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| image published by Xnatedawgx under a creative commons attribution/share alike license |
**NOTE**
Please stick very closely to the questions below. There are all kinds of discussions one could have about the ethical issues raised by this film, and there's a lot of value in having those discussions. But if we're all going off in different directions, it's impossible to pursue any one question in depth, and that's what I want to do.
***NOTE***
Make absolutely sure that you're speaking with respect for everyone in your comments. Comments that display disrespect for persons will be deleted and you will not get credit for your answer.
**NOTE**
General Instructions
Think about the questions below for at least 20 minutes before writing any answers down. Just read the question and ponder it for a while before you write anything.
Write your answer in a word processing program and save it. Then copy it and click on the "comments" link below this post. Paste your answer into the comment box that appears. Beneath the comment box, you'll see a drop down menu that says "Publish as:" - choose "anonymous" (unless you have a Google account or one of the other accounts listed, and you'd like to publish your comment under your account). Be sure that your first name and last initial are included in your comment. Click on "Publish." The page should reload, and you should see your comment. If it doesn't work, be sure you've followed the above steps carefully, and try again. If it's still not working, send me an email with your comment, and I'll post it for you.
Due Dates
Please stick very closely to the questions below. There are all kinds of discussions one could have about the ethical issues raised by this film, and there's a lot of value in having those discussions. But if we're all going off in different directions, it's impossible to pursue any one question in depth, and that's what I want to do.
***NOTE***
Make absolutely sure that you're speaking with respect for everyone in your comments. Comments that display disrespect for persons will be deleted and you will not get credit for your answer.
**NOTE**
Don't forget to sign your name to your post! Put your first name and last initial so I can record your grade.
General Instructions
Think about the questions below for at least 20 minutes before writing any answers down. Just read the question and ponder it for a while before you write anything.
Write your answer in a word processing program and save it. Then copy it and click on the "comments" link below this post. Paste your answer into the comment box that appears. Beneath the comment box, you'll see a drop down menu that says "Publish as:" - choose "anonymous" (unless you have a Google account or one of the other accounts listed, and you'd like to publish your comment under your account). Be sure that your first name and last initial are included in your comment. Click on "Publish." The page should reload, and you should see your comment. If it doesn't work, be sure you've followed the above steps carefully, and try again. If it's still not working, send me an email with your comment, and I'll post it for you.
Due Dates
Please post your response by Friday, March 8, at midnight. Then respond to one of your colleagues by Sunday, March 10 at midnight.
If you missed watching the movie in class, you can get it from the library: The Laramie Project. It's also available at the Contra Costa public library.
I can't find transcripts from McKinney's trial online; here's a story about the defense from the New York Times.
image published by Xnatedawgx under a creative commons attribution/share alike license
Assignment
Answer ONE of the questions below for your post. You may respond to a colleague on either topic.
- Many people were particularly upset that Matthew Sheperd was murdered because he was gay. Do you think there's something particularly bad about crime when it's aimed at someone because of their inherent characteristics (like their race, ethnicity, gender) rather than, say, because you wanted to steal something from them or because you were angry at them personally? Why or why not?
- What unexamined ideas and assumptions do you think the young men had, that made them react the way they did to Matthew? What do you think motivated those assumptions?
What is a Good Answer?
A good answer will reflect carefully on the various aspects of each question, and will tie an understanding of those aspects into the overall answer. A good answer will also elaborate on reasons for your answers, and explain your thinking in detail. I would expect a good answer to take up at least 3/4 of a double-spaced page in the word processing program before you copy and paste it.
A good response to your colleague will drive the conversation forward in some way. You might raise a question for your colleague, based on what she said in her comment; you might use his comment as a jumping-off spot to think about an issue raised in more depth; you might challenge some assumptions or argue against the logic of her reasons. Naturally, you'll do all of this politely and respectfully. Responses that merely agree with the comment won't be counted toward your grade.
A good answer will reflect carefully on the various aspects of each question, and will tie an understanding of those aspects into the overall answer. A good answer will also elaborate on reasons for your answers, and explain your thinking in detail. I would expect a good answer to take up at least 3/4 of a double-spaced page in the word processing program before you copy and paste it.
A good response to your colleague will drive the conversation forward in some way. You might raise a question for your colleague, based on what she said in her comment; you might use his comment as a jumping-off spot to think about an issue raised in more depth; you might challenge some assumptions or argue against the logic of her reasons. Naturally, you'll do all of this politely and respectfully. Responses that merely agree with the comment won't be counted toward your grade.
If you missed watching the movie in class, you can get it from the library: The Laramie Project. It's also available at the Contra Costa public library.
I can't find transcripts from McKinney's trial online; here's a story about the defense from the New York Times.
image published by Xnatedawgx under a creative commons attribution/share alike license
Jaime S.
ReplyDeleteA hate crime is a hate crime. Situations should ever go there but some hate crimes in particular are worst then others. In the case of Matthew Sheperd as he was targeted for his sexual preferences, it makes the crime somewhat worst than if it was something more personal.
One reason why that is that it simply shows that there are people who don’t accept others for who they are and go as far as to harm them just for being themselves. Furthermore, these people are being targeted for hate crime just because of who they are. Therefore this crime itself shouldn’t happen in the first people if people wouldn’t be so close minded about other people’s point of views, sexual preferences, religions etc. Yes there’s a limit to how far one should go with their point of views. People shouldn’t go shoving it up other people’s throats but no matter the case, it shouldn’t ever go as far as homicide. Moreover, we live in a country where you are supposed to be free to be different. A crime against someone’s because of their identity is clearly going against this freedom supposedly has in this country (It’s “un-American”).
A second reason why a crime directed towards an individual for their identity is worst then a personal hate crime is because of its affect to that community. In Matt’s case, the Gay/Lesbian/ community was shook. From then on, they feared for their safety more than ever. They felt like at any time they can fall victim to such hate crime. That can put a lot of stress on a person for not only they personally can be targeted but as well as their kids and family. It’s something no one should go through; live in fear simply for your preferences/point of views/personality/identity. In conclusion, a hate crime towards an individual for their identity harms a broader spectrum of people. Adding on to what I said last in my first reason, we should live FEAR free no matter your differences in this country that allows us to do so.
In a more general sense, kind of adding to my second reason, these crimes show that a person for the simple fact of being a minority racial wise or sexuality preference wise can be targeted for a hate crime easier than others who don’t fall in those categories. It puts a lot of pressure on these people for they are treated by others unequal when they have all the right to be treated the same. Only because one doesn’t approve of another’s religion doesn’t mean they should kill each other over it.
Alicia Flores
ReplyDeleteI do believe a crime that is aimed at someone because of his or her inherent characteristics is much worse than one that is not. In this case it was an obvious hate crime but not towards Matthew but more so of what he represented. Regardless if someone is gay, straight, black or white, all human flesh is the same. Its sad to see someone would go through the extent of physically hurting someone because they are different. It also shows that although many people are open to accepting others with open hands there are still many that are very shallow and will shun people away for being different. Of course no crime is good or acceptable but this kind of crime is one that is just inhumane. It is horrible that being different cause this boy his death. No one should be able to tell another how to live, and especially in this country which emphasis its morals on freedom.
