[hr-education] Re: HRE in India - a vintage point

It is wonderful to read and participate in this discussion with others
concerned about human rights. Human rights seems, from a historical
standpoint, such a new concept in human thought that it is not surprising
that it is still a very rough and incomplete notion. At the same time, the
conceptions of human rights has, in is fairly short life, evolved and
developed in what appear substantial ways. The emergence of concepts of
specific rights, e.g., for women, children, indigenous peoples, are all
great efforts, if sometimes incomplete, contradictory and all. At least
people are struggling with the ideas. I don't think human rights has
reached any sort of absolute pinnacle of success, but at least the ideas
are beginning to spread and grow.

I would very much appreciate learning more from Maria, for example, about
your thoughts on the issues you raise about specific issues of
discrimination, how those goals for advancement might be achieved. I would
also appreciate learning more about Rhishi's comments on human rights
conceptions in India and Asian countries. I agree with Rishi that most of
what has been thought of as human rights to date has been based in western
notions, which I see as largely smoke and mirrors of rights, very little
substance. My guess is that te complaints typically voiced about human
rights is simply reflecting the reality of the bias of the concepts that
the west is trying to push, resistance to a point of view that promotes
western imperialism.

For many years my own work centered on increasing acceptance of cultural
diversity, and making cultural diversity a central part of health and
human service systems in local US systems of care. But for many years I
kept having these troubling insights that simply being what is called
"culturally competent" was an inadequate strategy. All societies engage in
various forms of harm to individuals. All societies violate fundamental
notions of human rights and equality, including the US. I began to see
how, rather tan actually making progress in human rights, most of social
and legal change is simply a change in the tactics of discrimination.
Discrimination has not, in fact, decreased, we have simply become more
sophisticated in how we go about it. Yes things have changed, but the
underlying realities are actually fairly constant. What has changed is the
subtlety and sophistication of our racism, sexism, harm to indigenous
folks, etc.

Peace

Dan


 

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