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Human Rights and the Age of Inequality by Samuel Moyn
Summary | Exercise (Questions and Answers)
Compulsory English Class 12
Neb English Notes
Human Rights and the Age of Inequality by Samuel Moyn
MAIN SUMMARY
Human Rights and the Age of Inequality by Samuel Moyn
This essay "Human Rights and the Age of Inequality" is written by Samuel Moyn, an American writer.
In this essay, Samuel Moyn deals with the massive mismatch between the egalitarian crisis and the human rights measure that demands a supplement, not a substitute. points out that human rights regimes and movements are not equipped to challenge global inequalities.
The writer begins his essay with a parable (a short narrative illustrating a lesson (usually religious or moral) by comparison or analogy) where he presents an example of King Croesus, the last king of Lydia (reigned 560–546). The writer says that Croesus was a very wealthy king who considered himself the happiest of mortals. He wanted all his citizens to be happy and free from all kinds of suffering. He had good wishes for his citizens, but he had a problem. The problem was that he did not want to invest his money to eradicate the suffering of his people. He had collected a lot of wealth for himself in his entire life, but after being defeated in the war, his whole possessions, as well as his wealth, were confiscated by the Persian king Cyrus the Great and his army.
Later, the writer links this situation of King Croesus with the modern world, where inequality exists and available means and resources are unequally distributed. The writer says that every year, December 10 is celebrated as Human Rights Day, but there has been no step taken for equal access to rights and property between all the rich and poor in the world. There is only one solution to all these kinds of obstacles, which is distributive equality. However, the author feels that this is almost impossible in practical life or in reality.
The writer has compared the history of human rights with that of political economy. Here, there is the involvement of two big stages: The first was the heroic age of the national welfare states that appeared after World War II. Number two was the political economy that ascended beyond the nation during the 1940s. Franklin Roosevelt issued his famous call for a "Second Bill of Rights" that contained socio-economic security in his State of the Union, but it missed three most important facts, which were:
1. The entry of a provincial US into the North Atlantic consensus.
2. The promise of freedom from desire.
3. And imagine it everywhere in the world.
The concept of human rights suffered greatly after the 1940s because it followed partiality, which divided the world into two groups, referring to the democratic nations led by the US and the communist nations led by the USSR, which resulted in the Cold War. Similarly, the partition of the world during the post-war era could not bring about the desired development and human rights among nations because these two states favoured 'national welfare' instead of supporting egalitarian human rights.
Samuel Moyn thinks deeply about the issue of whether or not another human rights movement is necessary. Later, he exemplifies the truth and reality described in an ancient historian's' chronicles, which deal with the need for a redistribution of global socioeconomic justice under pressure from the rich to the poor.
Although most human rights activists argue that human rights documents claim and assure equal freedoms and rights for human beings, in reality, this is impossible and does not apply in current real-life situations. Unless this current economy and socio-political structure exist in the world, humans will not have basic and useful freedoms and true rights. Thus, large-scale as well as radical movements are needed to enforce the distribution of wealth and property from the rich to the poor. There should be a redistribution of means and resources, law-making, and a fair distribution of wealth by the government, as well as an egalitarian society. However, all these are not practical or unfair, and in reality, they are very difficult to implement.
Above all, our common fate is like the world of Croesus, where the rich people enjoy happiness, freedom, and everything to the maximum level, like the colonists in the British regime, while the poor have hardships and live in a world of illusion with their floating equality and freedom.
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ALL ESSAYS IMPORTANT QUESTIONS' SOLUTION PACK
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Human Rights and the Age of Inequality by Samuel Moyn
BEFORE READING THE TEXT
Discuss the following questions.
a. How do you define human rights?
Answer:
We define human rights as rights that have moral principles or norms for certain standards of human behaviour and are regularly protected in municipal and international law. These rights are the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
b. Do you know about the constitution? How does the Constitution of Nepal guarantee human rights?
Answer:
Yes, I do. The constitution is a formal or informal system of primary principles and laws that regulates a government or other institution. The Constitution of Nepal guarantees human rights by providing various rights to the citizens of Nepal. The Constitution of Nepal 2072 has mentioned various fundamental rights for all Nepalese people in Articles 16–46.
These articles include freedom for all citizens to live with dignity, freedom of speech and expression, religious and cultural freedom, the right against untouchability and discrimination, etc.
UNDERSTANDING THE TEXT
Answer the following questions.
a. What is the first human rights declaration adopted by the United Nations?
Answer:
The first human rights declaration adopted by the United Nations is a mobilization for economic and social rights.
b. When is Human Rights Day observed?
Answer:
Human Day is observed every year on December 10th.
c. What is the goal of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights?
Answer:
The goal of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is to provide a list of the most basic rights or core values, such as fairness, dignity, equality, and respect, that human beings deserve thanks to being human themselves. In addition, it aims to emphasise the "foundations of liberty, justice, and peace in the world".
d. What are two big stages that involve writing the history of human rights in relation to that of political economy?