This crime is not something that only affected Matthew’s family, but the entire community and more specifically the gay community. It is already hard enough being seen as someone different and then to see one of their members that were different in the same way they were impacted the gay community greatly. After being proud about who they were and showing pride about their differences they now felt the need to look over their shoulders as they walked down the street. These type of crimes are worse because so many individuals can relate to these crimes that are aimed toward different inherent characteristics.
Jaime S.
ReplyDeleteA hate crime is a hate crime. Situations should never go there but some hate crimes in particular are worst then others. In the case of Matthew Sheperd as he was targeted for his sexual preferences, it makes the crime somewhat worst than if it was something more personal.
One reason why that is that it simply shows that there are people who don’t accept others for who they are and go as far as to harm them just for being themselves. Furthermore, these people are being targeted for hate crime just because of who they are,t herefore this crime itself shouldn’t happen in the first place if people wouldn’t be so close minded about other people’s point of views, sexual preferences, religions etc. Yes there’s a limit to how far one should go with their point of views. People shouldn’t go shoving it up other people’s throats but no matter the case, it shouldn’t ever go as far as homicide. Moreover, we live in a country where you are supposed to be free to be different. A crime against someone because of their identity is clearly going against this freedom we supposedly have in this country (It’s “un-American”).
A second reason why a crime directed towards an individual for their identity is worst then a personal hate crime is because of its affect to that community. In Matt’s case, the Gay/Lesbian/ community was shaken. From then on, they feared for their safety more than ever. They felt like at any time they can fall victim to such hate crime. That can put a lot of stress on a person for not only they personally can be targeted but as well as their kids and family. It’s something no one should go through; live in fear simply for your preferences/point of views/personality/identity. In conclusion, a hate crime towards an individual for their identity harms a broader spectrum of people. Adding on to what I said last in my first reason, we should live FEAR free no matter our differences in this country that allows us to do so.
In a more general sense, kind of adding to my second reason, these crimes show that a person for the simple fact of being a minority racial wise or sexuality preference wise can be targeted for a hate crime easier than others who don’t fall in those categories. It puts a lot of pressure on these people for they are treated by others unequal when they have all the right to be treated the same. Only because one doesn’t approve of another’s religion doesn’t mean they should kill each other over it.
I had to re-post this, first had too many grammar mistakes.
correction:
Deletewe shouldn't* live with FEAR
Audrey C.
ReplyDeleteMurder in general is bad, but there are differences in why murder is committed. It’s the differences that make people react in certain ways. For example, murdering someone because they are gay opposed to murdering some and finding out they happened to be gay are two different things. The idea of targeting someone because of who they naturally are, and not based on circumstances, gives the act of murder an additional “kick them while they’re down” aspect to it. Some groups have gone through a highly publicized journey that magnifies the injustices against them, like gay people not having the right to marry in some states. This provides some people outside of that group, straight people for example, a notion of what people inside the group are enduring. These notions will then add fuel to the fire when someone in the group is murdered because they are who they are and not because they were murdered for other reasons. The same would apply for race and gender. Consciously targeting and murdering someone because of traits that are naturally occurring to them, does then, seem to be worse than murdering someone in a rage or by chance because the motives behind the killing are worse than others even though murder is an overall bad concept.
Akwasi A.
ReplyDeleteMurder is an action that no one should condone. Taking one’s life away is not-acceptable in any part of way; whether it is because you do not like the person, gang related, appearance, ethnicity, or their sexual orientation. Violence is still never the reason to solve your conflicts towards someone. Committing a crime due to their sexual behavior is totally different than committing a crime because you wanted to steal something. A crime is a crime however; to commit a crime on someone because of their sexual orientation is not acceptable that is considered a hate crime. No one can change how they were born and killing them will not change anything. Why kill someone because of your unmannerly insecurities? Leave them be, because in the end you will be the one who has to deal with the consequences not them.
Destry H.
DeleteI agree you shouldn't murder anyone fot any reason. If there is a problem talking it out is always the best solution. I do believe in retaliation or getting even some way to get justice. That can lead to a never ending cycle of more problems then everyones just sad and mad. People use violence and fear for power to get what they want. Some people just like to feed on the weak but its never good to have hate and anger towards someone especially if you don't know them.
From Iris H.:
ReplyDeleteI believe that society today likes to internalize. When you fall into internalization you feel that there is only one particular way or doing that is considered right. The young men that attacked Matthew did not agree with Matthews believe on homosexuality therefore felt that it was correct to commit a crime against him. I feel that just because you don’t agree with someone’s believes does not give you the right to take or put his or her life in danger. Race, ethnicity, and gender should not be the reason of why you treat a person differently and discriminate against. In addition, committing a crime against an individual for a different reason is just as bad.
Iris H.
Rexx S.
ReplyDeleteI do think that there’s something’s particularly bad about a crime when it’s aimed at someone because of their inherent characteristics but in general all crimes are bad. I feel people that will always have more sympathy for a crime about a gay man like Matthew Shepard because being homosexual others know that you have it hard on a regular basis. Being gay you have to go through constant harassment such as bullying, name calling, and occasional fights. An individual going through that day in and day out can sometimes end up developing depression and in some cases suicide. Also you have to factor in that Matthew was living in Wyoming which is one of the most hated gay states in the country which didn’t do him much justice.
For example, if Matthew Shepard would gotten murdered in let’s say California a much more gay friendly state I think that the media probably wouldn’t have even gotten involved, due to the fact that it happens there a lot more than in Wyoming. Another example would be that if Matthew Shepard would have been straight and gotten murdered in Wyoming it wouldn’t have been near as big of a deal. Enough though deaths didn’t happen very much in their small town, people who have probably just figured he had it coming or he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Whenever you are different from most people in the area you live in, people are always going to make a bigger deal if something happen to you more than anyone else. All hate crime are horrible not matter how you look at it because after every death someone always loses a family member or friend just like Matthew Shepard’s family experienced.
Gabriela D.
DeleteI like that you gave the examples of how this whole situation would have been handled differently if it were to have happened in another state such as California or if he would have been a straight man living in Wyoming. Do you really think that if it were to happen in California that the media would have not gotten involved? I'm not so sure if that would be true but it got me to think that this crime would them almost be considered equal to a murder due to a crime such as stealing because no one would make such a large issue about it.
I know that the reason why this became such a big story was because it did happen in this small town of Wyoming and its sad to think that if it were to happen in California that no one would pay much attention to it, because being murdered because you are gay is just wrong in every possible way regardless of what state you live in.
I also agree with you when you mention that when you are different from most people in an area they are going to make a bigger deal out of it. Its just sad to know that something such as this murder against Matthew Shepard had to occur in order for other gay people to be able to live normal lives without facing harassment or at least have a little more freedom in being able to express who they really are.
Chelsea B.
DeleteOn a positive note:
While everyone's personal sexual, religious etc orientation is not wholly accepted by society look at the progress. Change occurs over generations and we are getting there. The case of Mathew Shepard is an example of the slower development of such progress in different areas of our country. The United States is diverse and should remain so, because of this though the general acceptance of our society in these differing regions takes time in its own way to occur.
For example, San Francisco vs. Laramie. Recognize the different influences each city/town has. SF is so diverse it causes its residence to have to cooperate with each other and come to agreements as to how they want to live. The same way of life can not be expected from a small town like Laramie when its pop is just over 26,ooo, not a tourist destination, and less culturally diverse. They simply aren't exposed to the same ideas as SF so their understanding of the world is very different. Change in such understanding comes slow and in its own time.
