what is hate

Hate is a sentiment, not an emotion. It is a concept that can mean different things to different people, describing an enduring organization of aggressive impulses, habitual bitter feelings, and accusatory thoughts.

Debate on Hate Crime Nature: Some argue that hate crimes aren't about hate per se; they are motivated by prejudice, hostility, or bias. Hate constitutes a small extreme aspect within this context.
Defining Hate Crime: How much hate crime exists and how to respond depends on its conceptualization and definition. Key questions for policymakers include:
- What prejudices, when acted upon, will be criminalized?
- How do we define actions that constitute a hate crime?
- What crimes are included in the definition?
- What is the necessary relationship between prejudice and the offense?
- How to protect against hatred while upholding democratic freedoms, such as freedom of speech?
Identifying Hate Crime: Two characteristics can help identify hate crimes:
- Victims who share characteristics of a stigmatized group (interchangeable victims).
- Little to no pre-existing relationship between victim and perpetrator (to avoid other motives).
Core Question: Would the victim have been selected if not for their identity? What motivated the perpetrator based on the victim's identity?
Hate Crime vs. Hate Incident:
- Hate Crime: A criminal offense representing an aggravating factor, e.g., assault based on race or religion.
- Hate Incident: An act or speech not breaking laws but motivated by bias and hatred, e.g., verbal abuse from a vehicle. These can be reported to the police or relevant organizations.
Hate Speech: Any communication intended to intimidate, degrade, or incite prejudicial action against an individual or group, based on specific attributes. It targets specific individuals and aims to incite violence or manifest hatred.