seemed as if he were just saying those words because he had to. Compared to how enraged and passionate he has sounded while delivering all sorts of damaging messages, I don't believe this lackluster, short, "oh, that was bad" message really counts as him standing up against bigotry, and I think it will likely be ignored.
ReplyDelete"Abby, this is absurd!"
ReplyDeleteNah, I'm just kidding.
There does seem to be a correlation between a response to Donald Trump's inauguration as President and an increase in hate crimes from what we've seen in the news, but I'm hesitant to say this is 100% true. There have always been hate groups in America no matter the President (examples: goddamn Illinois Nazis and the Westboro Baptist Church). But, I can see the President's crude, offensive rhetoric giving hate groups the opportunity to become more active. In short: It's possible, but I'm not convinced.
It's difficult to associate an election with an increase in hate crimes, but I think the correlation is hard to toss aside. Trump doesn't encourage anything of the sort we're saying, but his election may embolden the most extreme people to commit terrible acts like these. Of course Trump should be doing more to stop such acts than just condemning them (perhaps fighting for minority enfranchisement would be a good start!). One thing he did that weakened his statement was suggesting that the situation could be encouraged by some of his opponents- which is absurd.
ReplyDeleteAs much as I hate Trump, Samir and Ian's ideas should be considered. While I think we can confidently say at this point that Trump has had a major influence on the increase of hate crimes and presence of hate groups, there are still other social factors that may also have had an influence on this increase, including a changing media and social landscape, as well as recent terror attacks. But at the end of the day, if Trump ever wants to be recognized as even a slightly competent president, then he would make it not a task, but a priority to speak out against and discourage hate crimes in his own country. As Shannah says, by not saying anything, he might as well be advocating it. Looking back, comparing Trump to Hitler and the Holocaust seemed to be an extreme angle that wasn't fully justified, and was only used as a talking point for several political discussions. But now? The more I watch Trump, the more he seems to be creating a fascist position out of the president, with his shoddy appointments as advisors and directors not being based upon merit but more on being "yes-men" to get things done, but his way, not the people's way. At what point do we consider his actions not just "concerning" but a matter of national and political crisis and incompetency?
ReplyDeleteI think the issue is being portrayed in the media in a sort of backwards way. Donald Trump wasn't elected and suddenly people became hateful. It is more that these types have always been around and they started to coalesce around a leader. In the recent past, mainstream conservatives have tried hard to distance themselves from the strain of conservatism that panders to these types of people. Trump, however, didn't thoroughly denounce these people early on and seemed to gather them into his camp by painting a broad brush on different minority groups. Do undocumented immigrants commit crimes? Some do. Is it fair to target the whole group as criminals, rapists, and murders? Definitely not; this group is a minority of undocumented immigrants. All that Trump can really do now is to thoroughly denounce hate groups and propose harsher sentences on people who commit hate crimes. And yes, some of these groups probably do feel emboldened by the Trump win. It would be wonderful to see some surveys or specific evidence pointing to this, but I don't doubt it is true. But I think it is not accurate to assume Trump has just led to tons of Americans suddenly becoming racist, sexist, etc.
ReplyDeleteRegardless of the true cause of the rise of anti-Semitic acts across the country (some crazy guy in Missouri was arrested for a few of them and some are even believed to have originated from Europe), American citizens responsible for these hateful acts deserve very harsh punishments. Legislators should definitely consider strengthening hate crime laws and applying them to more groups of people. Targeting someone for their beliefs, profession, ethnicity, or gender has no place in the United States.
I think the issue is being portrayed in the media in a sort of backwards way. Donald Trump wasn't elected and suddenly people became hateful. It is more that these types have always been around and they started to coalesce around a leader. In the recent past, mainstream conservatives have tried hard to distance themselves from the strain of conservatism that panders to these types of people. Trump, however, didn't thoroughly denounce these people early on and seemed to gather them into his camp by painting a broad brush on different minority groups. Do undocumented immigrants commit crimes? Some do. Is it fair to target the whole group as criminals, rapists, and murders? Definitely not; this group is a minority of undocumented immigrants. All that Trump can really do now is to thoroughly denounce hate groups and propose harsher sentences on people who commit hate crimes. And yes, some of these groups probably do feel emboldened by the Trump win. It would be wonderful to see some surveys or specific evidence pointing to this, but I don't doubt it is true. But I think it is not accurate to assume Trump has just led to tons of Americans suddenly becoming racist, sexist, etc.
ReplyDeleteRegardless of the true cause of the rise of anti-Semitic acts across the country (some crazy guy in Missouri was arrested for a few of them and some are even believed to have originated from Europe), American citizens responsible for these hateful acts deserve very harsh punishments. Legislators should definitely consider strengthening hate crime laws and applying them to more groups of people. Targeting someone for their beliefs, profession, ethnicity, or gender has no place in the United States.
Hate groups have always existed in America, but I can't think of another time during my life where they've hurt other groups to this degree or with this prevalence. Donald Trump doesn't directly encourage them and it's nice to hear him decry their actions in this case, but his often derogatory speeches and exclusionary campaign seem to have implicitly given these hate groups the confidence to be more brazen. They have a right to say what they want (to a degree), but when it comes to vandalism like this across the country the Trump administration should be public in calling for the arrest of the individuals responsible in order to set a precedent.
