Human Rights and the Age of Inequality by Samuel Moyn

Summary

In the essay “Human Rights and the Age of Inequality”, the essayist Samuel Moyn deals with the drastic mismatch between the egalitarian crisis and the human rights remedy that demand not a substitute but a supplement. He points out the human rights movements are simply not equipped to challenge global inequalities.

He begins the essay with a story related to Croesus who was the happiest and wealthiest king. He was more conscious about the happiness of his people. He wanted everyone not to be starved and suffered from destitution. All his wealth was captured by the Persian King in the war that Croesus lost. He relates this story with the declaration of human rights. Since human rights was declared in 1948 and every year it is observed but it hasn’t removed inequalities. There is still a vast gap between the rich and the poor in the world. He bitterly satires that each country respects civil rights, but none considers about the living of people at socio-economic destitution.

The essayist is in the favour of distributive equality that may help to wipe out the gap between the rich and the poor but it is absent in the Universal Declaration. The human rights founding document has declared status equality, all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights, but it is not possible in the practice.

The essayist presents two important stages of human history. They are the heroic age of national welfare states after World War II

, and the time when political economy ascended in the 1940s. this divided the world into two groups. They are the US led democratic nations and the USSR led communist nations. The groupism brought cold war. The human rights condition became worse during this time. The post war era couldn’t bring the desired development and human rights among nations which favoured ‘national welfare’ instead egalitarian human rights. At this condition, the essayist reflects whether human rights movement is necessary or not. He is in favour for distribution of global socioeconomic justice as Herodotus idealizes. He believes that redistribution of global socioeconomic justice will help to maintain the economic status between rich and poor and the gap will be removed. Unless the current economy and the socio-political structure exist, man won’t entertain the basic freedom and rights at the truest sense. Otherwise, the rich will live in the world of enjoyment and the poor live in a world of illusion with floating equality and freedom.

Understanding the text

Answer the following questions.

a. What is the first human rights declaration adopted by the United Nations?

Ans: The first human rights declaration adopted by the united nation is the mobilization of economic and social rights that Universal Declaration of Human Rights had promised from the start.

b. When is Human Rights Day observed?

Ans: The Human Rights Day is observed every year on the 10th of December when Universal Declaration of Human Rights was made in 1948 A.D.

c. What is the goal of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights?

Ans: The goal of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is to bring equality between rich and poor on socio-economic status by providing fairness, dignity, and justice that each human being deserves. Moreover, it aims to strengthen the foundation of freedom, justice peace and harmony in the world.

d. What are two big stages that involve writing the history of human rights in relation to that of political economy?

Ans: The two big stages that involve writing the history of human rights in relation to that of political economy are the heroic age of national welfare after World War II and the time when political economy ascended in the 10940s. as a result of it, the world divided into democratic and communist groupism resulting cold war.

e. What are the facts that have been missed in Roosevelt’s call for a “second Bill of Rights”?

Ans: The facts that that have been missed in Roosevelt’s call for a ‘second Bill of Rights” are, firstly, it marked a characteristically provincial America’s late and ginger entry into an already foreordained North Atlantic consensus. Secondly, Roosevelt’s promise was not a floor of protection for the masses but the end of ‘special privileges for the few’, a ceiling on equality. Thirdly, Roosevelt hoped that it would span the globe but it was organized nationally rather than internationally.

f. Write the truth expressed in Herodotus’s Histories.

Ans: The truth expressed in Herodotus ‘Histories’ is that the global socio-economic justice, like local socio-economic justice, would require redistribution under pressure from the rich to poor by novel forms of legal activism.

g. Why is the Universal Declaration of Human Rights important to you?

Ans: The Human Rights Declaration promised for the socio-economic equality of all human beings regardless of caste, creed, and religion. It is important for me because it works in the favour of all human beings for their rights, justice, equity and equality. It aims to remove disparity, partiality, injustice inequality, discrimination, any forms and types of biasness from the society.

Reference to the Context

a. Does the essay give ways on how to stigmatize inequality? Explain.

Ans: The essay “Human Rights and the Age of Inequality” discusses about the situation when there was World War II and the nations were divided into two groups; i.e. democratic and communist. It focuses on the need of human rights movement and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in the new context. The essay doesn’t give any specific ways to stigmatize inequality but talks about stigmatization if inequality from each society. Inequality is a social disease that affects every aspect of the social lives. If it increases, it may weaken social harmony and widens the gap between the rich and the poor. The situation becomes more appalling and trouble creating. Conflicts will increase resulting social, cultural and economic crisis which affects every creature of the society. Human rights organization advocates for the equality but it is not in practice. The implementation of human rights must be strictly done to maintain socio-economic and socio-cultural status.

b. Is another human rights movement necessary? Why?

Ans: Yes, indeed. Human rights is a worldwide concern however it hasn’t functioned freely because it is under the pressure of politics and political suppression. Cases related to human rights violation are mushrooming in almost all countries regardless of democratic or communist nations. People who are in power are often found to be violating laws and rights of people. Inequality exists in the societies. The gap between the rich and the poor is surprisingly wide. Political and socio-cultural hegemony is prevalent in the whole world. Rules, regulations, laws and rights to human are finely documented but their practice in real life is unacceptable. The poor are burning in the flames of racial, social, cultural and economic discrimination and inequality. Considering all these aspects, a string human rights movement is in need indeed so that each society can flourish with fragrance of social justice, equality and respectful human rights condition. The people who are burning with scorching heat of injustice, discrimination, and inequality can live their lives with self-respect, dignity and equality and equity.

About the Author:

Tanka Bhattarai is a Second class Secondary Level English teacher currently teaching at Shahid Smriti Secondary School, Dharan, Sunsari. He is also an MToT of Education Training Centre, Koshi Province.