Human Rights

[thir]

December 10th, 1948: Universal Declaration of Human Rights at Palais de Chaillot, Paris.

Have they changed the world?

Is the world a better place now than it was before December 10th, 1948?

Do they go too far?
(for example article 25: Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.)

Should they be reworked?

And finally: What should be done to ensure that human rights are respected?
(assuming that we can all agree that most of the human rights should be respected.

The world has changed a lot since 1948. To uphold these human 'rights' without also having human obligations is insane - we are now too many people.

Human Overpopulation Threatens Our Survival
http://www.care2.com/causes/human-ov...-survival.html

The world cannot - and should - support that many people with all the above. So we can either cancell human rights, saying we are no more owed a life - much less a sheltered, well-fed life - than any other animal. And let people die - which we do anyway.

Or we acknowledge that in order for all to have these good things, we have to become fewer people as well as distributing things differently.

[lucy]

The world cannot - and should - support that many people with all the above. So we can either cancell human rights, saying we are no more owed a life - much less a sheltered, well-fed life - than any other animal. And let people die - which we do anyway.

The key word in article 25 is of course adequate. "Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for ... "
The world could maybe support 9 billions Bangladeshi or Ethiopians. It certainly can't support 9 billion Americans, or Australians, or Swiss.

Or we acknowledge that in order for all to have these good things, we have to become fewer people as well as distributing things differently.

The crux is that the only real effective measure to bring down birthrates (apart from sheer violence like the Chinese did) is development. That and education, especially the education of women, how Bangladesh proves.