Comments on: The Stepin Fetchit Files (warning…longer post) http://www.treyrbarker.com/2009/06/the-stepin-fetchit-files-warninglonger-post/ Bullets and Whiskey Tue, 27 Dec 2011 17:24:16 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: John http://www.treyrbarker.com/2009/06/the-stepin-fetchit-files-warninglonger-post/comment-page-1/#comment-322 John Fri, 19 Jun 2009 18:51:33 +0000 http://www.treyrbarker.com/?p=365#comment-322 <I>don’t fire them for what’s in their head (which is also why I can’t support hate crimes legislation</i> Are you also against having different penalties for premeditated murder, unpremeditated murder, and accidental-but-negligent murder? It's the same thing - your intent, *why* you did the things - "what's in your head" - changes not only the penalty, but it changes the crime itself. Society deems that someone who plans to run another person over in his car (and then does it) is more dangerous and more deserving of punishment than someone who runs someone over on the spur of the moment or someone who runs someone over because they were talking on their cellphone and digging in their glove compartment while driving - so why is it wrong to say that someone who punches somebody in a bar because of an insult or because of drunken misunderstanding is less dangerous than someone who punches members of an identifiable group simply because they're members of that group? Being against "hate crimes" laws *really is* just like being against any other motive-considering law. The *other* really good argument in favour of the laws is that if I attack you, that's a crime against you. That's meant to hurt you and it's meant to make you afraid and it makes me dangerous *to you*. If I attack a gay man *for being a homosexual*, I'm not just demonstrating that I'm dangerous to a great many people and incredibly likely to reoffend (which society usually frowns on), I'm also attempting to hurt, frighten, and intimidate not just one person, but everyone else who shares a category with him. The punishment for a hate-motivated crime is greater because the damage done by hate-motivated crimes is greater, to more people, and more detrimental to society than the damage done by other crimes. don’t fire them for what’s in their head (which is also why I can’t support hate crimes legislation

Are you also against having different penalties for premeditated murder, unpremeditated murder, and accidental-but-negligent murder?

It’s the same thing – your intent, *why* you did the things – “what’s in your head” – changes not only the penalty, but it changes the crime itself. Society deems that someone who plans to run another person over in his car (and then does it) is more dangerous and more deserving of punishment than someone who runs someone over on the spur of the moment or someone who runs someone over because they were talking on their cellphone and digging in their glove compartment while driving – so why is it wrong to say that someone who punches somebody in a bar because of an insult or because of drunken misunderstanding is less dangerous than someone who punches members of an identifiable group simply because they’re members of that group?

Being against “hate crimes” laws *really is* just like being against any other motive-considering law.

The *other* really good argument in favour of the laws is that if I attack you, that’s a crime against you. That’s meant to hurt you and it’s meant to make you afraid and it makes me dangerous *to you*. If I attack a gay man *for being a homosexual*, I’m not just demonstrating that I’m dangerous to a great many people and incredibly likely to reoffend (which society usually frowns on), I’m also attempting to hurt, frighten, and intimidate not just one person, but everyone else who shares a category with him.

The punishment for a hate-motivated crime is greater because the damage done by hate-motivated crimes is greater, to more people, and more detrimental to society than the damage done by other crimes.

]]> By: Stace Johnson http://www.treyrbarker.com/2009/06/the-stepin-fetchit-files-warninglonger-post/comment-page-1/#comment-321 Stace Johnson Tue, 16 Jun 2009 18:49:48 +0000 http://www.treyrbarker.com/?p=365#comment-321 (Evidently WordPress does allow HTML tags. Or at least it does on this blog.) (Evidently WordPress does allow HTML tags. Or at least it does on this blog.)

]]> By: Stace Johnson http://www.treyrbarker.com/2009/06/the-stepin-fetchit-files-warninglonger-post/comment-page-1/#comment-320 Stace Johnson Tue, 16 Jun 2009 18:49:14 +0000 http://www.treyrbarker.com/?p=365#comment-320 Hey, at least his apology was better than Sherri Goforth's "apology" for sending racist e-mail from Tennessee state computers: "I went on the wrong e-mail and I inadvertently hit the wrong button ... I'm very sick about it, and it's one of those things I can't change or take back." (From <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/06/16/tennessee.email/index.html" rel="nofollow">CNN</a>.) She hasn't even come close to apologizing for sending inappropriate e-mail from a state computer and e-mail account; she just regrets sending it to the wrong people. (Apologies if the link above doesn't work or looks like gibberish. I don't remember if WordPress allows HTML tags, and there's no preview option.) Hey, at least his apology was better than Sherri Goforth’s “apology” for sending racist e-mail from Tennessee state computers:

“I went on the wrong e-mail and I inadvertently hit the wrong button … I’m very sick about it, and it’s one of those things I can’t change or take back.” (From CNN.)

She hasn’t even come close to apologizing for sending inappropriate e-mail from a state computer and e-mail account; she just regrets sending it to the wrong people.

(Apologies if the link above doesn’t work or looks like gibberish. I don’t remember if WordPress allows HTML tags, and there’s no preview option.)

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