by Farai Chideya

Farai Chideya

Today we did extensive coverage of allegations that an African-American woman in West Virginia was sexually and physically tortured, and that her attackers — all white — used the N-word while executing these crimes.

We'll continue to follow this case that has enraged and baffled people across the country.

I typed "Why Do People Torture" into Google and found this opinion piece of the same name.

The author argues that:

"Many perpetrate heinous acts out of a wish to conform. Torturing others is their way of demonstrating obsequious obeisance to authority, group affiliation, colleagueship, and adherence to the same ethical code of conduct and common values. They bask in the praise that is heaped on them by their superiors, fellow workers, associates, team mates, or collaborators. Their need to belong is so strong that it overpowers ethical, moral, or legal considerations."

This is, again, an editorial, not a scholarly article. But it does raise the question of why this group of individuals allegedly tortured one woman. What were the dynamics in the group of alleged perpetrators? Was there a ringleader who gained the consensus of the group, and why would the others consent?

Right now, torture usually comes up in a different context: the battle against terrorism, and the U.S. government's decisionmaking on how far to go in extracting information from suspects.

NPR's Mike Pesca did a report on the US policy on torture that raises questions of how well torture works.

In the case of West Virginia, the conversation is turning to another issue: is the case a hate crime? Federal and state officials have not yet decided whether to press hate crime charges. Some opponents of hate crime charges say they are redundant, at best.

In his article, a finance professor named Michael S. Rozef says flat out:

"Suppose hatred is the sole motivation of a crime. So what? A crime is a crime as far as the victim is concerned. Its severity is what it is and justice must deal with that fact, no matter what the motivation was."

What do you think of the issue of hate crimes in the West Virginia case?

And what do you think of hate crime legislation in general... is it useful, or necessary?