It can not be expected to see rapid change in our lifetimes, these alterations in ideals and thought take the nurturing of future generations being naturally introduced to differing ideas by being surrounded by them and coming to understanding on their own about how the world should be.
While it would be great to see all the worlds issues solved in a decade it will never be. Slow and steady, spread knowledge and understanding.
Ps I know this post sounds like a huge jump from the original but it was inspired by comparing Wyoming to California and sparked realization about how different these states are… helped me understand how we cannot expect everyone to see the world the same way… and why.
Carlin S.
ReplyDeleteI feel that the assumptions that the young men had that made them react the way they did was that it was just going to be a quick robbery. They probably felt that since Matthew was gay he wouldn’t put up that much of a fight. As they started beating him they probably started to think about how they felt Matthew was trying to make a pass at them and it made them even angrier. This could of been what made them take it a step further in the beating. They also probably didn’t know exactly how much damage they were doing since they were so angry. Overall beating someone up because their gay isn’t a good thing. Its ok to have your own opinion and beliefs about gay people but what they do shouldn’t affect you in any way if your not gay.
Alicia Flores,
DeleteI also believe that they probably didn't mean to harm him to the extend that they did. I think maybe the anger and hate just took over their actions. They maybe just wanted to beat him up but not to the extent that they did or maybe just wanted to rob him. Even though, your right no one has the right to beat up anyone because of their differences. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions but if it means harm they should keep their opinion to their selves. No one deserves to die the way that Matthew died.
I don't believe that the intent was merely to rob Matthew. They wanted to hurt him because of his sexual orientation. Anger and hatred can definitely cloud your judgment but I think its pretty obvious when you've beaten someone into a coma and if someone was only committing a petty crime like stealing, I doubt they would have gone to the extent they did to do so. Their intent was malicious.
Delete-Georgina S.
Cathy S.
ReplyDeleteMy idea about the men who beat up Mathew was that one of them was pressured into it. In the movie when they were talking about the guys who did it, a lot of people were shocked to know that Aaron McKinney was a part of the beating. The people who knew him described him as quiet shy and not the kind of guy who would go around robbing and beating a person up for any reason. The men were known to openly hate gay men but this is the first time they acted on their hate instead of just talking about it. From their friends it is known that they say hateful things about gay men but I don’t know which one might be an extreme homophobic. One of the men probably wanted to actually do something instead of just talk about it and pressured or bullied the other guy into acting along with it. When they saw Mathew at the bar they probably thought it was the perfect chance to act on their hate. Mathew was an openly gay man and he was at a “regular” bar, they probably thought that he was there to hit on men or something.
Shaniera o
DeleteYou bring up a good point and I agree with you, Aaron may have been pressured into beating Matthew Shepard but at the same time did he really have to follow through with the beating and get himself caught up? I think Aaron could have prevented this situation by running away and telling the police what was going happened to Matthew
Cathy S.
DeleteI agree if either one of the men were thinking straight they would've stopped the beating or any thing that happened to Mathew wouldn't have happened at all. they were at a bar and ordered a big pitcher of beer and between the two of them they drank it all so they were probably drunk. that is not an excuse for anything they did and neither was killing Mathew because he was gay but that might have been a reason why they never thought of stopping or getting help.
Rolando V.
ReplyDeleteMurder is murder. Taking someone else’s is life should be considered wrong in anyone’s eyes.
I do believe that there is something particularly bad when it comes to killing someone based on certain aspects that cannot be changed. Whether it is race, ethnicity, or sexual preference, like it was for Matthew Sheperd, those who murder based on these things have issues.
What makes killing someone based on inherent characteristics and killing someone for any other reason is that there is clearly hatred involved in the former. Killing someone who identifies with a certain group of individuals causes slightly more tension. Others who belong to that specific group will now feel unsafe or even at risk of being attacked/murdered.
Akwasi A.
DeleteI absolutely agree murder is murder the fact that you are taking someone’s life away is wrong. There isn’t a difference between the two situations whether you are committing a crime because of their sexual orientation or any other reasons. The fact that you are committing a crime is wrong period, despite the situation you choose to make for committing that crime. People who commit murders based on ethnicity, race, or sexual preference have issues and I agree with you 100 percent. Reasons like that does not mean anyone should go out and commit a murder.
Al John Jose
DeleteI'm glad about your first line. I agree fully that "murder is murder." I understand your point on the difference on the hatred aspect of killing someone and that does raise a good point. Though I wanna say, if you're making that attempt to put yourself in a position of killing another human being. You probably have some hatred of that person, even the slightest bit. To take that action, you must have some kind of fuel of hatred. But don't get me wrong, I still believe your answer is correct!
Kim M.
ReplyDeleteI believe that ANY hate crime is especially bad. When a person has hate for something, which can trigger a whole lot of emotions and feelings that can be very erratic. When there is a HATE crime committed I feel that it is a crime that is more personal. It becomes personal for the person who is committing the hate crime because they are acting on the emotion that is triggered by the hated characteristic. A hate crime is more specific and intense and comes with more background than a typical crime.
Not only does it become personal for the person committing the hate crime, it also becomes personal for the people who can associate with the hated characteristics. That makes the crime even more “bad” because it is affecting people that weren’t even part of the crime. They feel like they will also be victimized like the person who was killed and will feel a lot more vulnerable. In the movie, there was a women professor that said she was openly gay but it wasn’t until after the incident, she was afraid to let her son walk alone by himself because the child might be targeted because he is ASSOCIATED with a person who embodies the hated characteristics. A person does not even have to possess the hated characteristic to become affected by the hate crime. The fact that someone is committing such a heinous crime because of their strong feelings about it puts fear in the heads of the people who support such characteristics.
Iris H.
DeleteI agree with you completely kim when hatred is involved in the crime it affects more people. But also when it becomes more personal it is harder to stop the crime due to all the hate towards a particular group of individuals. That then travels to the people they are closes to and since they have so much hate for them, they want to attack them with the people they love so in other words, look for another way to harm them.
Susanna V.
DeleteI agree with you Kim, on how some hate crimes are triggered by emotions, whether it is because the person is anger, sad or depress etc. In Matthew Shepard case I believe those boys acted on impulse and they didn't care what they did to Matthew the time and just wanted him gone. They weren't thinking about what the congruence would be at the time and let their emotions clogged their judgments.
I also agree with you about how hate crimes are more personal than a typical crime because like you said it not only person to those who had committed the crime but it also affects those who are associated with those hate crimes. No one deserves to live in fear because they homosexual, Bisexual, Lesbians or Transgender etc. Especially when those hated characteristics involve family members who are associated with the hated characteristics and no one deserves to feel uncomfortable, unwanted and tease etc, in their home town or country.
I also agree that hate crimes are more vivid and unstoppable in a way that these crimes are motivated by strong biases that the suspet can not pull away from. In most sense, the people that are inspired to commint a crime with a strong passion for their beliefs creates an individualized definition of virtue-apart from Aristotle's idle definition.This in general, removes a person from society an pushes him or her to form a group that will sustain their belief. It creates new moralsand corrupts society not only in a middle but also in a micro and macro level.
