The deadliest attack on the Jewish community in the history of the U.S. occurred in Pittsburgh on Saturday, October 27. The gunman, Robert Bowers, burst into the Tree of Life Synagogue in order to kill innocent people that he did not know personally. This man openly admitted to hating Jews and wanting to kill them before the tragedy occurred. Bowers carried an AR-15 and three handguns with him when he shot eleven people and killed them in the Jewish synagogue that day. He blatantly stated that he hated the Jews in multiple settings in the past, and this proves that when hate goes unchecked, it can spur the most dangerous situations.

This is why I believe that persistent hatred should be considered as an emotional illness. When left unmitigated, hatred motivates people to harm others. Although hatred itself is an emotion, the crimes that are considered to be caused by it are called "federal hate crimes" and are punishable by law.

According to the Shepard Byrd Act, it is illegal to cause injury or use weapons against someone based on the victim's race, color, religion, or natural origin.

The Criminal Interference with Right to Fair Housing Statute makes it illegal to for someone to interfere with someone else's housing based on race, color, religion, or natural origin.

The Violent Interference with Federally Protected Rights statute protects the rights and safety of people who are participating in travel, jury service, employment, public education, public accommodations or helping another person do so.

The Conspiracy Against Rights statue makes it illegal for two or more persons to conspire to injure, threaten, or intimidate a person in any state, territory, or district in the free exercise or enjoyment of any right or privilege secured to him or her by the Constitution or the laws of the U.S.

Therefore, the United States considers all crimes inspired by hate to be illegal, but hatred in itself cannot be made illegal. The source of crimes is not taken care of, but the aftermath of the crimes are punished justly.

There are many mental illnesses that have nothing to do with hatred. Yet, we live in a society that tends to blame mental illness for the majority of hate crimes. Hate is not produced by a mental illness—hatred is produced by a xenophobic attitude and an inability to co-exist with other people.

This is why I believe hatred should be considered an emotional illness: it should be considered as an inability to co-exist with others when the person in question should be able to co-exist with others.

If a person blatantly expresses a xenophobic attitude and hatred, all of society should be concerned and someone should report it in some fashion before hate crimes occur. Hatred should be considered inexcusable because it fosters destructive and dangerous behavior. Although we have freedom of speech, speech can still be reported when it is used to foster more hatred and the potential for hate crimes.

There is no reason for people to not co-exist with one another, so when someone tries to invent a reason, all of society should be concerned.