Answer:
The two big stages that involve writing the history of human rights in relation to that of political economy are as follows:
1. The first was the heroic age of the national welfare states after World War II.
2. The second was that the political economy ascended beyond the nation during the 1940s.
e. What are the facts that have been missed in Roosevelt’s call for a “second Bill of Rights”?
Answer:
The three facts that have been missed in Roosevelt's call for a "second Bill of Rights" are as follows:
1. This marked the late and ginger entry of a particular provincial US into an already predetermined North Atlantic consensus.
2. His supreme promise was not a destination of security for the masses but an end to "special privileges for the few"-a limit on inequality.
3. Roosevelt certainly hoped that it would spread around the world, but it was organised on a national level, not internationally.
f. Write the truth expressed in Herodotus’s Histories.
Answer:
The truth expressed in Herodotus’s histories is that global socio-economic justice, like local socio-economic justice, would require redistribution under pressure from the rich to the poor, something naming and shaming is never likely to achieve, even when supplemented by novel forms of legal activism.
g. Why is the Universal Declaration of Human Rights important to you?
Answer:
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is important to me because it is totally related to my life as well as the life of every human being on this planet. This declaration works in favour of all human beings for their rights, justice, equality, and equality by removing favouritism, injustice, inequality, discrimination, etc. from society.
REFERENCE TO THE CONTEXT
a. Does the essay give ways on how to stigmatize inequality? Explain.
Answer:
The essay "Human Rights and the Age of Inequality” doesn't give ways to stigmatise inequality, but it discusses some ideas about the stigmatisation of inequality.
Most of all, history suggests they are the wrong kind of agent: not fearful enough to provoke redistribution. If inequality increases like this, someday opponents will arise, so it is better to maintain equality and justice in society. Social equality and emancipation can be justified by forming a new kind of human rights movement to shake the common people. The humanitarian side of all human beings requires proper supervision and monitoring, supporting stakeholders, making stricter laws, removing favouritism, and maintaining justice and equality. Inequality is considered a stigma for society as it creates discord and conflict among the people, so it needs proper balance.
b. Is another human rights movement necessary? Why?
Answer:
Yes, another human rights movement is necessary because the essayist feels that human rights are operating under constrained political repression in human affairs. He wants to see another human rights movement in the coming days for the following reasons:
Political and social hegemony are still widely prevalent.
▪︎ There is inequality prevalent everywhere in human affairs.
▪︎ People's rights and laws are limited in the pages of the constitution but not in practical behaviour.
▪︎ The unfair favouritism of one person or group is seen in a very wide range.
▪︎ There has been a violation of laws everywhere. Most powerful people have been found to misuse laws.
▪︎ Rights and justice are needed for all human beings, whether rich or poor, upper class or lower class.
REFERENCE BEYOND THE TEXT
a. What are the challenges in maintaining human rights in Nepal?
Answer:
Human rights are the rights that are defined as moral principles or norms for certain standards of human behaviour and are regularly protected in municipal and international law. These rights are the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
These rights are called the basic rights that all citizens get in different countries. In the lives of human beings, these rights play a very vital role. In every aspect of life, human rights make sure that citizens are not discriminated against based on their gender, colour, property, caste, etc.
In the context of Nepal, our constitution has guaranteed human rights by providing various rights to its citizens. The Constitution of Nepal 2072 has mentioned various fundamental rights for all Nepalese people in Articles 16–46. These articles include freedom for all citizens to live with dignity, freedom of speech and expression, religious and cultural freedom, the right against untouchability and discrimination, etc. In addition to basic human rights, children and women have rights according to their needs. In Nepal, human rights violations are causing a lot of backlash due to the political instability in the country. Major human rights violations were experienced when the Maoist group was fighting against the king and the monarchy for 10 years. Current human rights issues include poverty, education, inequality, violations of child rights, etc. To this end, Nepalese security forces worked meticulously in places often beyond the reach of civilian control. Nepal also faces many other challenges in maintaining human rights, such as discrimination, global inequalities, weak institutions, armed conflict and violence, and diversity of democracy.
Everyone should understand the concept of equality and should not be afraid to exercise their rights in their country. The human rights situation in Nepal is much better now than before, but there is still a long way to go for the development of equality and fraternity.
The main challenging factors in maintaining human rights in Nepal are as follows:
▪︎ Poverty (especially in rural areas)
▪︎ Education and gender inequality
▪︎ Health issues
▪︎ Child rights violations
▪︎ Abuse of power, nepotism, corruption, bribery, illiteracy, and ignorance of the people.
▪︎ Preference for personal gain or favour
▪︎ Lack of proper mechanisms to streamline policies.
▪︎ Lack of proper strategies to enforce the rules of law, etc.
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