Delete-Camille
John T.
ReplyDeleteYes, I totally agree that there is something particularly bad about crime when it’s aimed at someone because of their inherent characteristics like race, ethnicity, and gender rather than, say, because you wanted to steal something from them or because you were angry at them personally. The reason I agree is because nobody has a right to take someone’s life or put it harm. In Matthew Shepered’s case, he was brutality beaten and murdered for his sexual preferences. Because Matthew Shepered’s sexual preferences was the cause of his case, it makes this case much worse than a personal issue.
The reason why Matthew Shepered’s case is much more worse than a personal issue is because it illustrates the kind of people who do not accept others for being themselves and go as far as harming one another like murdering or beating them. Nonetheless, these innocent people cannot walk around without thinking that they are going to get attacked from behind. They are targets of hate crime because of people’s point of view or sexual preferences should not be committed and people should open their minds up. There is a limit on how far people should take their point of view and it should never reach the point of death on one another. A crime against someone’s sexual preferences is wrong and very stressful for the victim’s family.
In my opinion, a hate crime and murdering crime is a hate and murdering crime regardless of the circumstances. Generally murdering another is considered horrible and no one should condone to it. Like I said early, I believe that no one has the right to take one’s life or put one’s life in harm for any reason and especially because of their race, ethnicity, gender, and sexual preferences.
Jose H.
DeleteI agree with you in the fact that no one should be murdered due to the fact of a personal prefrence. In Matthew's case he was murdered due to his sexual prefrence. I feel that people are to quick to judge someone based on certain beliefs and prefrences.By judging someone so quickly based on personal views and prefrences it gives no time for someone to actually know the person before murdering them. After the crime has been commited, the murderer hears from family and friends of how good this person was, caring, loving etc. By hearing this, it gives the culprit of a bad feeling for what they caused and later regret it, all because of judging someone. I completely agree with you on the fact that people are judged on personal prefrences and beliefs a little too much
Chelsea B.
ReplyDelete“Now not every action or feeling admits of the mean. For the names of some automatically include baseness… spite,… adultery, theft, murder, among actions. For all of these and similar things are called by these names because they themselves… are base. Hence in doing these things we can never be correct…. We cannot do them well or not well… to do any of them is to be in error.” –Aristotle
Such has my experience been with hate induced crime and senseless crime. To say one is worse than another is a personal matter created by personal perception. I have been physically and vocally assaulted due to my race and my gender I have also been witness to heinous acts committed by motive separate from the individual’s character, wrong place wrong time or non discriminatory intent under the definition of hate crime. The response created within me differs, personal outrage vs simple victimization, but the underlying principle is the interruption of happiness by base action.
No crime which committed with the intent to, or obvious outcome of, harming ones happiness is correct. What creates the difference is effect upon the victim, the perpetrator, and the witnesses. In a hate crime the emotional response of society is outrage, a personal hurt especially to those who associate their lives to the victim, the response works on personal fear. An “unbiased crime” is a more general feeling of confusion, why?, a basic fear amongst society when an apparent lashing out has undefined motive. In the end both types of crime devalue what society has been trying to build, devalues life and reason, but their effect upon people cause different ideas of justice.
Imagine.. Your brother is murdered because he was in between a thief and their prize. Now someone across the country is murdered because of their religious belief. Both crimes are bad but undeniably you would feel the loss of your family member more deeply than a stranger and call for stronger action.
Again, this is all personal. Some feel more wronged in certain instances, but the base reality is that it is all wrong and who is the ultimate judge to say one “evil” is less or more than another? Life is not black and white but case by case. Want to change it???????????????? Education, thought, knowledge…. Understanding.
Ron P.
DeleteGreat idea tying the movie with Aristotle. I just realized, it was probably *supposed* to be related…
Now it feels like I’m replying to Aristotle, which feels quite intimidating… but moving on.
I like how you pointed out that judging the “evil” in a crime is based upon personal perception, and that just makes me want to delete my answer right then and there because yours makes perfect sense.
However, I don’t think that the difference in crime comes solely from the effects on the parties involved. Does the reason for the crime mean so little that it makes no impact on what makes it different? Imagine self defense, or maybe defending a close friend. While it does lead to the death of someone, does it mean that they should be condemned on the act alone?
I mean, I get that it’s wrong to steal a life, but was the action (of self defense) not done for the right end? (protecting oneself or someone else) Even if not in the right way?
Chelsea B.
DeleteThe Aristotle quote is what evoked my thought, I do realize its not perfect in translation for this topic, but it was intended more towards applying an idea from class as food for thought. Self defense is an action to preserve one's happiness, not detract from another's, therefore it is not condemned by my statement.
I appreciate your response :)
Rolando V.
DeleteI completely agree with the fact that weighing out which crimes are worse than others is a personal matter. The example you gave using a sibling being killed by a thief and a person being killed because of their religious preference. I did not think at all about this before reading your post. It really does boil down to a personal bias. Depending on who's killed, what your personal preferences are, crimes will almost instantly rank themselves in everyone's mind.
What needs to happen is that people need to realize their biases, learn from them and mold them into ones that will be better for the society.
And, I think that was a reference to Aristotle, lol.
Susanna V.
ReplyDeleteYes, I do think there is something particularly bad about crimes that are aim at someone because of their inherited characteristics. Crime in general is bad but hurting, teasing and harming someone because of their sexual orientation/ preferences, race and gender is wrong. Why harm someone for being themselves. Homosexual, Bisexual, Lesbians and Transgender are still people, they have feelings, and they are no less different then heterosexual. What those boys did to Matthew Sheppard was beyond cruel and downright wrong. Even if they were uncomfortable with the fact that Matthew was Homosexual they didn't have to beat him too death or harmed him at all. But yes I do believe that crime about hurting someone because of their inherited characteristics is way worse than a crime about stealing something from someone or the fact that they were angry at them personally because at least they aren't being targeted for their inherited characteristic when they have done nothing to anyone but live their lives and for the fact that the crime has gone pass personal issues and has turned into complete hatred for no apparent reason and I believe that is wrong. In the case of Matthew Sheppard he did nothing wrong, he was just being himself and lived life with confidences and not caring about what people thought of him.
I think what had provoked those boys to harm Matthew was because they heard some people spread rumor about them being gay too if they were seen hanging out with Matthew and the fact that they had felt uncomfortable with the fact that Matthew was different from them because Matthew was confident and proud of himself being gay ,which bother him and was weird to them that Matthew came out to everyone about being gay and he didn't care who knew. So they just took it into their own hands and took care of it by brutally harming Matthew to death. Overall, Crime in general are bad but taking away someone lives because of their inherited characteristics or for any reason is bad because no one deserve to feel like they are being hated for all the wrong reasons.
I totally agree with you on the reason as to why the two guys brutally beat Mathew to death. Many people are afraid to express themselves so when they see someone like Mathew have so much confidence about himself then the guys were quickly to respond by hating him and hurting him. Its amazing to think that somesones inherited characteristics can be judged so much just because they do not fall into the norm. We are so quickly to judge and hate rather to accept and understand.
DeleteMagda M.
Georgina S.