ReplyDeleteHate groups have always been around, from the Westboro Baptist Church to the KKK (as Ian mentioned), but I do believe Donald Trump has made them more prevalent, whether by accident or not. During Trump's campaign, the leader of the KKK endorsed him, and it also came out that ISIS was using Trump as anti-American propaganda. It's hard to deny the fact that Trump has caused a surge in hate, so hopefully he begins to take steps to stop it.
ReplyDeleteAs many people have said, hate groups and hate crimes have always existed in America, no matter who the president is. Of course, Donald Trump should be doing things to actively try and stop them, like any president would. I don't think him waiting around for one to happen and then talking about it will do any good. Unfortunately, I do not think he will pursue this as actively as some people may want him to. With Trump as president, I do think that many supporters find it easier to express racist ideas, but I don't think that it's Trump's intentions. I think that people are now more inclined to think it's okay to do certain things that are not okay, and Trump isn't doing much to stop these people from thinking that way.
ReplyDeleteHate crimes have always existed in our history, and while Trump doesn't directly inspire hate groups, racists and hate groups have definitely acted more openly as a result of Trump's presidency. While this isn't part of his intentions, because he has put blame of many problems on certain ethnic groups hate groups have seen this as a reason to commit hate crimes towards those said ethnic groups. Denouncing these acts are certainly a step in the right direction but he can call for their arrests and toughen laws that prohibit vandalism. Even if these happen, hate groups will continue these actions no matter what. However, it is uplifting when I hear news about groups of people who go out of their way to fix vandalized property and help those affected by the hate crimes.
ReplyDeleteContrary to what many people are saying, Donald Trump DOES directly inspire hate crimes. His rhetoric during the campaign was not only hateful, but extremist. Banning muslims and calling Mexicans "bad hombres" is directly hateful to minority groups, and directly perpetuates hate crimes. And the fact that Trump denied having any connections to hate crimes, and shut down a Jewish reporter asking what he had to say on the matter BEFORE finally commenting on the hate crimes, proves that he isn't doing anywhere near enough to dissuade these types of actions. I would not, however, link it to the Holocaust just yet. There is no state sponsored hate, and Trump does not condone these kinds of statements. However, I do not believe Trump can fix these issues, because he creates them, and therefore, we need people like these groups, and individuals, to fix them for him.
ReplyDeleteThe correlation seems to be a little bit too strong, and like Liam said, Trump has been promoting hatred throughout his campaign and continues to do so in office. I think he has given hate groups and hateful people more confidence to go out and commit these crimes. At least he started to acknowledge the attacks, but it was not nearly enough to make entire communitites feel safe in the future. Every person affected by these hate crimes, both directly and indirectly, need to keep pressuring Trump and to continue to raise awareness around the country. If he doesn't respond immediately when this becomes more and more of a national concern, then he will be digging himself deeper into a hole.
ReplyDeleteNo, Donald Trump does not instill racist, sexist, homophobic, or xenophobic sentiments in people. He DOES, however, bring these sentiments to the forefront in people where they already exist. His rhetoric during his campaign made it seem like it was ok to do and say whatever you want, without any regard for being "politically correct" (because it takes way too much effort to be politically correct, right?). Well, this sort of rhetoric and lax approach to hate crimes has a direct effect on the frequency of their occurrence. By shutting down a Jewish reporter, who was asking a perfectly reasonable question in a calm and polite manner, Trump confessed his awareness that hate crimes were in higher frequency after his presidency, and that this reflected poorly on his image. Yet, he still refused to condemn these crimes. However, like Liam said, while Trump does bear certain similarities to Hitler (none of them including being a good leader or speaker), his administration is not exactly akin to Nazi Germany. Trump is not directly facilitating these hate crimes or condoning them directly.
ReplyDeleteObviously this is awful. There shouldn't be any place in the U.S. for actions such as these, but to say that Trump is at the root of this is a bit absurd. It does not seem logical to say that our president causes people to be more hateful or irrational. An irrational politician doesn't lead to an irrational public, an irrational public leads to an irrational politician being elected. There were already stupid people in America before Trump was elected he didn't suddenly cause them to sprout from the ground, but at the same time he is in a position to prevent these sorts of things as he should be doing more to stand up and speak out against these sorts of hate crimes.
ReplyDeleteI feel like Trump certainly incites a more extreme mentality in many Americans, though possibly not nearly as great as we sometimes think. He's certainly not the only factor in hate crimes, but his words likely push many citizens who already hold similar views to take action. And yes, it would be nice for him to bring the struggle of hate crimes to light, but, as we've learned, the president has a limited attention span. Unless the hate crimes attract a huge national media following, it's unlikely he'll bring up this topic. It's also unlikely this will be "the next holocaust". There are plenty of voices against these extremist actions; between technological and communcation aspects, our freedom of speech, press, and assembly, and the media acting as mudrakers, it's highly unlikely that Trump could become a dictator and unite the entire country against a minority.
ReplyDeleteTrump bringing these crimes to light is certainly a step forward, however, due to his nature its doubtful that any progress will be made to address this issue. Trump doesn't encourage racist, xenophobic behavior, but he does prey on those feelings as seen with his travel ban. Although he doesn't condone these acts, having Trump as president has given some people the "courage" to commit hate crimes in the name of being an American, which is about the least American thing anyone could do. And even though Trump recognizes these actions and has brought them to light, I find it doubtful that he will do anything to try to prevent them because of his attention span and what matters he see fit to be of pressing importance.
ReplyDelete