å Sunday, March 5th, 2017

Toni Mitchell
Assign #4
Samuel Moyn: The difference between human rights and the rights of a human.

The terms “Rights of a human” and “human rights” may be considered to be similar, but yet so different. In order to differentiate the two, I had to first find the true meaning of the word right itself. For most, a right may be defined as a moral or legal entitlement to have or obtain something or to act in a certain way. But for specifically for whom are rights created. While reading the Samuel Moyn’s piece entitled the Last Utopia, I question if there were any changes at all. We are still tackling the same issues from the 1940’s. “All men are created equal’ is a term we loosely throw around without assessing it through the critical mind. While I do admit there are some major changes (I am living proof of it) in regards to physical enslavement, we are indeed still caged animals (too harsh?). “People think of history in the long term” Phillip Roth says, “but history, in fact is vert sudden” (Moyn,4).

Drawing from the reading, the rights of man were created were created by men (of course) and based upon what deemed necessary for society. And to be recognized as a man, it was required to have ownership of a property. This brings me back to my point about for whom are these rights created. if you weren’t a white male with property, are you then not human?

Human rights is a more of a modern term. The became popular after World War II. The idea of Human Rights is much like the one of Utopia. It is an imagined place or state of things in which everything is perfect. Ironically, the tittle of Moyn’s book is called The Last Utopia and it is exactly that. The thought of the word alone introduces hope; the thought of everyone being equal, but it is not reality. It merely evokes hope and promote action (Moyn,1).

The term human rights has a certain ring to it. I can’t quite explain it but it does give me a sense of empowerment. Just uttering the words, I feel the urge to fight; to stand up for something. People to say that knowledge is power and indeed it is. For if i did not read, then I’d still be taking for granted the struggle our society faces today . I’d agree with Wendy Brown that the phrase human rights is not merely a cry for the weak, but for those wiling to pay attention about what actually taking place in the world. To understand that the battle is not yet over, it is only just now beginning. We must take what we learned and not only apply it but to question it as well.

Brown stresses the need for a sense of security in more than one area. It is true that social and economic recognition is necessary. For it it important for one to have all the required factors such as a rod over their head, food, education, and not to mention the right to feel safe which brings me to my next point: security inside neighborhoods considered lower class. A police officer code of conduct is to serve and protect. however for most, seeing a police officer means you might die tonight. As if that isn’t bad enough, Mass Incarceration is one of todays strategy of enslavement. The US has about 25% of the worlds incarnated people. Now where’s the sense of security in that? Most police officers are trained to target [most] young citizens from certain background to arrest. If the individual is has served his/her sentence; by the time they come home, they have been literally casted out of society. It is easy to access a person’s criminal background online, therefore any random person in the neighborhood may target that individual. if one should apply for a job, there is always mandatory section that asks about a felony. As if they person checked yes, he was still considered a qualified candidate.

Gentrification is another strategy used to revamp the ideology of slavery. Keep in mind, I am not referring to persons of a different racial background, it simply about the rich and the poor. We walk around the area, let’s say Harlem for example, and take notice to how beautiful the campus of Columbia University appears, but knowing that people are being pushed out of their neighborhoods because of raised rent or some shuck bought their building just knock it down, saddens me. Where are the rights of those individuals ? I mean aren’t they considered human. Don’t they have the right to stay in their homes? The Dakota Pipeline is a perfectly example of how “human rights” can be pushed aside and stepped on by those with power. The government is wiling to contaminate the main water source for the people living on that reservation and when the people decided to stand up and fight, they released canine. Although the choice of action was indeed cruel by the US government, the fact that the native fought for their land, people like me know heard their voices, which provides some reassurance that there is much more work be done in regards to claim of human rights as a whole.

Ive always questioned the phrase “all ‘men’ are create equal. Not in terms of …..but because of the usage of the term man itself. I find it interesting how society uses the term man to define citizens as a whole. It comes as no surprise that there’d be some tricky contract degrading women. The real question is why; is it really too difficult to fathom a reality where women receive the same respect as men. Not just in a financial sense but, but just as an human being. Hobbes stated that was no actual difference between men and women, but that sexual relation should be consented through a contract or by force. On paper, it states that it is against the law to discriminate against another based on religion, sex, racial etc. However, I feel as though it is only put in writing to shut us up. it’s like giving a dog a bone so doesn’t stare in your face while eating.

The recent election for example proves just that. I feel as though even if the opposing candidate was worse of moron that the Donald himself, Hillary Clinton would’ve still loss. Clinton did not loose the presidential campaign because of failure to impress citizens, but merely because she was a woman. It’s ironic how women are often seen as being emotionally incompetent, when indeed men. Even through job descriptions. A teacher jobs for example is considered a woman’s job because the nursing of a child is involved therefore the pay is a load of crap.

Another thing that stood out to me in the Sexual Contract read, is the determination of stature is based upon the father, grandfather, and his father so and so forth. As a child and even still till this day, it was always my dream to get married and change my last name. After reading the sexual contract, I do now question that policy. Why is that it is the man’s name that gets carried on for generations? I.e if you have a child, whether a girl or boy, it is the fathers name that is given as the child’s surname. It it such messages hidden in the sexual contact that intrigues me. I know for a fact that I am strong woman, but I am guilty of acting a certain away around my significant other. He doesn’t like me smoking (marijuana) because it isn’t “lady-like”. James Brown once said It is a man’s world (which obviously it is), but it is nothing without a woman. Men, they only hold us back, because they security fear what we’re capable of; Wouldn’t you agree?