The Violence of Hate: Understanding Harmful Forms of Bias and Bigotry

Description

The Violence of Hate, Fourth Edition presents a systematic introduction to issues related to the sociology and social psychology of hate and violence as they target people who are different in socially significant ways. It offers an integrated perspective on the causes and consequences of hate-motivated violence and the reasons we have not always been effective in stopping it. Not only do the authors address the experiences of racial, ethnic, and religious groups under attack, but also those who are victimized because of their sexual orientation, gender, gender-identity, age, or disability status. In addition, they include a chapter dedicated solely to the exploration of hate crimes, an evolving legal concept and public policy domain, as well as a chapter in which they suggest approaches that may be effectively applied collectively to the reduction of hate violence. As in earlier versions of The Violence of Hate, Levin and Nolan take the position that support for hate-motivated violence originates not in the ranting and raving of a few bigoted extremists at the margins of society but in the tacit approval of ordinary, even decent, people who are located squarely in the mainstream. 1. Perspectives on Hate and Violence Hate, Prejudice, and Discrimination Transforming the Terms Prejudice versus Discrimination The Role of the Individual Justifying Hate Violence The Influence of Significant Others From Individual to Institutional Discrimination Constructing Group Identity Who Controls an Individual’s Group Identity? Changing Group Identity The Privilege of White Identity When Stereotypes Turn Nasty Is Hate on the Decline? Underestimating Bigotry Unconscious Bias The Difference Between Small and Insignificant Hate Crimes are Vastly Under-Reported It Takes Only a Few Bad Apples Conclusion 2. Explaining the Violence of Hate Environment, Heredity, and the Power of the Situation The Environmental View—Blaming the Victim The Hereditary View—Blaming the Victim A Situationist View of Hate Violence Threatening Situations Can Inspire Hate Hate Crimes Against Muslims Hate Crimes Against Immigrants The New Anti-Semitism A Continuing Racial Gap The Obama Factor Bashing Gays and Lesbians Hate Crimes Against Women Conclusion 3. Hate Crimes Motive Matters The Hate Crime Statistics Act The FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting Program NIBRS Hate Crime Data Why Now? Pros and Cons of Hate Crime Laws Hate Crime Laws Today Federal Civil Rights Statutes The Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act State Hate Crime Statutes Hate Crime Laws and the U.S. Constitution Policing Hatred When the Police Are Viewed as Perpetrators of Hate Violence When the Police Are Viewed as Victims of Hate Violence Explaining Bias in Policing Bourdieu’s Theory of Practice: A Sociological Perspective on Police Violence The Traffic Enforcement Analogy: A Sociological Explanation Policing Hate Crimes Seeing Hate Crimes Intension and Extension of the Term “Hate Crime” Classification of Hate Crime Incidents Why Is This Distinction Important? Hate Crimes in Europe The Roma in Europe Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Violence Conclusion 4. A Typology of Hate Hatemongers The Role of Organized Hate Hate from a Distance Biblical Bigotry The Militia Movement and White Supremacy Expanding the Influence of Organized Hate Mass Murder in the Name of Hate Dabblers Getting a Thrill Being Defensive Getting Even Sympathizers Behind Closed Doors An Eliminationist Anti-Semitism Cultural Hate Culture Transcends Generations Spectators The Failure to Act Middleman Minorities Middleman Minorities in the United States The American Version of Spectatorship Conclusion 5. The Benefits of Bigotry Protest by Proxy Psychological Advantages Enhancing and Protecting Self-Esteem Reducing Uncertainty Economic and Status Advantages Getting the Dirty Work Done Eliminating Opponents Maintaining Political Power Conclusion 6. The Production of Rebels, Deviants, and Other Decent People The Power of the Situation When Normal People Do Abnormally Nasty Things Fighting Spectatorship Intergroup Contact The Impact of Competition Reducing Hostility Between Groups Structuring Opportunities for Cooperation Follow the Leader Obeying Orders The Role of Leadership The Impact of Deviance When Rebels Rebel The Importance of Empathy Across Groups Human Agency: The Ability to Create “Good” Situations The Agentic Perspective Collective Efficacy in Neighborhoods Neighborhood Agency and Collective Efficacy Conclusion Appendix A. Anti-Hate Websites Appendix B. Division E—Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act