Many people would argue that hate crime epidemic in the United States even exists. Some would consider it to be of epidemic proportions. Those that oppose crimes of hate also oppose other prejudices. Hate crime is criminal behavior that is motivated by racial, religious, ethnic, gender, sexual preference, or any other type of prejudice. When a person hears the word prejudice, he or she might think it only refers to the racial prejudice often found between those with light skin and those with dark skin. Prejudice, however, runs much deeper than a person's color. Prejudice is found between gender, religion, cultural, geographical background, and race. People have discriminated against others based upon these attributes from the beginning of time. Prejudice has become a complex problem in society today and much of the world's history is based upon such hatred. In the 1600's, white men used Africans as slaves and treated them as if they were not human. "Colored" people were not even allowed to use the same drinking fountains as white people until the mid-1900s. Hitler and his men killed over five million people because they were Jewish or were not their definition of "normal." The Ku Klux Klan exists today and openly professes its hatred towards the Jewish and colored people. Society is riddled with such hatred based upon peoples' beliefs and origins and it seems millions are fighting each other for no relevant reason at all. I do believe that we can greatly reduce the amount of prejudice in the world today, yet at this rate it will never cease. Society has seemingly come to accept all races, religions, and genders, and supposedly has achieved "political correctness." Yet there will forever be individuals who discriminate based upon these issues. These individuals often form large groups that recruit new members to enforce their hatred of those with a certain religion or skin tone. This is best express by the methodology ...
