fighting hate with love
Hate crimes are considered prejudice motivated acts of crime, which usually consists of violence against a certain group of people. Since Donald Trump has become president, we have seen a drastic increase in hate crimes. Earlier this month Donald Trump has been itching to sign an executive order allowing discrimination against the LGBT community which alone brought in numbers. “Los Angeles police data show the number of reported hate crimes rose from 200 in 2015 to 230 in 2016, the highest number of such crimes seen in the city since 2008... 18.5% rise in racially motivated crimes and a 24.5% increase in crimes against LGBTQ people.”
Even before this, Trump conducted a Muslim ban that caused EVEN MORE hate crimes, not only in Los Angeles but all around the country. Since the 9/11 attacks this phenomena known as Islamophobia has emerged. With this additional ban on the LGBT, this will only continue to spike up hate crimes our country is already suffering.
According to Sarah Ahmed, hate crimes essentially take the emotions out of no longer being a private thing and allows them to become socially constructed. It becomes subject versus the imagined other. Which seems to mirror Trump and his executive order on the LGBT.
Ahmed states that hate is impossible without love. Ahmed ties her theory in with Freud’s by constituting that neglected emotion being the key component to hate begins within the individual psyche then reaches towards objects in place (very similar to how hate crimes work). Considering this piece, bell hooks introduces her “love ethic” theory which constitutes love being the possible cure for such hate crimes. bell hooks states that acknowledging such crimes can increase our concern for such politics of oppression. The example she uses to constitute her love ethic was Martin Luther King Jr. and his ability to move masses of people through nonviolent civil disobedience. He carried this belief that “love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into friend.” Could this notion work on the issues our society faces today?
Tying this back to Ahmed’s work, “love is understood as the pre-condition of hate.” Hate is a phenomena that cant seem to occur without the presence of love., and love is needed to fix hate. Not saying that this is an easy response to hate crimes, but this knowledge allows us baby steps to dealing with these issues. Throughout the time era of the civil rights movements was a time of persecution for African Americans with the mindset that the “colored skin” seemed somewhat inferior. Martin Luther King’s form of protest was essentially the first non- violent protests seen. Although the protests were non-violent with every protest they took one leap forward to accomplish their goals. This specific act portrays the concept of “Fighting hate with love”, also relating into the controversial and sometimes rather uncomfortable persecution of LGBT and muslims with the election of President Donald Trump. The few topics regarding LGBT, the Muslim ban, and MLK’s non-violent movements although somewhat different in time era and situation, tie together with the theories stated by Sarah Ahmed and bell hooks. The lessons of the past could potentially pave a way for the future.
