Hateful speech is so pervasive online and generally consequence-free — try getting Facebook to suspend an account — that it can be almost shocking to realize that it can be otherwise in the living world of flesh and shadow.
I can't be the only person mildly surprised to see a Niles man, Shahid Hussain, 43, sentenced to seven years in prison for spray painting swastikas around Northwestern's campus. Not the slap on the wrist most often seen in such cases.
Particularly because he pleaded guilty — typically that involves a lower of sentence, and one wonders what he might have gotten had he gone to trial.
The reason he got the book thrown at him, I imagine, is that Hussain was sentenced to two years in prison in 2022 for defacing a Jewish day school, bakery and several synagogues with hateful messages. He's a two-time loser.
I can't speak for you, but for myself, the 2022 trip to the slammer would been a subtle hint that maybe I need a new hobby. But haters are not the brightest bulbs in the box. And there is an addictive quality to it — they're locked in the thrall of an obsession. This is worth remembering, since some Jews seem to think they're auditioning for haters, that their words and actions, or those of fellow Jews, somehow provoke antisemitism, so we need to be on our best behavior. When in reality, antisemitism isn't about us; rather, it is someone else's problem that sadly involves us, such as this Niles man caught scratching an itch that just won't go away.
I almost felt sorry for him — maybe he thought that Northwestern was a safe space for expressing antisemitism. It certainly has seemed that way in the past. If only he'd stuck to the safer forms of hating Jews, respected the accepted etiquette, the specifics of which hardly need to be spelled out.
The story shouldn't be buried in the Tribune, as it reminds all those keen to make their private urges into bold public statements that, depending on the time and place, tone and exact language, sometimes it blows back on you in spectacular fashion. It makes a lot more sense — safer, smart and morally right to boot — not to hate anybody. I wish more people would give it a try.
Starting with those in power..
ReplyDeleteHate is fear and disgust and anger. Emotions that can overwhelm a closed mind.
ReplyDeleteHaters gonna hate. It's what they do.
DeleteMaybe that should be haters gotta hate.
They just can't help themselves.
Now this clown will have some time to think about his actions.
Hard time. Actions have consequences. At least it wasn't a wrist -slap.
Off topic but no surprise: Flydubai co-pilot underwent Islamist radical indoctrination
ReplyDeleteOne of the most interesting things about being Jewish is how often we talk about how sorry we feel for people who have been jailed over hate crimes. I'm not talking about the Hitlers, Musks, Fords, Gibsons, Jordans, Boberts, Joneses, Banons, Desantises, Greenes (huh, that's a lot of republicans...), or other major and popular figures, but the people who get brainwashed by them. So rarely did my grandparents or parents chastise the youth about their actions. They always called out the individuals parents, but never the actor. "they are so lost." "I feel bad for them." "I hope they get better."
ReplyDeleteHas society changed so much that I now see them and worry we are too far gone? Do I feel bad for these people? I don't know. But I don't think prison will help them. Ironically, i think them being in prison probably helps the people who brainwash these foolish masses. And perhaps that's the problem.
I would draw your attention to the key word "almost." "Almost sorry." Which is a long way from "how sorry" and much closer to "not sorry at all." You're kind of taking the ball and running with it. I also feel almost sorry for any 21-year-old who assesses his options then shoots up a school. That doesn't mean he shouldn't spend the next 30 years in prison. It means it's a damn shame.
DeletePer usual, you are right, Neil.
DeleteThe sentence is in order and may deter others. The downside is that imprisonment will most likely reinforce his prejudice, if not amplify its effects on him upon release. Hate that’s become part of one’s identity is lethal.
ReplyDeleteLife After Hate is an organization that helps extremists emerge from the cesspool.Founded by former extremists in 2011, the organization is respected and promising - though long term effects are unproven, as these kinds of programs are hard to evaluate. But at least it’s something.
Methods of teaching “humanity” are hard to evaluate in terms of consistent effects - including religious training of apparently most any kind. We humans seem to love our self- righteous holy wars more than anything, including self, others, and God. Hate takes over, its own character on the stage. Anyway -
https://www.lifeafterhate.org/ is worth a look.
Thanks for this.
DeleteYou are most welcome.
DeleteYou're surprised he got hammered so hard? Really?
ReplyDeleteLook at his name. Do you think he would have caught that kind of time if it had been O'Grady?
I have to believe many of these hate filled people actually suffer from severe feelings of insecurity and inferiority and project their self loathing on others. It’s easier that way, just blame the shitty way I feel about myself on others. It can’t possibly be my fault I’m unhappy or unfulfilled, it has to be someone else’s fault. You know, the other.
ReplyDeleteThese are the people most in need of serious psychological therapy, and sadly, probably also the least likely to seek it.
Neil, I had a similar impulse -- to write about what seemed like an awfully long sentence for hate vandalism. Drunk drivers who KILL people often get lower sentences. But as I considered his repeat violations and the impact of hate vandalism on a wide group of people I had the thought "well, it's a serious crime and maybe this will prove a deterrent."
ReplyDeleteLike most prisoners, he likelt won't serve the whole sentence. The average harrassment/stalking sentence is 30 months; the highest 5 years. The average sentence for a sexual assault conviction is 5.2 years . 7 years seems fair...
ReplyDeleteIn my experience, prison rarely serves as a deterrent. The younger the person is when they are incarcerated & the longer the person is incarcerated the more dysfunctional, non-law abiding behaviors & attitudes they are exposed to, the more these bad influences are embedded in their brains. Sometimes they get help from a pastor or a reformed inmate who helps them understand that they are digging themselves a deeper hole. But that is not the norm. As for serious psychological therapy, I am all for it - if you can get it. The problem is it is often difficult to find good psychological therapy even outside or prison. The few really good psychological therapists usually don't want to work inside the prison system. So my opinion is unless the person is so violent that they actually need to be caged to protect either themselves or others, a better choice should be found. Violence begets violence.
ReplyDeleteAll excellent points. I have friends who chose prison chaplaincy as their mission. This front-line work is not necessarily as overtly religious as many assume - rather its responsibilities include the challenge of seeing humanity beneath the surface affect, whether prisoner or guard. As you say, psychotherapeutic assistance isn’t easy to come by for many who need it. Actually many avoid it. But offering attention to those who least expect to be seen deeply, or truly, is a superpower more of us have than we may realize. That gift can be a game changer in some of these all but hopeless situations.
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