I see people here asking why there isn't there more discussion of the Chicago torture hate crime?

[DemocratSinceBirth]

Because we live in such a polarized nation. What those four criminals did to that young man was a crying shame. We all deplore it. However when you have Alt Right commentators like Tomi Lahren saying the four young men and women involved are worse than Dylan Roof who killed nine black parishioners praying in a Charleston church in cold blood folks are reluctant to give succor to these kind of people, and appear as if they are abetting them.

I don't know what the answer is.

[Chemisse]

1. It's horrible and disgusting what those kids did.

But it is also reprehensible to use it to justify racism.

White kids have done horrible things too. And the lesson is often simply, those kids are just (inexplicably), really bad. But when black kids do it, the lesson seems to become, black kids are (inherently) really bad.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

2. That's what I was thinking.

Folks don't say Dylann Roof epitomizes all whites so folks shouldn't say the four Chicago criminals epitomizes all blacks.

It's hard to discuss when the Alt-right is making political hay out of it and drawing universal and sweeping conclusions

[Chemisse]

6. It's too bad because it was such a bizarre incident.

And it would have been interesting if the discussion had centered around what would lead kids to do this. Was one of them a sociopath and the others followed? What social pressures lead a teenager to put aside natural empathy and moral standards?

Funny, when I first heard the news report on this (on the radio), race was mentioned but I couldn't figure out whether the victim or perpetrators were of color. The wording of the report seemed to be using a light touch, as if concerned about setting off a racist spin.

[LeftInTX]

13. Drugs were obviously involved

I watched a few minutes of that video and it was like a Quentin Tarantino or even worse, a grindhouse, flick. Almost like the perps wanted to act out something from a movie.

However your guess is as good as mine. I have no idea of the real motive.

[democrank]

3. There are probably many reasons, some might be:

We are polarized, us vs. them

Empathy is not in abundance

It is now accepted practice to make excuses for almost any behavior

In general, the public has a short attention span

With 24/7 "news" offered by anchors/reporters who fear that truth will hamper access ,we rarely take the time for in-depth discussions

What's best for our country frequently loses to other interests

[pintobean]

4. No, as disgusting as that comparison is, that's not why.

That story was posted on DU when it was only being covered locally, before it went national. It was hidden by jury. Admin reversed that hide yesterday.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10028431876

[Chemisse]

9. That's really surprising!

As is the insistence among multiple posters in that thread that it was fake news.

It's discomforting to see some Dems also choosing to believe only what is in line with their political beliefs.

[jodymarie aimee]

5. not me

FOX is handling it just fine. We have bigger fish to fry here.

[mopinko]

7. justice is being served. nothing to discuss.

if the perps had been allowed to walk, like most rich white kids who do this kind of shit, that would have warranted continued discussion.
but they are all in custody, and since they are black, we are safe to assume they will be punished.

i would like to know more about these kids, tho. i have my theories about this kind of thing, and would like to know how these kids got that way.
we need to figure that out, and stop what we can.

cook county juvie authority is doing a lot more to evaluate the mental state of kids, and to look for things like tbi's, that could point a finger at how this happens. i hope they test their lead levels, also. too common in chicago.
we just now started demanding lead testing when selling a home. you used to just have to sign a waiver at closing that basically says, yeah, i heard of lead paint.

i would also like to know if there was a history of domestic violence in the homes. if we got serious about that, we would have a different world in a generation. but...

[okwmember]

11. Shaun King addressed this beautifully in his column.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/king-don-chicago-white-assault-case-blm-movement-article-1.2935825

[mopinko]

12. yup. where i got it.

i admit it. he said it perfectly.

[LeftInTX]

14. I also noticed the Trump connection in their behavior

Total bullies. A disabled victim.
I couldn't help but think that Trump admired them. Probably wanted them for cabinet positions.

[yardwork]

8. The perpetrators are under arrest. I'm not sure what more there is to discuss.

It was a horrible crime, but saying it was even worse than the mass murder of nine people is absurd. Why compare horrific crimes at all? The only reason I see is racism and pushing agendas.

[HipChick]

10. Stories have less than a 24hr lifecycle

before the next big breaking news story