Thank you so much for your question and your kind remarks and sentiments.
I would say that a hate crime is any act that makes another group feel persecuted or hated. This includes big things like keying someone's car or smashing a window; however, it can also include things that isolate people or leave people out of something they have the right to fully....
For example, I brought the example of my friend who was on a sports team in high school, and the only reason she was not allowed to go and sub on at the last second was that she was wearing leggings under her shorts. I would also include that as a definition of a hate crime, or at least a hate act. Even when people are shouting out racial slurs or screaming them on the street when they're driving past you, or things like this, that's where hate crimes start.
If we don't nip them at the root right where they're beginning, oftentimes they can just become the climate of our society. There are many countries in the world where it has started with people going around and maybe insulting or shouting out hatred against minority groups. Then no one stopped that. The police didn't stop it or they felt like they didn't have the proper authority to do it and maybe the legislation wasn't there. It escalated and escalated to the point where it became systemic and part of the everyday world.
It would be just to nip it exactly when it's starting off. Anything that's spreading hatred should be stopped, especially online. It's very easy to find a lot of hate groups online. Some are hiding in the dark corners, as people have mentioned before, but there are many that are blatantly spreading their hatred, even on social media and things like that. It should definitely be monitored. Social media organizations should also be encouraged to stop this hatred.
There are lot of things about freedom of voice and freedom of speech and things like that, but of course it goes to an extent.
Thank you.