ReplyDeleteI believe that intent behind a crime should always be examined so there is proper justice. A hate crime (especially one like murder) is inherently much more violent than a crime committed for any other reason. A hate crime is usually committed by an individual or a group in that particular society that has privilege over (what are sometimes perceived as) marginalized individuals or groups and as such is a crime committed as a way to assert dominance privileged groups have in their society. Because of these power dynamics, it can only be said that a hate crime is committed for the sole purpose of causing great harm to these individuals or groups of oppressed people or because one group of people simply doesn’t understand the other group.
It seems ridiculous that we still live in a society where something thing that isn’t seen as “the norm” warrants a violent, atrocious crime from people that aren’t understanding enough to accept or even just leave them be. These acts don’t just harm an individual, it harms the entire community and creates a society where people can’t live comfortably and without fear. It’s even more terrifying to think that what happened to Matthew could happen to anyone for the same or another inherent characteristic like gender. People should not have to live in constant fear of being attacked or targeted for things that are not under their control!
I agree with you on this! its stupid that people hate on a single person or a group of people . and yea what happen to matt can happen to anyone were care about and we should live ina a area without the constent fear of going out or keep looking over your shoulder when you go out to the store or walk down the street.
Delete-Diego
Rexx S.
DeleteI agree with you and all the details you provided about a hate crime. These points are extremely true because no one should have to experience that, but at the same time it’s something that will continue to happen. Our society will always have people who kill others for unnecessary reasons due to their inherent characteristics or race and there’s nothing we can do to prevent it.
Ronny F.
ReplyDeleteI believe an unexamined idea that these two men had was sadism, and the reason for that is that these two men lured Matthew into their trap. The logic they had toward their actions was the assumption that Mathew was vulnerable and what motivated that assumption was from what the documentary showed of the town’s residents is that many would not care because of their homophobia.
Mark B.
DeleteThis is pretty understandable but there could also be other reasons why they did that. And the town's residents probably did have homophobia or didn't they just didn't to get involved with something like that since it could and it did make a big scene.
Mark B.
ReplyDeletethe young men probably had a bad day, that's why they were at the bar and probably believed that beating someone up would help. I'm not saying that what they did was right; i mean it was completely wrong for beating up Matthew and murdering him but why they did that would probably be caused by a bad day. A bad day in addition to drinking can make someone do things that they wouldn't actually do. This could have led to the beating/murder of Matthew. Reason i'm saying this is because in the movie the young men went and got to the bar and got beer, once that happened they moved to the back by themselves i think, once drinking they realized that Matthew looked pretty rich and stuff and they probably knew he was gay so in their mindset they might have thought that beating him up would help them out and whatnot. In conclusion, it ended up to be a murder and they got caught. They could have just left after the bar and just went home and sleep but no, they didnt have the mind to actually think of what they would do or what the end result was. and the beer and bad day probably were the ones that motivated them to do what they did. I'm not sure if this made sense but i could always try and explain it more clear.
I could see that, anger builds up and have seen many people take out their built anger on innocent people. In addition i completely agree that there are some people under the influence can harm innocent people. Most of all i agree that with those motives its no excuse for their actions.
DeleteRonny F.
A crime is a crime and no particular crime deserves more attention than another. Once the crime is committed authorities should respond to it as soon as possible and take care of the situation. But hate crimes are extremely heinous and should never be taken lightly. To beat and disrespect someone because of there physical appearance or character is not ok. Hate crimes make other people feel unsafe and unprotected in certain environments. I personally feel like people who attack someone because they are different should be prosecuted ASAP. No one should live in fear and be uncomfortable for who they really are.
ReplyDeleteLorenzo T.
I think the young men probably just had nothing better to do that day. They stepped in the bar and as soon as they saw Mathew, they began to be spiteful of what they assumed he was-homosexual. The young men probably had personal biases against homosexuality. Like how the movie portrayed the town to be, the population was filled with either religious or cultural beings who had a majority of anti-gays. The movie also portrayed that because the town was like this, gays were forced to alienate theirselves. So coming upon Mathew, these young men probably concluded that it would only be rational to put moral justice in their own hands. Their initial motive was probably just to scare Mathew and teach him that being gay can be harmful, and somehow it probably led to more of an idle punishment for all the other gays as they battered him more enable to have a physical representation of immoralty. Their overall motive was to probably scare the town and ban homosexuality. Of course it backlashed on them as it portrayed the complete opposite lesson and maybe even helped the town.
ReplyDelete-Camille
I believe that teaching the gay man a lesson only played a small role in the murder. Rather they were under pressure and seen that this gay man had it good, he had money, he was in larime for a purpose, he found people in the university that had accepted him as a homosexual. And these two men were resentful that he had all these opportunities because of his financial background, and wanted to make it hard for him. They then decided to lead him on, they probably started to hit on him and he been a man without any gay people to let loose he playfully accepted their flirting. Then they get him into the car saying they were going to go have fun and then as they are driving away they strike him on the head and he never saw it coming.
DeleteAshraf A.
Ron P.
ReplyDeleteA crime is a crime, they say. Yet, there are still categories in which these crimes are placed upon. And subcategories after that. There are sentences which last for a year and others that last for more than a lifetime. Although committing any type of crime is an error, there has to be some distinguishing factors that make these illegal acts appear more horrible than the other. It is those little things, those minute details that make a murder of a man between wanted possessions and their robber differ from beating someone until they are no longer recognizable merely for their lifestyle and leaving them to breathe their last lungful of air. It is in that sense that one can say that there are levels of ugliness in crimes, and that the murder of Matthew Sheperd is more upsetting than a murder from uncontrollable anger.
But that is not to deprive the value of another murder, just merely saying that some crimes hit closer to home than others do. That some crimes are in a more personal level because he can picture himself being battered, humiliated, dehumanized for being just what he is.
Taking away a person's life because of their skin color, gender, orientation or any other human characteristic is downright wrong. Resenting someone for living a life against your morals, for believing in things you do not agree with, for simply being their own person is unforgivable. Unthinkable. It is killing a person because of their root, murdering them because of what they were born to be, taking away their life because they were striving for their potential and that the act of trying to reach it was something you do not agree with. It is stealing their chance to actualize their potential before they even had it.
If there are no judges in crimes, who's to say that the price for a mere robbery can become twelve decades, or that the price for stealing a life can be reduced to twelve months. Even if the circumstances are personal, who better to judge the evil in a crime than yourself? After all, we are expected to judge what is right and what is wrong, and in extension, what is more wrong than the other.
Audrey C.
DeleteI agree with how you recognized that it’s important not to downplay murder, not related to a hate crime for example, and that the little details make the difference between crimes and the details will determine our judgments. Like you said, “hitting closer to home” will definitely add to the judgment and make a connection between the crime, judge and accused parties. I also like how you talked about people being the judge of what’s right and wrong and how much worse something is over another. Just like you mentioned about serving decades’ sentence for something like robbery doesn’t seem fitting but serving a life sentence for first-degree murder is appropriate. There should be some sort of gauge for the severity of a crime and accompanying punishment. What would happen if personal bias were taken out of the equation? I’m thinking of that saying, “it doesn’t matter if you win by an inch or a mile, winning is winning.” Not that winning is comparable to murder, but that there is no worse murder because murder is murder regardless of any details. The essence of murder is wrong, and there is no scale to judge by?
