Reflective Writing 2

During the course of this paper, a theme that has recurred several times throughout the weekly lectures, in relevance to culture and society, is ‘Human Rights’. In many discussions regarding topics such as historical influence, citizenship, diversity and marginalization, education in society, pop culture, etc., the concept of ‘Human Rights’ has played a significant role to these discussions in terms of its importance and how it effects culture and society. In this reflective writing piece, I will focus on what human rights means conceptually, in relation to my understanding of the concepts of culture and society; how this theme relates to issues of social and cultural diversity and change in today’s society; why human rights are important in relation to my values, beliefs and identity and why I think it should be considered by today’s society; and how I applied this concept to my own discipline’s approach to culture and society.

What are human rights? According to the Office of the High Commissioner for the United Nations Human Rights Organization (OHCHR), “Human rights are rights inherent to all human beings, whatever our nationality, place of residence, sex, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, language, or any other status. We are all equally entitled to our human rights without discrimination. These rights are all interrelated, interdependent and indivisible.” (Office of the High Commissioner for the United Nations Human Rights Organization). The Human Rights Declaration was first adopted in 1948, following the Second World War, and was created to serve as a fundamental aspect of the international human rights law, as well as a vow that the atrocities that occurred during World War II would never happen again (United Nations). I understand human rights to be our entitlements as humans. Some of these entitlements include the right to life, liberty and security; the right to freedom of thought and conscience; the right to freedom of opinion and expression; the freedom of choice of employment; the right to an education; and so forth (United Nations, 1948). These liberties were established to protect individuals and protest against circumstances that violate their rights as humans. Such circumstances, in relation to culture and society, fall under four key categories to which the Human Rights Declaration focuses on: indigenous people, environmental protest, health and safety, and discrimination. In New Zealand, examples of these protest include the Treaty of Waitangi, nuclear testing in the Pacific, child poverty, and the Dawn Raids. Human Rights are universal, inalienable, interdependent, indivisible, equal, and non-discriminatory. “At the individual level, while we are entitled our human rights, we should also respect the human rights of others.” (United Nations).

By relating to issues of social and cultural diversity in society today, Human Rights are, undoubtedly, a fundamental aspect of culture and society. The declaration was established following the Second World War, and used the horrors of what occurred during the war as an example of violation of basic human rights. The document itself relates to all aspects of society and culture; however, in particular, the second article of the declaration states: “Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms…without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs...” (United Nations, 1948) The importance of this statement in relevance to culture and society is unwavering, as society consists of networked relationships (John R. Hall, 2010). For example, New Zealand is considered one of the most multi-cultural countries in the world, with over 210 ethnic groups living in the country (Manning, 2013), so issues regarding social and cultural differences would arise amongst diverse groups. As a result, the Human Rights Commission was set up in 1977, under the 1993 Human Rights Act, to “promote and protect the human rights of all people in Aotearoa New Zealand” (Human Rights Commission, 2016), including understanding the meaning and legalities of basic human rights; encouraging and celebrating cultural diversity, language, religion, etc. through annual celebrations and events (Pasifika Festival, Diwali, New Zealand Sign Language Week); and promoting awareness of the rights belonging to the indigenous people (the ‘Treaty of Waitangi’, Te Reo Maori Language Week) (Human Rights Commission, 2016). These are only a few illustrations of how the concept of human rights relate to the issue of social and cultural diversity and change in, not only New Zealand’s society, but global society.

Culture is the programme that determines how we think and act (Ryan, 2010), so when working with people from different ethnic, cultural, and social backgrounds, it is important to understand the concept of Human Rights, in terms of “freedom of thought, conscience and religion” (United Nations, 1948) and “freedom of opinion and expression” (United Nations, 1948). From my personal experience, one of the most important qualities to have when dealing with people is empathy. To put it simply, empathy is the awareness of the feelings and emotions of other people (What is Empathy?, 2016), therefore in relation to the importance of human rights, one must understand that the feelings, mind set and lifestyle of others may be different to their own, based on the background from which they identify with. For example, western music fans identify themselves by the artist who they like (ie. Directioners – One Direction; Beliebers – Justin Bieber; Bey Hive – Beyonce) (McGahan, 2014). However, Korean Pop Music fans identify themselves by the name of their fan club and their fandom colour (ie. Blackjack, Hot Pink – 2NE1; BABYz, highlight green – B.A.P; Shawol, Pearl Aqua Green – SHINee) (Lists, 2011). Other examples would be social customs (greeting family or close friends with a kiss on the cheek or a hug), cultural traditions (offering gifts when meeting or staying at someone’s house), and even religious doings (blessing the food with a prayer before eating). One might not have to accept the difference, but I do believe that in today’s society, with the rise of multi-cultural communities, the idea of respect for others and their beliefs should be made imperative.

Human rights can be applied to many, if not all, disciplines. I have seen the concept of human rights be applied in my education class through discussions about ethnic, social and religious diversity. As many of the students in my discipline hail from various life experiences, we all have different views and opinions of things in relation to education, which can often cause disagreements amongst each other. However, there are two things in my education class that everyone agrees on undoubtedly: all opinions of the students in the class are respected, and, as stated in the Human Rights Declaration, everyone is entitled to an education (United Nations, 1948). We all believe that, regardless of skin colour, age, and/or cultural and social background, everyone has the right to be educated and to receive an education. This also correlates to the Human Rights Declaration as an entire concept in, not only education, but other disciplines as well. Business and social sciences can apply the idea of human rights to their own disciplines by acknowledging the various aspects of the declaration, its purposes, and its influence in said disciplines.

In conclusion, it is without a doubt that the concept of human rights is an essential factor of culture and society. By dealing with people, one is dealing with how they function and why they function that way. “Today we are in the midst of something new: not only a belief that all human beings have certain rights as a matter of theology or moral philosophy but also the belief that they have them as a matter of law and practical politics.” (Judy McGregor, 2015)

References

Human Rights Commission. (2016). About the Commission. Retrieved from Human Rights Commission: https://www.hrc.co.nz/about/

Human Rights Commission. (2016). Race Relations and Diversity. Retrieved from Human Rights Commission: https://www.hrc.co.nz/your-rights/race-relations-and-diversity/

John R. Hall, L. G. (2010). Handbook of Cultural Sociology. Taylor and Francis Group.

Judy McGregor, S. B. (2015). Fault Lines: Human rights in New Zealand. Auckland: Auckland University of Technology.

Lists, K. (2011, March 4). Official Fan Clubs and Fan Colours. Retrieved from Tumblr: http://kpoplists.com/post/3637287228

Manning, B. (2013, December 11). Census 2013: More ethnicities than the world's countries. Retrieved from New Zealand Herald: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11170288

McGahan, M. (2014, March 8). The Definitive Guide to Fan Base Nicknames: Beliebers, Directioners, Swifties + More. Retrieved from Pop Crush: http://popcrush.com/fan-nicknames-beliebers-directioners-swifties-list/

Office of the High Commissioner for the United Nations Human Rights Organization. (n.d.). What Are Human Rights? Retrieved from Office of the High Commissioner for the United Nations Human Rights Organization: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Pages/WhatareHumanRights.aspx

Ryan, M. (2010). Cultural Studies: A Practical Introduction. Wiley.

United Nations. (1948, December 10). The Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Retrieved from United Nations: http://www.un.org/en/universal-declaration-human-rights/

United Nations. (n.d.). History of the Document. Retrieved from United Nations: http://www.un.org/en/sections/universal-declaration/history-document/

What is Empathy? (2016). Retrieved from Skills You Need: http://www.skillsyouneed.com/ips/empathy.html