September 12, 2007

What's The World Coming To?


What's the world coming to? I am thoroughly disgusted at the news of the young black woman in West Virginia, who was held captive for a week, while being physically, sexually, and verbally abused. This poor woman was tortured, stabbed, and beaten, made to eat feces -- rat, and dog --and forced to drink water from the toilet. No doubt, she would have been murdered, and dumped somewhere like an animal, if she had not been rescued in time.

The fact that it happened at all is disgusting, but the people involved made it even more disgusting, if that is at all possible. They were a mother and her son, a mother and her daughter, and two others, men, all white. Does the fact that they were white, and she was black, make it more heinous? Could it be more heinous? It is being called a hate crime, but isn't it always hatred that causes someone to inflict such harm on another human being? Perhaps, it is not always hatred of the person, but misdirected hatred of something else, that drives a person to such cruelty. The fact that they kept calling her a racially offensive name does indicate that it could have been a racially motivated crime.

Back in January of this year, in Knoxville, Tennessee, a young white couple were hijacked by three black men, and a black woman. They were brutally raped, and murdered --she was strangled, and he was shot, and his body burned, and left by the side of a railroad track. She was discovered inside the house where they were taken, inside a garbage bag. Was this a hate crime? I don't know. According to some reports, it was a random crime, and had nothing to do with race. The crime didn't receive a lot of media coverage, for some reason.

In the case of the young black woman who was tortured, it has been reported that she met one of the men involved through the Internet, so perhaps, it, too, was a random crime. She denies this, so until it is proven otherwise, she must be given the benefit of the doubt.

There will always be some kind of hatred in the world, as long as the world stands. Either because of race, or religion, a sense of injustice, or perceived injustices. When it comes to the victims mentioned here, and the senseless, and perverse, horror inflicted on them, in my mind, it comes down to one thing: pure, unadulterated, evil.

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

It has always been my contention that whenever someone commits a crime against another, it is a hate crime. If they are all of the same ethnic group, would it be a love crime? Those animals in West Virginia need to be punished to the fullest extent of the law, hopefully they have the death penalty there. No matter how this young woman ended up with these people, what they did to her is beyond reprehensible. I was saddened and sickened but glad that the victim is alive. How can such things go on in this day and age? I am discouraged at the extent of disregard for human life in the world today.

Jan said...

rockync...I agree.

It's not getting any better, and will probably get worse. There have been at least 100 murders committed here, since the first of the year.

Anonymous said...

That sounds awful, where are you? I just can't fathom all those wasted lives. And the person who commits the crime has no idea that they have torn their souls apart by taking the life of another. No doubt they themselves will come to a violent and early end.

Jan said...

rockync..send me an email.

Anonymous said...

I agree with rockync, crimes are always motivated by hate. There is no such thing as a love crime.

And yet, love and hate are two sides of the same coin. Maybe criminals are human beings, who have lost all love for themselves. How can you love another fellow human being, if you cannot even love yourself?

Jan said...

Olivia..I understand what you are saying, but there are a lot of people who have no love, nor respect for themselves, who do not murder others, or commit other crimes.

The problem is a convoluted one, and there are no pat answers.

GUYK said...

well, maybe and maybe not..I don't reckon the bank robber hate the bank..he just robs the bank because that is where the money is at.

Often times a murder committed during the course of a robbery has nothing to do with hate and all to do with fear..the fear of a witness or just the fear of getting caught.

But I do agree that the despicable acts committed by black against white and white against black may or may not be so called "hate" crimes based on race. I figure that those who do this kind of thing hate themselves as much as they hate anyone else and most of the time the victim is just whoever is handiest at the time.

Jan said...

guyk..I, too, believe that many times it is just who happens to be the handiest.

No matter...crimes like robbing a bank, and taking a human life in such a heinous manner, black or white, can't even be compared.

sue said...

Evil. I agree 100% Jan.

Anonymous said...

Hi Jan, There are many evil things done to others in this world. Hate crimes of all kinds are pure evil and usually practiced against the victim in groups or gangs. I can't believe that out of a whole group of people who may be participating in a hate crime, not one of them will stand up to the rest of them to say this is so wrong. Maybe if more of these people would get some backbone and stop following who ever it is thats feeding the hate fuel to the fire, they would then have the power to change other people's hearts from wanting to hurt another person out of pure hatred.

Jan said...

Sue..thanks, that's what I think it is when such perversity is involved.

Hi, Lydia..thank you for your comment.

Unfortunately, no one has the power to change another's heart, so, I'm afraid that hate, and evil, will continue to wreak their havoc.

Rio Vista Boy said...

Passion is the about the only crime I understand. I don't approve mind you, but I get the concept of doing something stupid when over charged with emotions and adrenalin. And I can grasp ignorance; pulling wings off a butterfly or burning ants with a magnifying glass. It is cruel and senseless, but most times those actions are done by children without an understanding of the consequences from their actions. But the moment a conscience is introduced the very same action is sadististic.
Accidents happen, neglect and poor judgement often result in senseless loss of life and I can can wrap my mind around how that might occur. But sick malaevolent torture and abuse, deliberate and cruel torment whether resulting in death or not, I emphatically am unable to put into context, catalogue, or fathom what on earth could motivate one or more people to act in such a purely evil fashion. Something abjectively human must be missing from a person to even consider such actions much less act upon them.

Jan said...

vin..I hear what you're saying. It really is unfathomable, and I can't even imagine what is going on the mind of someone who commits such acts.

Of course, I know that drug use is rampant, and I think that might be a contributing factor, too. But still...there has to be something terriblly wrong in a person's psyche, somewhere.

Anonymous said...

The thing in West Virginia was white people doing something bad to a black person. So it was on ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, Fox, et al. But the Knoxville case was blacks doing something bad to white people, and nobody carried the story at all as far as I know. Wonder why?

Jan said...

hermit..I think we all know the answer to that one!

Anonymous said...

hermit, I don't know where you're at but that one was all over our news here in the South. Seems the networks could take lessons from our local anchors who were able to report the facts without starting a riot.I miss the days when Huntley and Brinkley just told the story and you got the news without the running commentaries.