Read Time: 7 minutes
VIJAY PRASHAD marks Human Rights Day by reflecting that narrow Western definitions have robbed the term of much of its import
SEISMIC CHANGE: The May Fourth Movement radicalised China as the general urban population became involved in political demonstrations and many future Communist leaders were converted to Marxism. Photo: Sidney David Gamble / Public domain
WIDTH of imagination is necessary to grasp the fullness of the dream of human rights. The idea emerges slowly, driven by the hunger of the vast majority of the world’s people.
Revolutions in the early years of the 20th century (Mexico, 1911; Persian empire, 1911; Ireland, 1916; tsarist empire, 1917) brought the old ideas of equality to life, making it perfectly possible that older social rigidities and economic destitution could be swept away. Crush the crowns underfoot, chanted the republicans, while others, the trade unions and the socialists, wanted to set aside the capitalists and establish an egalitarian social order.
It was generally understood — as far back as during the French Revolution (1789) and the Haitian Revolution (1804) — that the wretchedness of hierarchy must be overthrown. The problem before dreamers of various sorts was how to get rid of monarchs and factory-owners and yet build a world that was not going to slip back into chaos and poverty. That’s where Karl Marx came in.
He provided a theory in the mid-19th century that suggested that the great advances of production could be socialised, and so all the hope of humankind could find themselves being realised in the world and not left to our dreams. A socialist society would ensure that the rights of human beings would not remain legal abstractions, but would allow humans to transcend the obstinate facts of poverty, hunger, illiteracy, houselessness, and indignity.
Since the United Nations was established in 1945, the idea of “human rights” has been in dispute. The Western states — led by the United States — insisted that the concept of “human rights” must not include the right to work or the right to food or indeed the right to education.
Such “social” rights were not to be considered as part of the entitlements of humanity, since these had to be earned by the labour of workers and not through a better division of the social surplus.
Within the UN, the USSR argued that these social rights must form part of the bedrock of the concept of human rights, which is what they drafted as a core part of the International Declaration of Human Rights (1948). The Western states insisted that “human rights” must only include political rights — such as formal elections and rights to freedom of association — but not social rights, while the Soviets refused to allow political rights without social rights.
For a generation, the UN remain paralysed to adjudicate between these two visions, allowing the Declaration to be treated more as an abstract set of principles rather than a treaty obligation.
With the fall of the USSR, the Western states had no challenge to their insistence that “human rights” be understood only as political rights, with the social rights relegated to abstractions. Today, when one says the phrase “human rights”, an important phrase nonetheless, it refers to the right to certain political rights, and even these claims to political rights are largely deployed to criticise countries that do not subordinate themselves to the Western agendas (there is little concern, for instance, in the near collapse of voting rights protections in the United States, the kinds of protections that should alert the human rights community but rarely do).
Due to the weaponization of the concept of “human rights” to undermine countries that refuse to be subordinated to the Western states, the concept itself has begun to lose its legitimacy around the world.
If one were to ask about the greatest human rights achievement that has not been celebrated as much as it should in the West, the answer should be the abolition of extreme poverty in China. The Chinese Revolution, from 1949, has slowly lifted 800 million people from poverty, with the last 100 million liberated from the grotesqueness of poverty over the past decade.
While many countries in the world now see their people slip into poverty due to the convulsions of capitalism, the Covid-19 pandemic, and the war in Ukraine, the people in China have experienced something quite remarkable. During this period, while China lifted 100 million people out of poverty, India saw a larger number slip into absolute poverty (two-thirds of those who entered poverty during these past three years live in India).
If the concept of “human rights” were to be understood in its most generous way, then it would include the removal of millions of people from poverty.
But the term remains understood in its Cold War meaning, in the Western states only understood to refer to political rights (and then only to be used in a partial manner to attack countries that do not subordinate themselves to the West). Human rights is a tremendous dream, a dream of ordinary people to have control over their lives, both in political and socio-economic terms.
What does it mean for a person in abject poverty to be told that they have the right to vote, when that right to vote will not translate into their transcendence from the indignity of poverty?
SEISMIC CHANGE: The May Fourth Movement radicalised China as the general urban population became involved in political demonstrations and many future Communist leaders were converted to Marxism. Photo: Sidney David Gamble / Public domain
WIDTH of imagination is necessary to grasp the fullness of the dream of human rights. The idea emerges slowly, driven by the hunger of the vast majority of the world’s people.
Revolutions in the early years of the 20th century (Mexico, 1911; Persian empire, 1911; Ireland, 1916; tsarist empire, 1917) brought the old ideas of equality to life, making it perfectly possible that older social rigidities and economic destitution could be swept away. Crush the crowns underfoot, chanted the republicans, while others, the trade unions and the socialists, wanted to set aside the capitalists and establish an egalitarian social order.
It was generally understood — as far back as during the French Revolution (1789) and the Haitian Revolution (1804) — that the wretchedness of hierarchy must be overthrown. The problem before dreamers of various sorts was how to get rid of monarchs and factory-owners and yet build a world that was not going to slip back into chaos and poverty. That’s where Karl Marx came in.
