Hatred is nothing new. Since the beginning of time, a hate-stricken society has been fueled by unjustified racial prejudice. According to a study created by ThinkProgress, a left-leaning news organization, 261 acts of hate have been committed since November 9, 2016. The even more disturbing fact is that 109 of those acts were reported to have been committed in the name of the newly elected president or his policies. That’s 42 percent. Racial prejudice is something so deeply ingrained into our history that it seems almost inescapable. Strides have been made, some greater than others, in burying this hatred; however, in the months following the 2016 presidential election, the not-so-long “buried” hatred has come to light, and Washington seems to be holding the shovel.
“Black military sergeant found “die n****r” spray-painted onto his car” – New York Daily News
These are actual headlines from accredited news sources about stories that have surfaced since the presidential election. In December of 2016, the FBI reports twice the number of legitimate hate crimes (a specific category of racial crimes that are punishable severely by law) have been committed in New York City since the election than during the same period of time the year prior.
There have been 64 “incidents of threats” on Jewish Community Centers in 27 different states, including two in Connecticut. Following the attacks, Rep. Rosa DeLaura (D-CT) said we need a “full-throttle condemnation” by the president and that “there is a moral authority that has to come from the highest level.” According to the New Haven Register, Sen. Chris Murphy also spoke out against the hatred, explaining how “there has been a rise in anti-Semitism, Islamophobic speech, negativity toward immigrants and ‘old-fashioned’ racism.” “When Obama was president, it was easy to get complacent,” said Murphy, claiming people now “feel a license” to act in a hateful way towards others.
The directly accessible problem is not the hatred, as it would be impossible to ever completely do away with it. There will always be people who feel hate, no matter the policies put in place or the movements that occur. The problem that can be dealt with is that the hatred has recently been given a voice, and that voice happens to be the most powerful on the planet. Ignorance and bigotry mar the face of society today, but take away the voice of hatred, and it becomes powerless in a society of tolerance.
