You make a good distinction, though the motivation in the first crime is not analogous.

Suppose you attack a person becauuse he hurt your mother's feelings, or because he is a fan of another sports team, or any othe rnumber of reasons not related to race or creed?

I guess I will need to think on this a while longer; I haven't given hate crime legislation a thought in years

Hate crimes are not about who the victim was, they're about the motives of the individual who commited the crime. someone who would attack another person for beign black/mexican/gay etc. is more dangerous than someone who would attack another person to steal their money, the same way someone who would take the time to carefully plan a murder is more dangerous than someone who snaps and kills someone on the spur of the moment.

That's called revenge, not hate.

Hate is a motivating factor of revenge; every person who acts against other races or creeds does so out of a misplaced sense of retribution and vengeance.

The sports team thing stands, though.

SouthWest Canada or South West America?

I live in South West Canada so.... Of course were not fighting Indians. We never fought indians anyways they were aborigionals or native americans...lol just pulling your leg.

I briefly visited California for two weeks in like 2004. I have to say it was pretty bad compared to Canada, that is why I have my negative view. When we were driving we drove into a neighbourhood where all the windows were barred I didn't think much of it but noticed I only saw mexican's and south American's. Anyways we stopped and asked for directions and the guy told us we better get out of there. We decided to stop at a store. My friends kids wanted to buy some stuff the owner gave us directions then said we should leave. When we went to pay him he was like "Just take it" he rushed us out really rude but I noticed everyone in the store was staring at us.I also ended up in a black neighbourhood, we didn't stop but I was suprised that such segregation still exists.

In the city I live in Abbotsford BC Canada. Their are an abundance of races and we live in harmony for the most part. Gang violence is huge in my city but I live a block from a Sikh temple and in school alot of the kids are Korean. My pastor at my church is black. Basically their is no neighbourhoods where only people of one race live.

So am I ignorant, about the US? I can only comment on personal experiances. I don't live in California but when I was there I saw alot of segregation. I also have family who live in the US. An american friend of mine was shocked that I had a black pastor. He was like "You go to a white church with a black pastor?" he then was like "A black church wouldn't have a white pastor why the heck do you have a black one", I was really offended and started a big argument. He said in the states I wouldn't dare walk into a black church and a black man wouldn't dare walk into a white church. Now very important I don't actually believe him, I think I could walk into a black church anywhere and I would be accepted But I do think their is alot of racism in the US that isn't in Canada.

A quick question if I'm so ignorant and Canada is no different then the US and were just as racist as a country. Why was their the underground railroad? Why did thousands of slaves flee to Canada? They didn't flee here because we'd treat them just as bad as they were being treated in America. They fled here because they were treated more like equals. Slavery was outlawed in Canada and blacks were treated like equals.

Joelcool, I suggest taking a course on the cultural history of Canada starting in the early 1800's; you are in desperate need of perspective concerning racism in your own country.

Canada is a scary place when you know even a sliver of what there is to know.

REALLY? I'm not from America, but i've heard stories of people with possession of drugs getting longer time in your country.

I certainly agree its completely wrong to burn a swastica or cross or something on a guys lawn but is racism really a punishable crime? Its certainly vandalism and destruction of property but should it be a higher sentence because the guy who did it is racist prick who is trying to intimidate others of a different race? 

I really don't think the way we're going to eliminate racism is by sending people to jail who commit hate crimes.

Please enlighten us all knowing one. I'm ready to learn, grasshopper.

You've just proven that Canada was better to slaves in the 1800's.  Doesn't really prove a thing about the conditions more than 100 years later.  You don't think conditions and racial outlooks have changed since then?  I mean we had the civil war since then.