Racist man gets sentence...

Racist Man Sentenced To Attend Black Church

So this commits a hate crime, and sees no jail time? Seems odd. Shouldn't assaulting someone and yelling slurs at them get you some jail time. But instead, he gets to go to church instead?

On the other hand, this could go two directions. The optimist would say that being in the presents of all these black people once a week could rub off on him, and teach him the error of his racist ways. However, more likely, this man is going to go to church, sit in the corner, and try not to be noticed. If he is noticed, people are likely to know he's there on a court order, and it'll be interesting to see how they react? Shun him as a bigot, or welcome him.

All in all, it is always a good thing to experience being a minority (well, speaking towards people who aren't typically). Laura and I just picked a church at random a few weeks back, and ended up in a black church. The people were friendly, but there was still some unease about being the minority. It wasn't anything they were doing. It was in both our heads. But we both felt it. And it's important to know what that feels like. So, in conclusion, maybe that'll be the best thing this man gets from his punishment...