Emotions And Its Effects On Human Rights

Inventing Human Rights by Lynn Hunt explores the notion that empathy is fundamental to cultivating the humanitarian feeling, as we discussed in class, it is necessary for human rights. By comparing the history of human rights with the literature of the Western Enlightenment period and the Industrial Revolution, Hunt aims to draw a connection with the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The Western Enlightenment period of late eighteenth century Europe changed conventional norms and experiences for many people, this brought about new understandings of individualism and compassion, which supported the progression of rights. Hunt theorizes that human rights are dependent on our ability to commiserate with strangers.

In recent years, there has been an attack on a basic American right, a right so fundamental and deeply rooted that it defines the basis of American culture. With the ever growing and sweeping power of the U.S. government, society is beginning to feel like this right has been crushed and forgotten. Wars were fought and people sacrificed their lives in the name of protecting the right worth dying for. What defined one’s livelihood, gave one a personhood, ensured democracy, promoted labor, and maximizes the happiness of the people will all come crumbling down. What was once an indicator of the elite leaders of a democratic society has become nothing more than a pawn in a political game.

Today’s government is more powerful than ever. Between Supreme Court rulings that uphold sovereign immunity to the power of law enforcement to disperse Occupy Wall Street protests, it seems as if the citizens have no right to disobey laws that they know to be unjust. Yet by this measure, the heroes of the past such as the American colonists, abolitionists, women’s suffragists, Gandhi, Martin Luther King Junior, Rosa Parks, and Nelson Mandela would be little more than common criminals. All of these heroes broke the law in the name of a greater justice, and today all of them are revered as being the most patriotic of all people. The attribution of patriotism to people who commit acts of civil disobedience is lawful and just, because

Imagine more than half of the population being denied its basic human rights. Fifty years ago, many basic human rights were a luxury, were a work in progress, or were even nonexistent. In fifty years, racism, sexism, homophobia, and many other types of prejudice have been challenged in the effort to create a civil and unbiased national community. However, despite the prodigious movements that have been at work for quite some time, each of these issues and many more still stand and exist today. I agree with Joseph Campbell’s “The Power of Myth.” Campbell’s stance applies to the issues of present day political ethics concerning human rights, more specifically, racism, sexism, and homophobia.

Peaceful protest is integral to American democracy. In the 1960s, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. marched for civil rights. From the eighties into the early twenty first century, gay rights activists marched for equality. Now there are once again marches for civil rights and even for refugees, people an ocean away. However, one must look further than the superficial aims of a protest to its motives to truly discover the root of the issue, that is, the protest’s impact.

The fight to protect human rights has been ongoing since the creation of law. The question of what constitutes as a human right has been raised time and time again to redefine laws in order to accommodate groups who have had their rights violated. From women’s rights to the rights of coloured people in America, social movements have been an integral part of creating change for the betterment of society. Today, the world faces yet another movement: the campaign for gay rights and the legalization of same-sex marriage.

Americans in the past have developed a strong attachment to promoting their love for their country. In this decade, national pride has increased dramatically. From billboards to bumper stickers outlining America 's greatness, to national anthems being sung at each and every game. Citizens value their love and devotion to the extent of it being perceived as wrong. Patriotism, as defined in the

Human rights are protected under Australian law in three key ways; statute law, the constitution and common law. It could be argued that if Australia adopted a bill of rights, human rights would be more clearly defined, consistent in all states and territories and more easily understood.

Many ideas are important within the American culture, but to the American sense of patriotism, freedom is most fundamental. The idea of freedom is central to the American politics – which is at times referred to as liberty. Since the birth of the nation, freedom has been the vocabulary of the American language and its importance cannot be underestimated. The Declaration of Independence, for instance, ranks liberty as an inalienable right. On the other hand, the Constitution reckons that it purposes to protect civilians’ liberty. The importance of freedom has even stretched further than the political arena and has prompted the birth of civil rights movements and other activist protests. The Cold War and the Civil War were all for the cause of freedom. The importance that Americans attach to freedom can also be demonstrated from the erection of statues, banishment of slavery, use of liberty poles and a right to vote for adults. For many years, women and the African Americans have for a long time fought against denial and infringement of their freedom . However, given the importance that Americans affiliate to freedom in the conceptualization of their country, it has been the subject of modifications over the course of years especially before the Revolutionary War.

Fear is all around us, and fear is surging. Fear can take control of our actions, what we share or comment. Fear has distinct meaning but have the same purpose: to manipulate or control a person, man, woman and/or even a child. Fear can be to discipline children or control the environment around us, humans have been more afraid everyday. As an outcome, this fear tactic violates human rights and negatively affects the innocent. On many situations, history and politics acknowledge, where fear and fear tactics direct to human manipulation and control. This can be certainly seen in modern political situations and practices, culture or society such as terrorism and McCarthyism.

In this source analysis, the ideas of patriotism as a reflection will be analyzed via film and quote. Patriotism by definition is an emotional attachment to a nation which an individual recognizes as their homeland. This feeling of patriotism can lead members of the nation to fight for the rights of their nation, and that these citizens will do anything they can to achieve their desired goal. This idea of patriotism is displayed throughout Roland Emmerich’s movie, “The Patriot” and a quote from Barack Obama on what rights and freedoms are to every US citizen.

If someone has another person’s loyalty, then they have been shown constant support and allegiance by the other person. However, if the person who is proving their loyalty fails to maintain the same constant support and allegiance, the loyalty between the two can be threatened. Although this interaction appears to be a social issue of our daily lives, it can politically depict a similar relationship between patriotism in a democracy and citizens of that democratic nation. The nature of patriotism in a democracy is loyalty to the ideals of the nation rather than the government because for the citizens, loyalty to the government is only possible when the government is loyal to the ideals of the nation first.

Throughout the years, The United States has been known as the land of the free and home of the brave. American citizens express their emotions by petitioning in something they do or do not believe in. Americans publish pictures, stories, articles to inform the public. Americans practice religious beliefs to show faith and hope to one another. Without any of these elements presented, the United States would not be free. Unfortunately, terrorist attacks like 9/11 petrified our government’s safety towards our citizens. Today in society, citizens question themselves if individual rights are more important than national security.

Glendon, Mary Ann (2002). A world made new: Eleanor Roosevelt and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Random House. ISBN

Justice can be defined as, valuing the diversity and challenging the injustice in society while human rights refer to, benefits an individual enjoys by virtual of being a human being. Justice is said to exist when all citizens share a general humanity and, therefore, experience equitable treatment, fair community resource sharing and human right support. According to justice citizens are not supposed to be discriminated, nor their well being or welfare prejudiced or constrained on the lines of gender, religion, age, belief, race, political affiliation and even sexuality.