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Melissa Koluksuz
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Universal Human Rights? Do They Exist?
Jul 16, 2009
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The idea of “Universal Human Rights” has been a contested issue. One view is that “Human
Rights” should apply to everyone, everywhere. Another view explores the possibility that some
things that are not accepted in some cultures, may be accepted in other places in the world, and
therefor anything “universal” can not exist. Is there such thing as a Universal Human Right?
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Shorooq
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Re: Universal Human Rights? Do They Exist?
Jul 31, 2009
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That was sad, the way you presented the issue in, Universal human rights are rights for all human
beings, basic rights, those who not agree with it should be talked to because they probably have the
mentality of an old man from the dark ages.
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Melissa Koluksuz
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Re: Universal Human Rights? Do They Exist?
Jul 31, 2009
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hmm.. that is not a very tolerant view. there are some places in the world, depending on religion,
culture, ethnicity, national history and a whole other variety of factors, that make others not see
things through the same lense as us. it does not necessarily mean they need their head checked. i
think a part of being a global citizen is to be more understanding and engaging in these issues
instead of brushing them off in an intolerant way.
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Shorooq
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Re: Universal Human Rights? Do They Exist?
Jul 31, 2009
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I am not saying we shouldn't respect these thoughts and believes and understand them, but as
universal human rights they should be basic, too basic for any normal human being to reject.
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LuLu
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Re: Universal Human Rights? Do They Exist?
Jan 4, 2010
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It is interesting to consider, that the universal human rights should be so obvious they don't even
need to be defined. However, since there is such a broad spectrum of thought and opinion, I don't
think we can take anything for granted. What seems obviously universal to me may be different from
the person sitting next to me. Since we are all brought up in different households, in different
cultures with different languages, values, and beliefs, we cannot take the universal for granted.
This applies to a universal moral code as well. Can it exist? Some may think there are obvious
ones-don't lie, cheat, steal, or murder, for example. However, look at Machiavelli, who thought the
ends justify the means. There is a sea of different opinions out there, and to find anything
universal, I don't think we can just assume it exists; a conversation needs to be started. This
then prompts the question, if we even need to discuss it, can it be universal? Is something
universal an unwritten rule of sorts?
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abbarighton
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Re: Universal Human Rights? Do They Exist?
Jan 7, 2010
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In 1948, following the Second World War, the United Nations adopted the International Bill of Human
Rights, or the International Declaration of Human Rights. It declares that the utmost among these
rights are:
1) All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights;
2) Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person;
3) No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment;
4) All are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of
the law;
5) No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile;
6) Everyone charged with a crime is entitled equally to a fair and public hearing by an independent
and impartial tribunal;
7) Everyone has the right to be presumed innocent until proved guilty according to law;
8) Everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each state;
9) Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion;
10) Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression, and to seek, receive and impart
information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers;
11) Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association;
12) Everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to fair and equal pay, and to form
and join trade unions;
13) Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for their health and well-being,
especially mothers and children.
Unfortunately, many nations have ignored those rights and some have simply denied them, including
the United States of America. And the U.N. has been unable to do much about it. In fact, the power
of the U.N. has been declining since 1981 and particularly since 2000, and the U.S. has been as
responsible for that decline as other violators have been.
Of course, the U.S. is certainly not the worst violator. In fact, I could name at least six other
nations that are far worse. But the U.S. has steadily and increasingly violated more and more of
those rights, especially the right of people of other nationalities, but ALSO of its own people.
Why? Because during the last 28 years the American right-wing Neo-Conservative Republican globalist
movement became more and more wealthy and more and more powerful in serving the interests of the
U.S. Religious Military Industrial Complex.
If you doubt that, I direct your attention to the following articles or pages on the web site of a
son of man who knows and tells us.
A New
Declaration of Independence
Poverty: America’s
Hidden Shame
How the Meek
Shall Inherit the Earth
Little Known
American History
Neo-Imperialism
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Spy007
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Re: Universal Human Rights? Do They Exist?
Jan 7, 2010
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Hahahahah human right in under developed countries DO NOT EXIST. unfortunately
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abbarighton
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Re: Universal Human Rights? Do They Exist?
Jan 11, 2010
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bonita2010 wrote:
Hahahahah human right in under developed countries DO
NOT EXIST. unfortunately
Yes. Of course. But the point is that we can do something about it. That is why I posted my previous
comment.