The topic of homosexuality is already complicated all on its own, but once something else is tied into it such as in this case murder, then it starts to become an even bigger problem. No one deserves to be killed for their inherited characteristics. I dont think Mathew deserved anything that happened to him that night. He personally wasnt trying to hurt anyone and went to that bar to be himsekf but that soonended. Mathew is an example of the pontless reason to take out your own hatred and anger towards something or someone. I also believe that people should be taught to accept it in a much more mature and understandung way. Educating people is key.
ReplyDeleteMagda M.
Cathy S.
DeleteI agree the reason people still have hate in their hearts for anyone different is that their families or even their religion teaches them to hate. If there was more teaching of acceptance and love there would be less violence and fear of telling people who you love. Love should always be celebrated not hidden away out of fear
I personally feel like when a crime is committed now a days its based off stupid decisions made by stupid people. When it comes to the case of Matthew Shepherd he was killed due to the fact that he was a gay man living in a area where being gay is seen as a very bad thing by two men who said that Matt came on to them. I think that being killed because he was a gay man is outright stupid and wrong who are we as people to decide who should live and who should be killed due to their sexual preference? In todays society people get killed over nothing compare to others being killed in gang related murders or retaliation. I think the effect of the crime agents matt was an opener to the people in the town. In the video many people who lived there who were secretly gay or lesbian seen this as if it happened to matt it could happen to them but they seen it as a this is my time to stand up for myself and show that if someone can openly say I am a gay male living in a small straight country side area then I can to.
ReplyDeleteWhat impressed me the most was at the homecoming parade were many people straight, gay, and lesbian walked for matt because where I lived you really don’t see that at all, I am the type of person who doesn’t mind people living there life whether there straight, gay and lesbian. some of my friends are gay and lesbian and I personally don’t mind them at all and at times I support what they do like standing up and wanting equal rights and proudly say hey I am gay or I am a lesbian, if I was in their situation were I am fighting and standing up for what I think is right then id be marching or holding up signs. The whole saying “let and let live “ is used all around the states but said differently. For example, I follow the saying don’t bother me and I wont bother you, to me if I am at a party and someone is looking at me the wrong way I don’t let it bother me because what is a look going to do with me having fun with people but if the person porously spills my drinks then me and that person have a problem.
All in all I think that people shouldn’t kill one another all because of there sexual preference, race, and religion and that we should get along with others rather then fighting. I think that
-Diego
Sarah H.
ReplyDeleteEvery crime is a bad crime whether it is aimed at someone because of their inherent characteristics or not; it would not be a crime if it was not bad. A crime however is much worse when it is being aimed at someone because of their race, ethnicity, or gender. Hate crimes are committed in an attempt to hurt someone, either emotionally, physically or both. They are truly malicious acts that usually have much more conviction and planning involved than say committing a crime because you wanted to steal something or because you were angry at someone personally. Hate crimes are most often based off of stereotypes and assumptions as well, therefore they are completely unjustifiable. What’s more is that people are committing these crimes based on these assumptions they have without really knowing what that person is like or who they are. The victim/s may not even fit any of the beliefs that the person has towards them. That saying, “don’t judge a book by its cover,” applies to people too. The hate that people who commit these crimes have is most likely something that has been passed down for many generations in their family and is inbred in them, so that they probably do not even know why they do not like that particular group of people which makes hate crimes even worse. Lastly, hate crimes are worse because they often have such big impacts, affecting people everywhere causing great sadness and anger in strangers who are in complete disbelief that someone out there could commit such a horrible crime.
Anthony R.
DeleteA hate crime is very worse than any other crime because as you said, they are committed to hurt someone. Not only does that hurt the person, and the family of that person, but it hurts the group that that person was involved with. Hate crimes become more of a broad crime affecting more people than let’s say a robbing crime. It is true that the reason the person has such hatred against a particular group is because that hatred has been passed down for generations. At the end of the day, however, every person should know basic principles and should know right from wrong, and eventually should know the differences between right and wrong choices. There really isn’t many excuses people can make for the people that commit such heinous crimes because they should have not done it in the first place.
Gabriela D.
ReplyDeleteQuestion 1
I do think that there is something worse about a crime when its aimed at someone for their inherent characteristics compared to something as stealing or being angry at them personally because these inherent characteristics are not things you can simply change about a person. Now stealing is something that does not need to occur and can be stopped or changed, the same goes with being angry with someone.
I think its particularly unfair for a person to be judged on things like their race, ethnicity, and gender because a person should be able to embrace what they are and not have to worry about being judged or especially having some crime being committed towards them. A crime against your inherited characteristics, such as murder, should never occur because a person will not be able to just change themselves. This pretty much hits racism and discrimination for me because people are committing crimes towards them just because they don't agree on who they are or how they were born.
I don't agree that committing a crime towards them like stealing from them or because you were angry with them personally is just as bad because you're not directly attacking them for the way they were born. These intentions are completely different, since stealing can be just because they wished to have something they owned or being personally angry with them for something they just did not agree on.
Obviously both of these situations are bad in some way, but when it comes down to it, no one should be attacked because of their inherent characteristics because in no way would I ever want to be targeted because I was hispanic, mexican, or a girl.
Response
DeleteI agree with most of your statements you made in your response to the first question. Yes it is unfair that now a day’s people are very judgmental on people with their race, ethnicity, and gender because people should be able to walk the streets proudly of who they are and not have to worry about being attacked which is a very sad thing in my opinion. It is also sad that it has to reach the crime of murder because people have no right to take another person’s life because of their gender, ethnicity, and or race. I really like how you pointed out that nobody can’t bring another person back from murder. I like that point the most out of your whole response because it is a very strong and important point to make. And it is true that there is no coming back from death, so people should think about their actions before committing a crime that they might regret later on in life when it is too late. But, I am going to have to disagree with one of your statements. I disagree with that fact that you think stealing and being angry with someone personally is not as bad as committing a murder crime. The reason I disagree is because stealing can lead up to murder which will cause many more crimes that we do not need. Also, being angry with someone is just as same as murder because you might murder the victim you are angry at personally but you can cause the victim to murder themselves and that is just as worse as a murder crime. All in all, I am right with you and agree to most of your statements you made. People need to start opening their minds up and let people live the way they want to live and when it comes down to it, no one should be attacked for the simply reason of inherent characteristics such as race, ethnicity, and gender.
John T.
Jasmeen C.
ReplyDeleteI think a crime aimed at someone’s inherent characteristics is far worse than a crime aimed at someone regarding personal issues or stealing someone from someone even thought all crimes are not acceptable. It is far worse because a crime that is aimed toward someone due to their sexual orientation or race is aimed not only to that person it is aimed toward people who belong to that group as well. While a crime that is committed with the intention of stealing something or having anger toward them is just toward one person and doesn’t pertain to a whole group. Hate crimes are more personal and are based on personal beliefs that don’t justify the reason for their crime. I don’t mean to say that any type of killing is justifiable, but hate crimes specifically are very wrong because they are aimed toward someone who can’t change who they are. Nobody chooses what race they are or what their sexuality is, it is something natural and what makes them who they are. It’s just wrong in itself to think you’re right and that all people of a certain racial group or sexual orientation are a certain way and that they don’t deserve to live. Hate crimes shake up a whole community and particularly people who are associated with that group and are usually very violent due to the immense hate of the person committing the crime toward the targeted group.
