Abuse against minorities is a problem. There are also other crimes that are problems. One should not be considered as more or less important than the other, they should be treated in full equality, because all crimes should be treated as important problems.

That’s right.  That’s why I’m sick of seeing domestic violence as being less of a problem, or rape, or sexual harassment, or racial-hate based crimes.  That’s why I’m tired of people whining when they percieve these kinds of crimes as getting ‘special attention’.  Of course they look like they’re having some kind of special attention; it’s the first time anyone ever took them seriously.

Holland:  I saw statistics recently about Holland.  One in seven girls is is a victim of incest by someone in the family.  One in ten young boys is a victim of incest by someone in the family.  Also from what I understand in Holland they want the “legal age” to be 13. That is just plain sickening.

That’s what your all your FREEDOMs without RESPONSIBILITY have gotten you, Holland.

Whoops.  I better watch myself… that could be “offensive”...  because it addresses “sinful nature”... oh well, what are you going to do about it?  Take responsibility for your “sins” or whine about how offensive the speech is?  Most people today choose the latter.

Anonymous Person wrote:

Holland: I saw statistics recently about Holland. One in seven girls is is a victim of incest by someone in the family. One in ten young boys is a victim of incest by someone in the family.

Seeing as you didn’t show us the courtesy of providing citations, I thought I’d do a li’l research of my own.

Rates of victimization for females range from 6 to 62 percent,29 with most professionals estimating that between one in three and one in four women are sexually abused in some way during their childhoods. The rates for men are somewhat lower, ranging from 3 to 24 percent,30 with most professionals believing that 1 in 10 men and perhaps as many as 1 in 6 are sexually abused as children. As noted earlier, many believe that male victimization is more underreported than female, in part because of societal failure to identify the behavior as abusive.

That’s between one in three and one in four.  And where is this, you ask?  No, not the Netherlands - this is the US.  (found here)

Also, this site explains the nature of the law in the Netherlands.  Some main points you’ll find in this article:
- in the Netherlands’ criminal code, incest is regarded as seriously as rape of an adult, as is any other form of sexual assault on someone without ‘capacity of will’
- the age of consent is set at 12, but between the ages of 12 and 16 charges may still be pressed (upcoming findings may change this to 14, if deemed necessary)
- a resident of the Netherlands who is overseas and found to be abusing children can and will be prosecuted in the Netherlands as well as the country in which the offence took place
- Child pornography is illegal and has been since 1986

And, several states (Iowa, South Carolina and Hawaii, to name a few) have the age of consent at age 14.

Interesting, no?

Oops, the above poster is me.  Cookie must’ve expired on me.

On 2001-07-17 08:32, Raena wrote:
Anonymous says:
In reality, ALL crimes (or at least violent ones) are hate crimes, that is they show hatred for civilized society on the part of the perpetator, Making politically based differentiations only obscures this fact.

Why are people so upset about the fact that crimes committed by racist, sexist, homophobic jerks are finally being shown up for what they are?  The *fact* is that for far too long, the pattern of abuse that is inflicted on minorities is swept under the carpet and lumped in with everything else in an attempt to pretend that there isn’t a real problem.

You missed the point again. These people should be held accountable for whatever crime they commit - not because they are jerks.

Bryan says:
The efforts of special interest groups to have violence against their special interests treated differently than other violence is about as un-American as you can get.

If the idea that minorities’ issues should remain in the shadows is the American way, then I’m glad I don’t live there.

It’s not a minority issue - it’s crime issue. Once again, you miss the point.

On 2001-07-19 02:16, Michael Munger wrote:

Why are people so upset about the fact that crimes committed by racist, sexist, homophobic jerks are finally being shown up for what they are?  The *fact* is that for far too long, the pattern of abuse that is inflicted on minorities is swept under the carpet and lumped in with everything else in an attempt to pretend that there isn’t a real problem.

Abuse against minorities is a problem. There are also other crimes that are problems. One should not be considered as more or less important than the other, they should be treated in full equality, because all crimes should be treated as important problems.

Indeed it is, and more often than not, it comes from within their own group.

If the idea that minorities’ issues should remain in the shadows is the American way, then I’m glad I don’t live there.

I believe that Bryan meant that minorities’ issues should be treated as equally important as those of anybody else. Not more, not less. This is the idea behind being equal. Otherwise, we are talking about special treatment, a dangerous path to take, whoever takes advantage of it.

_________________
“...popularity isn’t the issue, and political capital exists to be spent in great causes rather than hoarded. The issue is vision.”
- Brian Mulroney, former Canadian Prime Minister

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Michael Munger on 2001-07-19 02:18 ]</font>

It’s not a minority issue - it’s crime issue. Once again, you miss the point.

No, YOU’RE missing the point.  Crimes against minorities have been left in the dark for far too long, or passed off as something that’s not as important as the ones happening to everyone else.  It’s not the crime issue I’m concerned about, it’s the attitudes towards them.