We, the people of the world, can and will save and improve it. We don't have to be divided and ruled
as we have been.
Read What IS the World Coming To?
Seriously.
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Obadina Ireti Oluwafemi Enitan
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Re: Universal Human Rights? Do They Exist?
Jan 18, 2010
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really it does exist for some chosen few who the people in charge feels deserve it.
for the cultural aspect its a difficult one because there is this saying that one man's mat is
another's' poison, so it all comes down to what is acceptable to each society.
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Aletha
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Re: Universal Human Rights? Do They Exist?
Jan 18, 2010
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This question is one that has occupied me for some time, especially given the battle between my own
beliefs about morality and my limited knowledge of the mindsets of people in many other cultures.
The problem I feel lies in how people define universal human rights. For many people, the
definition would be very broad and inclusive of a large number of rights that we enjoy in the united
states, and that are enjoyed in the large majority of the "western world". We think of them, for
example as murder being wrong, oppression being wrong, poverty being wrong, genocide being wrong
etc. For me, this puts the ideas into a western perspective, which i struggle with. There are
people in the world who believe, for example, that murder is ok, think about the death penalty; even
in the united states it is supported by many people and isn't that basically the same as murder?
Don't we partake in war, and killing large numbers of so called terrorists which is similar to
terrorists killing large numbers of westerners?
In this respect, we are selves don't practice human rights in the same way we preach them or in the
same way we define them. I then thought about a new definition as everyone having the right to live
their life, the right to access food, shelter, etc. But even in this form there are faults; once
again even in western society people believe that terrorists and murders don't have the right to
live, don't have the right to use the resources they have, etc. Even saying everyone has the right
to live would mean that suicide was against human rights, and many people do believe that. In fact,
there are cultures/there have been cultures when suicide is expected in certain situations (widow
burning in India for example). Once again, it all depends on perspective.
I finally came to the conclusion that the only truly universal right that I believe in is the right
to choose one's own definition of morality, right and wrong. While I do not agree with the
practices of some cultures, murder, suicide, war, genocide, or even the death penalty, while I may
wish to stop these things, bring perpetrators to justice because I believe it is wrong, I cannot say
that there is any other universal right besides the right to a choice of morality because there will
always be someone who disagrees with me on every issue, whether 95% of humans agree with me or only
5% agree with me, there is no 100% universal right. (granted, there are also probably those who
disagree with my one universal human right, but by doing so they are choosing a belief and therefore
also partaking in my human right, so it still almost works). Also, whether or not you can choose
your belief does not necessarily mean that you can fulfill it in your own culture or if it will be
accepted, the fact is you can think whatever you want, but whether or not anyone will listen is a
different question.
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Lee
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Re: Universal Human Rights? Do They Exist?
Jul 14, 2010
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Indeed. You are not the only one criticizing the US for human rights violations. Amnesty
International is calling out the states as well. You should check out this video on their
grievances. It's a well-done
piece.[link="http://www.newslook.com/videos/192935-amnesty-international-criticizes-us-human-rights-
record"]
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imae boniel
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Re: Universal Human Rights? Do They Exist?
Jul 16, 2010
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i think it exist, it is observed everywhere and anywhere i go... but other poeple discriminate
others and tend to forget these rights..
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Robert Dold
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Re: Universal Human Rights? Do They Exist?
Jul 25, 2010
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People have mixed up the words. What People >Mean< to say is:
Universal Human's >FIGHT!< to be Right.
Am I Human? and Do I have a Right?
All of the people of the World are exactly the Same as a Whole One World.
Human's Rights only Exist when a Basic NEED fails and EXITS. Everyone knows what basic needs are
even if there is Human Complexity added to Judging what Humans should be ALLOWED by others as if in
a War.
Do People at Peace need Human Rights? NO.
People who think of human Rights are Judging Human WRONGS between Humans who FIGHT against others
making others into Victims. Some Victims or those who see Victims become revenge driven and avenge
focused. Then the Words Human Rights becomes the TOP-I-SEE(Topic).
Dying of Hunger is a Human Right when there is no Food or water.
Dying from being hit with a Rock is a Human Right when there is Nothing the One Dying can do about
it.
Being Oppressed is a Human Right when the Victim has No Say against those who Oppress and those are
always MORE RIGHT than Humans who see Right in a different way.
