On Sunday, Gianpaolo Cerretani, of Revere, allegedly attacked a group of African-American and Hispanic men with a hammer. He is charged with civil rights violations, along with assault and battery, with one victim sustaining injuries. His roommate showed up in court today, and said this started as a dispute over a stolen football. Earlier this month, the Anti-Defamation League released new statistics that showed there have already been 56 acts of anti-Semitism in Massachusetts so far this year, compared to 61 for all of 2015.
What is going on here? Are hate crimes on the rise? Founder and President of BIGfish PR, David Gerzof Richard ( @davidgerzof), Director of the Brudnick Center on Violence & Conflict, Gordana Rabrenovic, and Founder and Director of Massachusetts Aggression Reduction Center, Elizabeth Englander ( @ekenglander), joined Adam on Monday night to discuss.
Englander noted that we haven't been doing enough research to understand these hate crimes and the different types of murder. But Rabrenovic said that there are similarities around the context of these recent hate crimes. She noted that politics are filled with hate speech right now, and with the current discourse, it seems that people are looking for someone else to blame for their problems. People "look to public figures to explain why things happen the way they do," she said.
There are no borders anymore when it comes to hate speech. People can connect and spread their hate all over the internet. Gerzof Richard added that because there are no names when it comes to a lot of this speak on the internet, people can be "anonymous on social media." He described the separation that occurs, when people online are separated by geography and usernames. People hide behind layers, and underneath those layers, bad behaviors begin to materialize. Englander added that in a digital environment, "it's safe to have those views," and to support those views.
Hate is so easily accessible on the internet. Gerzof Richard said to "imagine if you like hate," it is so easy to find like-minded individuals. He described the cycle that often occurs in our current media landscape: a news event occurs, and traditional media reports as usual. Then the material goes on social media, people add their opinions, and the stories have the potential to go viral. Because all social media networks have algorithms that show you what you should see, you end up seeing more of those opinions It becomes a "self-fulfilling prophecy," said Gerzof Richard. The internet only gives you what you are looking for through these algorithms. And if someone is interested in hate, they will be exposed to similar opinions.
They noted that there is hope that this cycle can be stopped. Rabrenovic said that "we as a society really want and can work together," on this. Gerzof Richard added that big social media platforms will also be working together, to stop hate speech online.
