Things are turning ugly.
That’s the assessment of many observers following the shooting incident at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum this past week, which followed the murder of a physician in Kansas who provided late-term abortions.
Both Paul Krugman, who normally writes about economic matters, and Judith Warner have written despairing columns about the rise in hate crimes. The writers each blame a coarsening political temper as helping exacerbate feelings of rage already heightened by the impact of job losses and economic insecurity. Writes Warner: “(the attack) on the Holocaust museum has to be viewed as an extreme manifestation of a moment when racist, anti-Semitic agitation is rapidly percolating. White supremacist groups are vastly expanding. And right-wing TV rhetoric, thoughtless in its cruelty and ratings-hungry demagoguery, is helping feed the paranoia and rage that for some Americans now bubbles just beneath the surface.”
In the wake of the Holocaust Museum tragedy, human rights organizations quickly issued statements condemning hate crimes and advocating more responsible, less vitriolic political discourse. The Freedom Center’s statement focused on the need for education that promotes human rights, social justice and civic responsibility as the keys to overcoming intolerance, racism, and ethnic and cultural hatred.
Let us know how you feel about the rash of hate crimes and, more importantly, what you feel should be done to foster a more constructive political discussion.
Tags: hate crimes, Holocaust Museum
Posted on Friday, June 12th, 2009 at 11:31 am in Commentary, News.
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