URGENT NEED FOR SOCIOLOGICAL STUDIES EXPLORING LIFE EXPERIENCE FACTORS THAT MIGHT PLAY A ROLE IN RACIAL OR ETHNIC ANTIPATHY TOWARD ANY PARTICULAR RACIAL GROUP OR ETHNIC GROUP IN THE UNITED STATES

The proposed federally-sponsored sociological studies, prompted by very recent race-related incidents of violence that were reported by the American news media, might explore whether Americans exhibiting significant antipathy toward one or more racial or ethnic groups other than their own:

--have a possible history of themselves or one or more relatives of theirs having been allegedly physically assaulted or sexually assaulted or physically abused by one or more persons of a racial or ethnic group or nationality other than their own.

--have a possible history of themselves or one or more relatives of theirs having been victimized by any other form of alleged violent crime, such as robbery or burglary or a home-invasion crime, in which the alleged perpetrator or alleged perpetrators were members of a racial or ethnic group or nationality other than their own.

--have a possible history of themselves or one or more relatives of theirs having been victimized by any other category of felony crime in which the alleged perpetrator or perpetrators were members of a racial or ethnic group or nationality other than their own.

These types of studies might help to identify possible underlying contributing factors behind Americans exhibiting racial antipathy or ethnic antipathy toward persons of a racial or ethnic group other than their own. 

With help from that additional factual information, these studies could play a role in the development and approval of new public policies by the U.S. Government that address those possible underlying causes or contributors to racial or ethnic antipathy, or to possible xenophobia-related antipathy, in this nation.