Why worry about Human Rights as to Put them down on Paper and to Hold the Paper way high up for
everyone to see when what People need is a Solution to the needs of People to the Point where People
can walk freely at 3a.m. down a back alley in the dark because the other Humans are Right there with
that Person as a WHOLE Community looking out for each other.
Human Rights have helped in the Past DURING Human Wrongs where the Human Writing about how to Wright
a Right into a Betterment for Society usually is SHOT DEAD making the visibility of the Wrong CLEAR.
Every Human who talks Human Needs to those who are RIGHT ABOVE all others have the RIGHT TO DIE!
Look at the Past and the list of those who Die for what was never needed to go Wrong is a LIST MADE
by the WRONG who will search for any One trying to STOP the HATE.
HATE is more RIGHT in a FIGHT. Afterwards the Dead never come back. That is the TRUE LOSS in the
World.
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Jordan Ray
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Don't Give up on Human Rights
Jul 29, 2010
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The Oxford Dictionary defines a "human right" as, "a right that is believed to belong justifiably to
every person".
Universal Human Rights do exist. As abbarighton outlined in an earlier post, they have been
enshrined by the UN since it's formation in 1948. What human rights come down to, for me and those
who wrote the 1948 Declaration, it seems, is the first clause:
1) All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights;
Free and equal in dignity. Basic human dignity is what must be afforded by a scheme of international
rights. To respect a person's dignity is the very least that we owe to our fellow man (or woman), no
matter what he (or she) has done.
Yes, the support of this dignity is bound to be imperfect. Many point to genocide, murder,
expulsion, and other violations of dignity in the developed world and in states across the globe.
Guantanamo Bay prison in Cuba and its practice of torturing prisoners is a glaring example of how
human dignity forgotten and thrown to the wind.
But that does not mean that we should not strive to maintain and build the very excellent tradition
of Universal Human Rights. To abandon the search for a unifying set of global principles, as some
earlier posts have suggested doing, incurs the risk of sliding into moral relativism. Allow everyone
their own definition of morality? And if I believe that killing obese people is necessary because
they corrupt the gene pool at the expense of the rest of us, should I be allowed to do so? Perhaps I
truly believe that Christianity is immoral and that every Christian should be stoned? Or Islam? Or
Judaism?
No. Instead we must work together, all the nations, states, and peoples of this world to find a
common morality that we can build on together. To give up on Universal Human Rights is to give up on
human dignity and our fellow human beings.
Let us connect with each other and find out what we have in common, what we all believe is right and
wrong. From this foundation, we can protect and promote the dignity of all people.
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Robert Dold
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Re: Universal Human Rights? Do They Exist?
Jul 29, 2010
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Jordan:
As People POINT to Human Rights as if they Exist. I was just merely pointing out that when someone
POINTS to Human Rights is AFTER a RIGHT has Been Taken AWAY!
Religion has Nothing to do with anything anymore as GOD HAS NO RIGHTS in the World. The Only RIGHT
is to Write about how someone puts on a Shirt and a Tie like the Puppets in the U.N. who are in the
Business of Money Laundering while TALKING of how beautiful the World would be if some one holds
another's hand.
The REALITY is What has HAPPENED, What is HAPPENING, and what will NEVER CHANGE to happen which is
coming in the FUTURE.
I SEE YOU AS MY BROTHER. Everyone is my same FAMILY. Sisters, Brothers, More SISTERS! More
BROTHERS!
Who MAKES POOR PEOPLE? GOD? Yeah SURLY! There are adverse conditions for some People but for the
most part the WEALTHY that have TAKEN BY FORCE in the Past have occupied and given themselves the
RIGHT to OWN PROPERTY. The World ANTHEM is DON'T TAKE IT OUT OF MY POCKET!
You think I am against the World with my Words? No... There are 1.8 BILLION People without Potable
drinking water who have NO MONEY which PREVENTS the Basic RIGHT of NEED by others to SHARE. Could
the World Work together to get everyone water?
There was a Man who spoke in 1993 AT THE UNTIDY NATIONS(United Nations) and said that if the World
stopped producing WEAPONS for ONE YEAR that the Money would be enough for Water, Clothes, and Food
for 13 YEARS for THE WHOLE WORLD and then everyone could go back to trying to exterminate each other
as best as possible.
Human Rights is a NICE IDEA Brother but since we are in TRUTH One HUMAN FAMILY regardless of Belief
what should be the FIRST TASK? To talk about that or to GET OUR BROTHERS in NEED some WATER even if
NO CUP is provided.
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