Unrecognized Warning Signs

What role do hate words play in school violence?

By Richard Van Dorn

Sticks and stones may break our bones ... and maybe words can, too. New research shows that the use of hate words, including derogatory comments about race, ethnicity, sexuality, gender, and religion, can set in motion a chain of events that sometimes leads to violence at schools. Too often, however, warning signs are not recognized, and violence is reacted to rather than prevented.

We know from years of research, as well as from common sense, that the presence of gangs and students carrying weapons, as well as the availability of drugs, contributes to a school environment conducive to violence. Many people, however, might not make the connection between hate words and violence, assuming perhaps that, as the old saying goes, "names will never hurt me."

In my own research on public high school students, using data from the School Crime Supplement, a nationally representative self-report household survey administered by the U.S. Census Bureau, I found that students who reported having hate words directed toward them were statistically 3.1 times more likely than other students to report being violently victimized (for example, assaulted or raped) and 1.5 times more likely to report being nonviolently victimized (by theft or property destruction, for instance) while at school. In fact, the presence of hate words was more strongly associated with violent victimization than was the presence of gangs or the...