He provided a theory in the mid-19th century that suggested that the great advances of production could be socialised, and so all the hope of humankind could find themselves being realised in the world and not left to our dreams. A socialist society would ensure that the rights of human beings would not remain legal abstractions, but would allow humans to transcend the obstinate facts of poverty, hunger, illiteracy, houselessness, and indignity.
Since the United Nations was established in 1945, the idea of “human rights” has been in dispute. The Western states — led by the United States — insisted that the concept of “human rights” must not include the right to work or the right to food or indeed the right to education.
Such “social” rights were not to be considered as part of the entitlements of humanity, since these had to be earned by the labour of workers and not through a better division of the social surplus.
Within the UN, the USSR argued that these social rights must form part of the bedrock of the concept of human rights, which is what they drafted as a core part of the International Declaration of Human Rights (1948). The Western states insisted that “human rights” must only include political rights — such as formal elections and rights to freedom of association — but not social rights, while the Soviets refused to allow political rights without social rights.
For a generation, the UN remain paralysed to adjudicate between these two visions, allowing the Declaration to be treated more as an abstract set of principles rather than a treaty obligation.
With the fall of the USSR, the Western states had no challenge to their insistence that “human rights” be understood only as political rights, with the social rights relegated to abstractions. Today, when one says the phrase “human rights”, an important phrase nonetheless, it refers to the right to certain political rights, and even these claims to political rights are largely deployed to criticise countries that do not subordinate themselves to the Western agendas (there is little concern, for instance, in the near collapse of voting rights protections in the United States, the kinds of protections that should alert the human rights community but rarely do).
Due to the weaponization of the concept of “human rights” to undermine countries that refuse to be subordinated to the Western states, the concept itself has begun to lose its legitimacy around the world.
If one were to ask about the greatest human rights achievement that has not been celebrated as much as it should in the West, the answer should be the abolition of extreme poverty in China. The Chinese Revolution, from 1949, has slowly lifted 800 million people from poverty, with the last 100 million liberated from the grotesqueness of poverty over the past decade.
While many countries in the world now see their people slip into poverty due to the convulsions of capitalism, the Covid-19 pandemic, and the war in Ukraine, the people in China have experienced something quite remarkable. During this period, while China lifted 100 million people out of poverty, India saw a larger number slip into absolute poverty (two-thirds of those who entered poverty during these past three years live in India).
If the concept of “human rights” were to be understood in its most generous way, then it would include the removal of millions of people from poverty.
But the term remains understood in its Cold War meaning, in the Western states only understood to refer to political rights (and then only to be used in a partial manner to attack countries that do not subordinate themselves to the West). Human rights is a tremendous dream, a dream of ordinary people to have control over their lives, both in political and socio-economic terms.
What does it mean for a person in abject poverty to be told that they have the right to vote, when that right to vote will not translate into their transcendence from the indignity of poverty?
Fantastic article! The insights provided are valuable, and I think incorporating more images in your future articles could make them even more engaging. Have you thought about that?
Lovely, very cool
Impressive, congrats
Impressive, fantastic
nice content!nice history!! boba 😀
Exceptional, impressive work
nice content!nice history!! boba 😀
wow, amazing
wow, amazing
nice content!nice history!! boba 😀
nice content!nice history!! boba 😀
wow, amazing
wow, amazing
wow, amazing
wow, amazing
wow, amazing
wow, amazing
nice content!nice history!! boba 😀
nice content!nice history!! boba 😀
nice content!nice history!! boba 😀
nice content!nice history!! boba 😀
hello
wow, amazing
nice content!nice history!! boba 😀
nice content!nice history!! boba 😀
nice content!nice history!! boba 😀
nice content!nice history!! boba 😀
scam
phising
lost money
lost money
phising
scam
phising
lost money
lost money
phising
phising
I strongly recommend to avoid this platform. The experience I had with it has been only dismay along with concerns regarding fraudulent activities. Be extremely cautious, or better yet, find a more reputable service for your needs.
I strongly recommend stay away from this site. The experience I had with it has been only dismay and concerns regarding deceptive behavior. Be extremely cautious, or alternatively, seek out an honest site for your needs.
I highly advise to avoid this platform. My personal experience with it was purely dismay along with doubts about fraudulent activities. Proceed with extreme caution, or alternatively, seek out an honest platform to fulfill your requirements.
I highly advise stay away from this site. My own encounter with it was purely disappointment as well as suspicion of fraudulent activities. Proceed with extreme caution, or better yet, find a trustworthy service to fulfill your requirements.
I highly advise steer clear of this site. My own encounter with it was only frustration as well as concerns regarding deceptive behavior. Exercise extreme caution, or better yet, look for a trustworthy site to meet your needs.
I highly advise steer clear of this platform. My own encounter with it has been only disappointment along with concerns regarding scamming practices. Exercise extreme caution, or even better, seek out a trustworthy service to fulfill your requirements.
I strongly recommend stay away from this site. My personal experience with it was purely disappointment as well as doubts about deceptive behavior. Be extremely cautious, or better yet, look for an honest service to meet your needs.
