1st Edition

Hate Crimes and Ethnoviolence The History, Current Affairs, and Future of Discrimination in America

By Howard J Ehrlich Copyright 2009
    206 Pages
    by Routledge

    208 Pages
    by Routledge

    Over the past twenty years, Howard J. Ehrlich conducted the first national surveys of ethnoviolence, helped design the protocol for identifying hate crimes, and has served as the director of The Prejudice Institute. This collection of essays is the result of his unparalleled research in this vital area of study. Ehrlich introduces the ten dimensions of America's social heritage that are necessary for a complete understanding of prejudice and coherently explains the complex differences between ethnoviolence and hate crimes. Through analysis of network television news programs and in-depth interviews with newspaper editors and reporters, Ehrlich explores how our mainstream media maintains racial and ethnic stereotypes. Case studies (the Oklahoma City bombing, Rodney King riots, Columbine High School shootings, and Hurricane Katrina) show how traumatic events are manipulated by political elites and the news media to shape intergroup relations. Ehrlich concludes with a personal and political look at the concentration of power in the United States and the increasing incidence of political ignorance as a tool of oppression.

    Part I: Ethnoviolence * 1. The Social Conditions of Ethnoviolence * 2. Ethnoviolence and Hate Crimes * 3. Further Observations: Some Questions, Some Answers Part II: The News Media * 4. Ethnoviolence and the News Media * 5. The Gatekeepers of Newspapers: * 6. The Production of Pathology: The Social Function of Local TV News * 7. The Design of Local TV News: If its White, its right Part III: Popular Culture * 8. Lessons Learned: The Bombing in Oklahoma City, The Civic Disorders in Los Angeles (1992), The Columbine High School Shootings, Hurricane Katrina * 9. Prejudice and Ethnoviolence on Campus Part IV: The Struggle Continues * 10. Profiling the Belief Structure of Right-Wing Groups * 11. A Brief Note on the Politics of Ignorance * 12. Step by Step: A Personal Trek

    Biography

    Howard J Ehrlich