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Monthly Archives: April 2011
Human Rights Stories (16): The Pit and the Pendulum
Excerpt from The Pit and the Pendulum, by Edgar Allen Poe: I was sick — sick unto death with that long agony; and when they at length unbound me, and I was permitted to sit, I felt that my senses … Continue reading
Posted in art, horror, human rights story
Tagged dungeon, Edgar Allen Poe, human rights, inquisition, story, the pit and the pendulum, torture
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The Ethics of Human Rights (45): Is There A Right To Do Wrong?
(source) Absolutely, there is. People have a right to vote for incompetent politicians; to express hatred; to organize hate groups; to insult and mock people; to burn books etc. All of these things are wrong in most plausible conceptions of … Continue reading
Posted in ethics of human rights, philosophy
Tagged book burning, ethics, hate, hate groups, hate speech, human rights, human wrongs, insult, legal positivism, martin luther king, morality, right to do wrong, rights, wrong
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Human Rights Maps (132): Democracy, the Difference Between Self-Identification and Reality
First, if you doubt that democracy is a human rights issue, go here. The following map shows the countries of the world that self-identify as a democracy in green, and the tiny minority that doesn’t in red (Vatican, Saudi Arabia, … Continue reading
Human Rights Facts (61): The Inadequacy of the U.S. Poverty Line
I’ve mentioned some of the problems with the U.S. system of poverty measurement before, but this is much more eloquent: (source, source; the “savings” requirement covers retirement and emergencies and is included because the study wanted to capture economic stability … Continue reading
The Causes of Wealth Inequality (18): Government Backed Corporate Expropriation
(source) Consider these two commonly accepted ideas: the interests of business and government are incompatible: business wants as little government as possible, and government wants to regulate and tax business for the common good wealth or income inequality is to … Continue reading
Human Rights Ads (61): Labor Conditions
(source) If you wonder why labor conditions are a human rights issue, go here. More on labor conditions here. More human rights ads here.
Posted in activism, economics, human rights ads, work
Tagged ad, advertising, human rights, labor conditions, labor rights
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What is Democracy? (52): Predictability or Uncertainty?
Why would this question be even remotely interesting? Well, I can see several reasons. Maybe not in the West but elsewhere in the world democracy is often rejected because it supposedly undermines predictability and hence economic performance. A strong central … Continue reading
Posted in democracy, economics, what is democracy?
Tagged dictatorship, economic efficiency, future, game of action and reaction, hannah arendt, judicial review, long term, planning, pledge of allegiance, predictability, rotation in office, rule of law, short-termism, time preference, uncertainty
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Human Rights Maps (131): 9-11 and Ground Zero
Here are a few maps depicting the events of 9-11-2001. The first one shows the flight paths of the hijacked planes: (source) This next one shows the impact location in the two towers of the WTC, as well as the … Continue reading
Posted in data, horror, human rights maps, international relations, terror, war
Tagged 9-11, Al-Qaeda, al-Qaida, destruction, flight paths, ground zero, ground zero mosque, human rights, manhattan, map, maps, New York, NY, osama bin laden, terrorism, war on terror, World Trade Center, wtc
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Measuring Human Rights (19): Measuring Racism
This blog contains numerous statements similar to this one: There are large and important differences between blacks and whites in nearly every facet of life – earnings, unemployment, incarceration, health, and so on. (source) We can assume that racism and … Continue reading
