Abstract
In the same way that some young men get together on a Saturday night to play a game of cards, certain hate-mongers gather to destroy property or to bash minorities. They look merely to have some fun and stir up a little excitement... at someone else’s expense. In a thrill-seeking hate crime, there need not be a precipitating incident. The victim does not necessarily “invade” the territory of the assailants by walking through their neighborhood, moving onto their block, or attending their school. On the contrary, in looking to harass those who are different, the assailants search out locations where the members of a particular group regularly congregate. The payoff for the perpetrators is psychological as well as social: they enjoy the exhilaration and the thrill of making someone else suffer. For those with a sadistic streak, inflicting pain and suffering is its own reward. In addition, the youthful perpetrators also receive a stamp of approval from their friends who regard hatred as “cool.”
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Notes
As quoted in David Gelman, “Going ‘Wilding’ in the City,” Newsweek, May 8, 1989, p. 65.
Interview with Lt. William Johnston, Boston Police Department, Boston, September 1991.
James N. Baker, “Hatred in a Tolerant Town,” Newsweek, October 1, 1990, p. 33.
Kevin Sullivan, “2 Arrested in ‘Heinous’ Racial Assault,” Washington Post, March 4, 1992, p. A1.
Bruce Weber, “Black Children Beaten in Bias Attack, Police Say,” New York Times, January 7, 1992, p. 3.
Gregory Herek and Kevin Berrill, Primary and Secondary Victimization in Anti-Gay Hate Crimes: Official Response and Public Policy in Hate Crimes Confronting Violence against Lesbians and Gay Men (Newbury Park, CA: Sage, 1992).
Gary David Comstock, Violence against Lesbians and Gay Men (New York: Columbia University Press, 1991).
Eric Pooley, “With Extreme Prejudice,” New York, April 8, 1991, pp. 36-43.
“Gay-Bash Killing Testimony,” New York Newsday, November 8, 1991, p. 6; Joseph P. Fried, “Queens Man Describes Hunt for a Victim, Then a Murder,” New York Times, November 8, 1991, p. B1.
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© 1993 Jack Levin and Jack McDevitt
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Levin, J., McDevitt, J. (1993). For the Thrill of It. In: Hate Crimes. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-6108-2_5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-6108-2_5
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