Devil made me do it

[_subgenius]

Just a passing curiosity in light of so many various judgments about so many of the seemingly "same" actions.
Why does motive matter to you?
Why does a particular crime merit more punishment than another with all things equal except that the motive was "hate", for example?

[_honorentheos]

Are two crimes equal if one is premeditated and the other is committed as a crime of opportunity or one of passion?

[_ajax18]

What exactly is a crime of opportunity? Even in leftist California the thieves who steal bait cars aren't excused because a new escalade with an open door and the engine running left in the ghetto presented a nice opportunity for them.

[_honorentheos]

What exactly is a crime of opportunity? Even in leftist California the thieves who steal bait cars aren't excused because a new escalade with an open door and the engine running left in the ghetto presented a nice opportunity for them.

And?

[_EAllusion]

What exactly is a crime of opportunity? Even in leftist California the thieves who steal bait cars aren't excused because a new escalade with an open door and the engine running left in the ghetto presented a nice opportunity for them.

With a watermelon and fried chicken in it, amiright?

[_EAllusion]

Just a passing curiosity in light of so many various judgments about so many of the seemingly "same" actions.
Why does motive matter to you?
Why does a particular crime merit more punishment than another with all things equal except that the motive was "hate", for example?

I don't think that crimes motivated by bigotry towards protected classes of people deserve harsher punishments. I think that veers off into the territory of punishing the content of people's beliefs that are socially condemned. The idea that motives should be taken into account when determining penalties for crimes is pretty universal, though. The idea is that motive helps determine how culpable a person is for a crime and how likely they are to reoffend in a given set of circumstances. That's why manslaughter and murder aren't the same thing.

[_ajax18]

With a watermelon and fried chicken in it, amiright?

I love fried chicken, collard greens, and watermelon. That's as much about being a southerner as it is about being black.

Have you ever watched Bait car?

[_subgenius]

Just a passing curiosity in light of so many various judgments about so many of the seemingly "same" actions.
Why does motive matter to you?
Why does a particular crime merit more punishment than another with all things equal except that the motive was "hate", for example?

I don't think that crimes motivated by bigotry towards protected classes of people deserve harsher punishments. I think that veers off into the territory of punishing the content of people's beliefs that are socially condemned. The idea that motives should be taken into account when determining penalties for crimes is pretty universal, though. The idea is that motive helps determine how culpable a person is for a crime and how likely they are to reoffend in a given set of circumstances. That's why manslaughter and murder aren't the same thing.

Yes, but you are really just restating question I'm posing in the OP.
You say that "motive helps determine", but how?

How does "premeditated" fit into justice?

[Guest]

With a watermelon and fried chicken in it, amiright?

I love fried chicken, collard greens, and watermelon. That's as much about being a southerner as it is about being black.

Have you ever watched Bait car?

There's a fundamental disconnect at the origin of thinking here, ajax.

To help the discussion, consider what EA said in his last post related to subgenius' OP question. Motive is fundamentally a consideration in the justice system. Whether or not systemic hate or prejudice should be an aggravating circumstance in considering the severity of a crime is another question. So your question about bait cars was not addressing the discussion. Crimes of opportunity are crimes. No one is disputing that. Putting the example out there in the context you did was a bit...I don't know. Next time, just ask about bait cars as an example.

[_honorentheos]

[Yes, but you are really just restating question I'm posing in the OP.
You say that "motive helps determine", but how?

How does "premeditated" fit into justice?

Unless you are dismissing EA's response to your OP I'm not sure what you are still looking for to further the discussion. He already answered your question when he said, "The idea is that motive helps determine how culpable a person is for a crime and how likely they are to reoffend in a given set of circumstances. That's why manslaughter and murder aren't the same thing."

Perhaps you can clarify in relation to EA's response. If you want to steer this in the direction of debating "hate" as a motive, let's just be direct about it.