Hate crimes are crimes committed due to severe anger, ignorance, and lack of knowledge of the ideas and beliefs of others. Racism is the belief that one or more races are superior to others. Prejudice is prejudging others. "Gordon Alport, professor emeritus of psychology at Harvard University and an expert on prejudice, defines prejudice as... "a hostile attitude towards a person who belongs to a group, simply because he belongs to that group, and therefore presumes to have the objective qualities attributed to that group' (Lang)23"The most common way in which prejudice works is to stereotype people, that is, to put together everyone who forms the same ethnic group and assume that everyone has the same negative characteristics or behaves in the same way.This does not only apply to ethnic groups, but also applies to race, religion and other minorities. Hate crimes are so difficult to count because it is not certain whether a crime was committed out of hate 1989-1991, a study conducted by the Southern Poverty Law Center in Birmingham, Alabama, recorded an increase in hate crimes in these three years. The number of murders increased by 100%, cross burnings by 200% and vandalism by 50%. These acts are said to have been committed by a group of Ku Klux Klan "skinheads". The Ku Klux Klan began as a secret club in 1866, soon after the war, claiming the "superiority of the white man of the South." (Lang)20 Basically the KKK is a group of extremist individuals who persecute, intimidate, hang and harm anyone who is not a straight puritanical white male. Many of today's extremists are descended from these "Knights" of white terror. (Lang) 32. Hate crimes are not only against races (black, white, Hispanic, Chinese...) but they are also against religious beliefs, sexual relations... middle of paper..... .military magazines that are filled with articles on survivalism, the use of weapons and guerrilla tactics (Lang (69). Meanwhile, paranoia grows as the budget deficit skyrockets, the AIDS epidemic threatens health and health systems. These times can cause fear, insecurities, frustration and anger which in turn inflames scapegoating and racial stereotyping and, in turn, results in a resurgence of racism. Freedom of speech is one of the rights most significant granted to all Americans, but it is by far one of our greatest problems Our ability to express our opinion is that we must tolerate the beliefs and opinions of others ultimately, it can frankly be acknowledged that hatred is taught. If each new generation was more tolerant of those who are different, perhaps one day hatred and prejudice would disappear from our world. (Lang) 15