You made some really good points. I agree with you that when it comes to hate crimes, the crime is not being committed towards that one person, but towards the entire group of people possessing the hated characteristic. The person committing the crime has the attention of really hurting the victim in some way. They might not even have a reason as to why they hate the targeted group other then, they just do. And as you said, hate crimes are often much more personal than other crimes which is why they are so bad.
DeleteSarah H.
Daniel A.
ReplyDeleteYes, I do think that there is something particularly bad about crime when it is aimed at someone because of his or her characteristics. What McKinney and Henderson did to Shepard was beyond cruel and very wrong in every way. No matter where you look at it homosexuals, bisexuals, or transgender people are still human and should not be treated differently just because they are like that. It’s pretty sad how some people are so depthless; they will judge you by your appearance and not by who you really are inside. People need to stop judging by someone else’s appearance and start getting to know them for who they really are because like in Shepard’s case, Shepard was good guy, he brings joy to the people around him and for him to die just because he was a homosexual is not an excuse for McKinney and Henderson to take away his life.
Kim M.
DeleteYou make a very good point. Hating someone without even truly knowing makes you a terrible person. Whether someone has a characteristic that you don’t like or not does not give you the right to hurt or kill anybody. Do you think that if they got to know Mathew as a friend and then found out that he was gay that they would have felt any different about him? Or do you think if they found out about Mathew after befriending him they would be a lot more angry?
Jasmeen C.
DeleteI agree with you judging someone from their appearance and making them a target of a crime is wrong and unethical. You are very correct in saying that McKinney and Henderson had no right to take away Mathew's life due to his sexuality. But then it is a hate crime and hate crimes are caused by physical judgments of people by people. What you don't like doesn't give you the right to take their life.
Daniel A.
DeleteThank you. I think that if McKinney and Henderson had gotten to know Matthew as
a friend and then found out that he was gay they would have felt differently about
him because if they were his friends, it would not really matter if he was gay.
I think, taking someone’s life is murder and no one should do this to anyone. It doesn’t matter whether you don’t like that person or it is because of their race, ethnicity, or gender. Murdering someone because they are gay doesn’t make any sense; it’s considered a hate crime. No one can change how they were born and killing them will not change anything. In Matthew Sheppard’s case, he got killed only because of his sexual preference. This crime not only toll on Matthew’s family but the whole entire community. In the society, everyone was scared for their safety, even gay and lesbian communities because they didn’t know what was going to happen next after Mathews beating. I think race, ethnicity, and gender should not be the reason of why you treat a person in a different way and discriminate against. People should be accepted in their community’s whether they are gay, Lesbian, or bisexual because they are human being. In addition, no one has to right to kill anybody. Committing a crime against an individual for a different reason is just as bad.
ReplyDeleteRajwinder K.
ReplyDeleteI think, taking someone’s life is murder and no one should do this to anyone. It doesn’t matter whether you don’t like that person or it is because of their race, ethnicity, or gender. Murdering someone because they are gay doesn’t make any sense; it’s considered a hate crime. No one can change how they were born and killing them will not change anything. In Matthew Sheppard’s case, he got killed only because of his sexual preference. This crime not only toll on Matthew’s family but the whole entire community. In the society, everyone was scared for their safety, even gay and lesbian communities because they didn’t know what was going to happen next after Mathews beating. I think race, ethnicity, and gender should not be the reason of why you treat a person in a different way and discriminate against. People should be accepted in their community’s whether they are gay, Lesbian, or bisexual because they are human being. In addition, no one has to right to kill anybody. Committing a crime against an individual for a different reason is just as bad.
I am agree with you that it is a hate crime if someone is killed due to race, ethnicity or gender.Every person in this country has a right to freedom and they can live as they want. People have no right to judge others and kill others because they want others to act according to them.In general every crime is bad but killing someone due to sexual preferences is very bad and it don't only affect the victim but the entire community.
DeleteAmandeep K
DeleteI am agree with you that it is a hate crime if someone is killed due to race, ethnicity or gender.Every person in this country has a right to freedom and they can live as they want. People have no right to judge others and kill others because they want others to act according to them.In general every crime is bad but killing someone due to sexual preferences is very bad and it don't only affect the victim but the entire community.
Amandeep Kaur
ReplyDeleteI believe that a crime that is aimed at someone because of his/her inherent characteristics is worse than other crimes. Every crime is bad but as the hate crime towards Matthew Shepard was due to his sexual preferences, it makes this crime as worse than others. The reason that people don't accept others for who they are is because they think themselves as superior and wants other to live according to them. It is very sad that some people go through the physically hurting because of different sex, race or ethnicity. In general every crime is bad but as Matthew Shepard was being killed because he was gay is wrong because every person has a right to freedom to choose the way he/she wants to live and no one can decide the way of living of other persons. In addition crime towards an individual for his/her identity affects the community and in case of Matthew Shepard it affected the gay community. It is hard for a person to adjust in community if he/she seen as different than others and if something happen as it happened to Matthew Sephard then people of that community do not feel safe and they felt like they can fall as victim as anytime. Every crime is bad but murder someone due to their sex, race or ethnicity is very sad in my opinion and is very stressful for the victim's family and whole community.
Rajwinder K.
DeleteI agree with you that crime is bad when it comes to inherent characteristics. In the Matthew Sheppard case, it was a hate crime because he was a gay. Do you really think this happened because people think themselves as superior to others? I don’t think, it’s true that people wants other to leave according to themselves. America is a free country and everyone can leave, however they want to. Nobody can force you to do anything and no one has the right to kill anybody. So crime is a crime. It applies to everyone including gay, and lesbians. I agree that when someone gets killed due to their sex, race or ethnicity, it does effect on the community and we need to stop this.
Jaime S.
ReplyDeleteYou bring up a good point which I didn't think about while writing my answer to this question. That point is the fact that some people start blaming themselves saying they could've have prevented the crime. The reason why it brings my attention is because of what I think is everyone's argument towards this question which is that if harms a lot more people if hate crime is intended to someone because of who they are and not of personal reasons.
I personally think people shouldn't take it all personal or what not like the bar tender did but that's a different story...
Destry H.
ReplyDeleteThere were a few unexamined ideas and assumptions about the young men that killed Mathew. I don't think they killed him just because he was gay or homosexual it was much more than that.I think they were planning on killing him when they seen him that night at the bar.They were sitting in the corner watching and plotting on him and probably didn't like they way he acted or talked so the wanted to hurt or harm him really bad. Maybe they wanted to teach him a lrsson and try to beat the gay out of him. Being gay is not a good reason to kill someone its not right at all. Those young men deserve to be punished and go to jail for a very long time so they can think about what they did. They took this situation very far its a very serious mattrr but I don't believe in the death penalty though. I can feel for all of Mathews friends and family they want justice but revenge isn't always they best solution. They could of just beat Mathew up and take his money but they wanted to get rid of the gays in their town. Mathew was a good looking sharp dressed man that was alwayd happy and loved life. He had a lot of money too that can motivate somebody to kill but they killed him over nothing really. I think what really motivated them to kill was jealousy and envy toward Mathew. No matter who you are everyone should be treated fair and equally with respect. If someone is different and you don't like them it doesn't give you the right to harm or hurt this person just ignore them. People have the freedom to do what they want and choose their own life style. Like they said on the movie just live and let live stay out of peoples business and worry about your own. The young mens intention were bad and they will pay for their actions i believe in karma there will be peace one day. Those young men were stupid for what they did torturing someone is plain evil that should of never happened in the first place.
