On Human Rights Day 2022

“Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants; it is the creed of slaves.”–William Pitt the Younger

The abridgement of civil and human rights is an ages-old problem. History notes its presence in ancient times and journalism reports its menace today. Individuals are encouraged to ridicule human rights advocates by labeling us as “social justice warriors” and “woke”. Most SJWs would rather err on the side of wearing our hearts on our sleeves rather than being indifferent to the oppression of others. We understand that using the word “woke” is just another way of condemning empathy and compassion. If someone chooses to call me “woke”, I’ll take it as a compliment.

This is not to put woke people atop of a pedestal. I believe most people are inherently decent, fair, and kind at heart. Most citizens do not feel threatened when minorities wish to be included as equals regarding rights, obligations, and being treated with respect.

The truth of the matter is that common, everyday folks have been allies with freedom and liberation advocates throughout history. Women’s rights advocates struggled to achieve suffrage, workplace equality, and legal equality. The advocates and their allies continue in their mission towards full equality to this day. Parallel movements have enabled abolition of slavery and the continuing advocacy of racial equality. We find a similar culture of liberation regarding LGBTQ equality.

Something else that is alarming, is the suppression of journalists. After all, it is a free and diverse media that is tasked with revealing human rights abuses by governments, corporations, religions, and non-profit organizations. When the only allowable media are politically, officially endorsed outlets, censorship and repression win the day.

A noteworthy phenomenon rooted in oppression, is the presence of particular individuals aiming to gain power by screaming for the lives and rights of scapegoated people. This happens in autocratic regimes and is a danger in democratic republics. Just because a majority party or religion condemns minorities does not give the majority the inherent right to abridge the rights and lives of minorities. Human rights advocacy is the manifestation of the inalienable rights of all individuals.

Cheapening the lives of any group of humans, cheapens the lives of all humans–even our own. This underlies our human nature and psychology. This tendency is not obliterated by wishful thinking, nor through denial.

At home and abroad, there are insidious systems that deny the existence of human rights. They control populations through fear and intimidation. Oftentimes, the fearmongering masquerades as tradition or is marketed as “common sense”. It is through courage of the oppressed and their allies that inherent human dignity and self-respect are reclaimed. This is not an easy task for those who have been conditioned by the iron rule of oppression and conformity. Even under the most repressive rulers, the seeds of freedom and liberation incubate. They eventually sprout and mature. This happens because fear is not the default state of humanity.

I hope we all enjoy and honor the true spirit of Human Rights Day.

Ciao

The Blue Jay of Happiness quotes 20th century writer, James Baldwin. “We can disagree and still love each other unless your disagreement is rooted in my oppression and denial of my humanity and right to exist.”