Human Rights..

Although I thoroughly enjoy this class, some of our readings leave me with little faith in humanity. I am convinced that capitalism is the root of all evil, and every institution I credulously believed was for the benefit of the people actually isn’t. I can’t begin to explain how irate I was after our readings and class discussion on neo-liberalism and academic freedom. Is the revenue really worth it if we have to adulterate our education system through the promotion of capitalistic ideals and orientalism at the expense of malleable minds? To me it isn’t, but when human life is commodified nothing is what it appears to be. Even NGO’s and HRO’s aren’t exempt. I had no idea how political they were, and it really makes me question the validity of some of the organizations I too have given to in trying to “help” others. 

The various relief funds for the victims of Hurricane Katrina came to mind as I read chapter two in The Rise and Fall of Human Rights. I can remember all of the celebrity telethons, charity concerts and relief benefit awareness campaigns that occurred shortly following the travesty. I could recall saying to myself that despite the government’s dilatory tactics to bring aid to the victims, the city of New Orleans should feel hopeful of their bright future. For a brief moment I was even proud of the tenacity we possessed as citizens to try and help our fellow Americans, but unfortunately that feeling was ephemeral. Years later I wondered why some of the neighborhoods in New Orleans still looked abandoned and forsaken. Where did all of that money go? It wasn’t until reading this book that I discovered that solely raising money is not enough. Why? Because those who donate, especially big donors have the ability to dictate how that money is spent. What role does stigmatization play in this as well? Ultimately I think it is used as a catalyst to help frame the way donors are represented and how they present themselves to communities in need. Remember the earthquake in Haiti in 2010? Because of the way people of color in the third world are stigmatized in the US, it’s hard to question why donors are making such large contributions or why they have ramifications attached to those contributions, without looking like an asshole for questioning their intentions in the first place. One reason I respected Al-Haq is because they actually knew what was occurring within these Palestinian communities. They actually worked with the population directly, and didn’t operate from a place of self-service. It sickens me to know that donors who have only seen the Palestinian/ Israeli conflict through the media can dictate how the funds they give should be spent, not realizing the effects it has on the people they are suppose to be helping. “The Westerners’ money that buys the police cars and demands human rights performances is seen as having corrupted both Palestinian political values and the people who are bought and induced to act in insincere, non-nationalist ways” (132). These donors go to sleep at night thinking they are some sort of hero, when really they are only in it for their own selfish interests.  But I guess this is where cynicism becomes a variable in this equation. How about instead of just throwing money to HRO’s and NGO’s to assuage our own guilt, we contemplate ways that we can advocate structural changes for marginalized populations overseas. To be honest we can do some of those same things here, but that’s probably nearly impossible to do in this “post-racial” neo-liberal society we live in…but a girl can dream right?