Cynicism & Human Rights

It is amusing to read a book that has its roots in the exploration of cynicism. I say that because my own sense of cynicism leads me to say, Capitalism, why am I not surprised? It is considered completely acceptable to profit off children, the impoverished, the sick, and the destruction caused by war. Why not a ‘human rights’ industry also? NGOs, while publically reported as being ‘non-profit,’ in reality become industries of immense profit, public and political persuasion, but also co-optation. Allen makes this point clear in her explanation of the democratic idea and work of Al-Haq and the ensuing creation and corruption of the human rights industry in Palestine.

The problems caused by foundations and NGOs are not so foreign to the U.S. (i.e. the Bill & Melinda Gates, the Walton Foundation, etc.). Entrepreneurs and the wealthy elite funnel money into their ‘cause,’ they ask citizens to contribute (i.e. to Palestinian HROs, or the National Breast Cancer Foundation), and then the NGO uses its weight and currency to influence politics by (ironically) depoliticizing the cause. It results in a tremendously undemocratic system in which, not only can the elite buy the legislation that benefits them, but at least in the U.S., the elite are given tax breaks for doing so. The whole process seems to function like a political-money laundering scheme.

It’s amusing (and again, not surprising) that the UN actually “declared” a Decade for Human Rights Education (p. 102). I find this push troubling for many reasons. First, of course, it assumes that the Palestinians’ problems are related to a lack of education on their own part. It assumes that their problems can be solved if ‘they would just learn how to get along with others’ (i.e. ‘be democratic’). And such a tactic, of course, simply works to deflect all blame away from international interventions, Israel, and its brutal and oppressive treatment of the Palestinians. This type of educational campaign attempts to silence the Palestinians by delegitimizing their realities, claims, and experiences.

This declaration is also bothersome because the hypocrisy is just a bit too much to take. That is, during this same time period (1994-2005) the U.S. was simultaneously and systematically cutting social studies, history, and civic education out of its own public school curriculum. It would seem to me that these topics and the ideas that underlie them are all extremely important components for fostering some semblance of democratic engagement stateside. Now admittedly, the U.S. was probably not the only country in the U.N. to suggest this education campaign for the Palestinians. However, since we love to tout that we are ‘the beacon of democracy,’ it seems quite probable that we wielded some influence over the suggestion and direction of this educational shift. So, the irony is that while we removed civic education from our own curriculum, we turned around and prescribed it for Palestinians. This act alone seems to underscore the cynicism of Abed’s thoughts: “Look at your own country, with poverty, homelessness, and moral degradation…So before you try to spread human rights…” or in this case ‘democracy,’ “…why not go fix yourselves!” (p. 7). As Allen’s piece details, pre-packaged, mandated, and mass-produced crap curricular ideas are always effective at co-opting and then breaking down the ideas and work of democratic movements.