Carlin S.
DeleteI agree that its wrong to kill somebody because their gay but I don’t believe that they killed Matthew because they were jealous of him. They didn’t like gays at all so they were probably the complete opposite of jealous when it came to Matthew. I also don’t believe that they intended on killing him. If they really wanted to kill him they could have used a gun or something else other than beating him to death. Overall its not right to attack people because of their lifestyle if it doesn’t have anything to do with you.
Loan H.
ReplyDeleteQuestion 1:
I think it was ridiculous when someone kill a person because that person had a characteristic which he did not like. And it was unacceptable when someone using this excuse to steal a little money and kill a person at the same time. In general, people have their freedom to choose their sex and to do whatever they want as long as they do not make any harm to others. Here, Matthew was an innocent and poor victim since he was killed because of the unreasonable reason; Matthew was a gay. In fact, McKinney had no right to take Matthew’s life away. The reason that McKinney used an excuse of “does not like gay people” was not make any sense. Because it was similar to a case if we did not like someone, we could kill that person to satisfy the angriness. In other words, McKinney could not use an excuse of he does not like gay people to kill Matthew.
In addition, this reason of killing someone because he was gay is very bad it leads to an issue about people who have different gender, race, or ethnicity may be treated in different ways. For instance, this crime may create a concept that someone has a right to treat others badly because they are belongs to a “lower group levels” or “hated groups”. And it is extremely dangerous since we do not know when someone will hurt us because of “unloved” characteristics we inherent.
In conclusion, McKinney’s excuse to kill Matthew did not make any sense. It was also an evil action and it rejected human being. In “The Laramie Project”, McKinney expressed that he did not like gay people; but when he was asked “Do you hate them?”, McKinney was confused and said he was not really hate them... Obviously, no matter what McKinney’s reason of killing Matthew, his crime was unethical and not acceptable.
I totally agree with you. What I thought was cool and very forgiven was when Matthew's father got up to address the court and made his feeling very well known but decided not to ask for the death penalty saying ( every Christmas, every birthday and everyday of his life he would be thanking Matt he was still alive).
DeleteEbony K
Loan H.
ReplyDeleteI really like your opinion about this case. It is not only relate to an individual but also about the group of people and about who they are. I think you have some great points since it is a big issue in our society. Besides many people have an open-minded about others’ race, gender; there are still a lot of people who really have a deeply bad opinion about some of these groups. Moreover, they apply their racism and prejudice concepts on every individual in of these groups as a whole. They also do not care much about how good the individual is since they only see the negative sides. For instance, these people do not like some specific groups without any reasonable reason. In the movie, Matthew is represented as a person in a “hated” group. Obviously, there is not a personal reason in this crime because the victim was in misfortune. He just belongs to the group in which McKinney and his friend do not like.
This issue makes me to think about the racism issue which is still happening in our society. For instance, when people see someone with different skin color or speak with an accent, they may hate that person because their parents or a family member hate that type of people. And it is not make any sense. In order to reduce crime and conflict in society, it will be great if we could find a way to help people change the way they see and act to others. As a result, people should not look others from their appearance but they should understand others’ personalities and who they are.
The unexamined assumption I think the young men had that made them react the way they did to Matthew was hatred. When you are taught something your whole life, you tend to believe in the beliefs your are taught. Some don't think to ask if it's wrong because this is the way they were brought up. The young men said they never knew a gay person (so they say) but when you don't want to learn about something or someone, you don't understand it. Because you don't understand it you fear it. Just maybe their hatred was something they hated within themselves, maybe the young men were fighting what they could not comprehend about their own feelings.
ReplyDeleteEbony K
I agree some people don't think what they are doing is wrong because that is what they were taught when they were younger and it is pretty sad. It definitely makes me question who is teaching them these things and why.
DeleteLorenzo T
Jose H.
ReplyDeleteI agree that there is something bad about crime when it’s aimed at someone because of certain characteristics like race, ethnicity, and gender instead of stealing something from them because of anger. I agree because I don’t believe the fact that someone should have their life taken away because of certain beliefs or gender. In the case of Matthew, he was brutally beaten and killed for his sexual preference toward men. I feel that people are too quick to judge others because of either race or in this case sexual preference. In Matthews case, his sexual preference was what people didn’t understand and I think its much more important than a personal issue.
Matthews murder case is much worse because he was attacked and killed because of his personal preference. I feel his case is much worse because dealing with a personal issue between another person is different. For example, if someone stole something in particular from you and you reacted in a violent way toward the person, it would still be a crime, but with a particular reason behind it. But with Matthew, he did nothing wrong or did not take anything from anyone to react that way toward him. These are the kind of things that make individuals targets of a hate crime. Although, I agree with the fact that people have different point of views on things, but there are boundaries on how far they are taken. In my opinion, I feel that a hate crime and a murder crime are both crimes, but different in certain ways. Murdering someone is completely inhumane and nobody should be exposed to that either if you’re the victim or a family member.
Hate crimes are particularly worst then ordinary crimes mostly because they consist of the though that a type of person is lesser then them in any way shape, color, or form. These crimes are worst because they take away an essential factor of being human from the victims, leading to a point where their idea might be applied that these types of people are not human, thus they don't deserve the same type of treatments a regular people. These crimes are worst because they become an idea that the majority can apply to the any minority and use it as a bases for mistreatment, discrimination, and prejudice. These crimes become especially Heinous because they take away a persons right to be treated in a human way. I believe that these types of crimes are what lead to major human error because they misrepresent an idea that should be rejected as an idea that can lead to prosperity for the ones on the long end of the stick. These crimes solidify the thoughs of those who have committed the worst crimes against humanity. These crimes led people to follow hitler and treat him like a king because he made these crimes an acceptable idea, leading his followers to think if this idea is acceptable we will prosper from the demise of others.
ReplyDeleteAshraf A.
I never realized that a hate crime took away an essential factor of being human from the victim. I never looked at it in that way. I agree. The Hitler reference was good too. The two situations are not on the same scale but the bottom line is the same. You just don't do something like that.
DeleteLorenzo T.
Al John Jose
ReplyDeleteQuestion 1
I personally don't believe a crime of assault to one human being to another or specifically targeting people such as hate crimes is more wrong from the other. To simply put, attacking fellow man, for any reason, is wrong. Actions that seed from hate and anger will accomplish nothing, especially if that action is to cause pain and suffering to others. Whatever the reason maybe for someone to assault another, in the end, they're causing pain. They're inflicting the pain on someone who is a fellow human, someone who is trying to live a day to day life. Whether they're a different race/color, sexual profile, or even just plainly hate them, you are doing something unjust in the end.
I do believe that there's something a little more "upsetting" when we hear about hate crimes rather than a normal crime . Maybe it's because we know in our minds that, that person probably get the same hateful talk everyday in their life that they don't deserve from some stupid asshole. We know that they have a somewhat tougher life than someone who is considered "normal." For us who have compassion, we feel bad when unnecessary things happen for them. It hits us right in the heart when things like this happen.