There is a ton of righteous indignation going on right now about the expiration of the Violence Against Women act. Yes, violence against women is a terrible crime. However it is not any more terrible than violence against anyone else.
The point of equality and rights is not to create special classes of criminals, but to equally prosecute the crimes of all people. The primary failing of hate crimes legislation is that it deems too many special cases. As an example, violence against gays to be worse than violence against women, or men who are not gay.
This is complete and utter foolishness, but it seems perfectly reasonable to many people because of the gross inequalities of the legal system as it works now. Layering more inequality does not in fact make a system more equal. As is no surprise it creates a more complex system of inequality.
Violence against women is a national concern. Women vote. So politicians want laws that cater to voters, and not to logic or reason.
The laws that regulate violence, and the existing justice system in America are more than adequate to the task. The fact that I consider violence against women to be morally reprehensible is not at all germane to this discussion.
Violence against people is wrong.
1 comment:
Have you read VAWA? You should read the whole thing and ponder the repercussions of it not existing to your female relatives and friends. If we did live in an equal world, it would not be necessary, but I assure you we do not.
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