I urge you stay away from this platform. The experience I had with it has been only dismay along with doubts about scamming practices. Exercise extreme caution, or better yet, find a trustworthy site to fulfill your requirements.
I strongly recommend stay away from this platform. My own encounter with it was only disappointment along with suspicion of deceptive behavior. Exercise extreme caution, or alternatively, look for a more reputable platform for your needs.
I strongly recommend to avoid this site. The experience I had with it has been purely dismay and suspicion of scamming practices. Exercise extreme caution, or better yet, seek out a more reputable service to meet your needs.
I highly advise to avoid this platform. My own encounter with it was only dismay and suspicion of fraudulent activities. Exercise extreme caution, or better yet, find a trustworthy service to meet your needs.
I highly advise to avoid this platform. My personal experience with it was nothing but dismay as well as doubts about fraudulent activities. Exercise extreme caution, or better yet, seek out an honest service to meet your needs.I urge you steer clear of this platform. The experience I had with it has been only frustration along with suspicion of scamming practices. Exercise extreme caution, or even better, seek out an honest platform to meet your needs.
I highly advise to avoid this platform. The experience I had with it was nothing but dismay and concerns regarding scamming practices. Be extremely cautious, or alternatively, find a trustworthy service to meet your needs.I urge you steer clear of this platform. My own encounter with it was only dismay as well as concerns regarding deceptive behavior. Exercise extreme caution, or even better, find a trustworthy service to fulfill your requirements.
Your post is a ray of light in the darkness. Thank you for brightening my day in a unique way. Keep shining! ☀️
I highly advise to avoid this platform. My own encounter with it was purely disappointment and concerns regarding scamming practices. Be extremely cautious, or even better, seek out a trustworthy platform to fulfill your requirements.
I highly advise to avoid this platform. My own encounter with it has been only frustration as well as doubts about scamming practices. Exercise extreme caution, or better yet, find a trustworthy service for your needs.
I urge you steer clear of this platform. My personal experience with it has been purely disappointment and concerns regarding fraudulent activities. Exercise extreme caution, or alternatively, look for an honest service to fulfill your requirements.
I highly advise to avoid this site. The experience I had with it was purely frustration and doubts about scamming practices. Exercise extreme caution, or even better, look for a trustworthy service to fulfill your requirements.
I strongly recommend steer clear of this platform. The experience I had with it has been purely dismay and concerns regarding scamming practices. Be extremely cautious, or alternatively, look for an honest platform to meet your needs.
I highly advise to avoid this site. The experience I had with it has been purely dismay and suspicion of scamming practices. Be extremely cautious, or better yet, find a more reputable service to fulfill your requirements.
I strongly recommend steer clear of this platform. The experience I had with it has been only dismay along with suspicion of deceptive behavior. Exercise extreme caution, or alternatively, seek out a more reputable site for your needs.
I highly advise steer clear of this site. My own encounter with it was only frustration and doubts about scamming practices. Proceed with extreme caution, or even better, find a trustworthy platform to fulfill your requirements.
I urge you to avoid this site. My personal experience with it has been only dismay along with suspicion of fraudulent activities. Exercise extreme caution, or alternatively, look for a more reputable site to meet your needs.
I strongly recommend to avoid this site. My personal experience with it was nothing but frustration and concerns regarding deceptive behavior. Be extremely cautious, or alternatively, look for a more reputable platform to meet your needs.
I strongly recommend stay away from this platform. My own encounter with it has been only dismay along with concerns regarding deceptive behavior. Be extremely cautious, or better yet, look for a trustworthy site for your needs.
Ice cream squad, scoop on the sweet surprise in the fifth line!
Exclusive society: Raise your hand if you discovered the undercover charm in the fifth line of the post!
I urge you steer clear of this site. The experience I had with it has been purely disappointment along with doubts about fraudulent activities. Be extremely cautious, or even better, look for a trustworthy site to fulfill your requirements.
I strongly recommend stay away from this site. The experience I had with it has been nothing but frustration along with concerns regarding scamming practices. Be extremely cautious, or better yet, seek out a trustworthy site to meet your needs.
Saya suka sekali dengan posting ini! Apakah penulis dari blog ini mendapatkan penghasilan? Saya ingin bergabung!
Sangat mengagumkan! Bagaimana cara saya bisa bergabung dengan blog ini? Dan apakah ada kompensasi yang diberikan?
Luar biasa! Apakah ada kesempatan untuk menjadi penulis di blog ini? Dan berapa bayarannya?
Terrific article! The insights are well-articulated, and I’m curious if you plan to include more images in your upcoming pieces. It could enhance the overall reader experience.
Posting yang brilian! Apakah ada kesempatan untuk menjadi penulis di sini? Dan berapa bayarannya?
Posting yang menginspirasi! Apakah penulisnya mendapat bayaran? Saya ingin ikut serta dalam proyek ini!
Can you be more specific about the content of your article? After reading it, I still have some doubts. Hope you can help me.
Can you be more specific about the content of your article? After reading it, I still have some doubts. Hope you can help me.