hate is an emotion that anyone can feel towards anything yet they've somehow weaponized it all in one direction
https://www.1news.co.nz/2024/03/29/three-charged-after-rainbow-crossing-defaced-in-gisborne/
They are calling this 'painting' of the street a hate crime. Three were charged after the rainbow crossing was defaced. But I wonder how many were charged when the road was defaced by the rainbow crossing?
Any symbolism that inflames tensions is by definition divisive, irrespective of your position on what that symbolism means. Divisive symbolism should not be publicly funded. That inclues crucifixes, 10-commandment tablets, stars of david, swastikas, rainbow pride flags, all of it. Not only is it a stupid use of public funds, it is inappropriate for public funds representating ALL OF US to be divered to support only SOME OF US. This crossing should be a black-and-white zebra crossing like all the other NZ crossings are.
Previously I complained to my representative about the Human Rights Commission adverting on their website using public funds submitted by all of us asking us to vote a particular way on an upcoming referendum. They were not even pretending to be neutral.
All that being said, I have no problem with rainbows or LGBT people. This is about how public funds need to be spent in neutral ways. What if all the tax money America collected went into the Joe Biden campaign? Something wrong with that, right? Same issue here.
Discussion
The concept of a hate crime, and harsher punishments for them, is totally illogical. There is no evidence that anybody's ideology is going to change because of fear of harsher punishments. It is itself divisive, giving part of society what they want, which is to harshly beat up another part of society.
i wonder if our overlords divide and conquer strategy is going better or worse than what they thought. Seems like they are doing a pretty good job so far.