Assignment 03
As I read Wendy Brown’s “The most we can hope for…” Human Rights and the Politics of Fatalism, it made me view things very differently and get a better understanding on her views when it comes to human rights activisms.
As we may all know, human rights is a tool to fight injustice treatment and control that is put on innocent individuals, however Brown argues that human activisim is more than it claims to be. Ignatieff expresses his claims on his view of human rights, but it seemed that his views are within the boundaries, limits and levels within the political system.
Brown supports are arguments by using one of her main evidence, the case of the invasion in Iraq in 2003 by the U.S and Britain. Ignatieff would argue that “Human rights is a language of individual empowerment” and “when individuals have agency, they can protect themselves against injustice” (pg. 455). First, the word empowerment as we know through the state has its limitation; Ignatieff views this invasion as a form of human rights, however Brown would argue that this can be contradicting. How could this be so, when throughout this invasion many innocent individuals, families, children were killed, something they did not choose, but as something we choose for them. Such organization (human rights) that are controlled through governments, made a political decision, so do we conform through such changes and accept this? Another evidence Brown argues towards Ignatieff claims on what is right for those suffering, he would claim, “ A world of moral equality is a world of conflict, deliberation, argument and contention” (pg. 458). Brown would argue that if an individual rights (universal moral) is to avoid any form of oppression why should something very typical and natural be argued. How can through such organization of the human rights, govern and limit the lives of others.
Brown wants people to understand that human rights is not as simple, because at the end there will always be government control, as much as human rights activism would considered themselves anti-politic, politics will always play a part especially through any project that consist of what is right for the people. I agree with Brown, precisely because government and political powers will always govern what is right for the individuals, and no matter the organization, thing will never be as pure, and neither defensible when governments will be the ones controlling them.
