Introduction
Human rights refer to the ethics and norms used to protect the public from political, social, and legal abuse. They include the rights for the association, fair trial, involvement in political activities, and freedom of religion, among others. These rights are embedded in the moral laws at the local, national, and international levels. This essay explores the use of human rights as critical tools for interventions in making public opinions.
Human Rights and Public Opinion Making
Public opinion-making refers to the means by which people present their ideas regarding matters of real democracy and participation in national affairs. This practice is meant for alleviating corruption and bad politics by campaigning for the improvement of democracy and national growth through forums, among others. It is realized that the formation of sound public opinions is important for revealing ideas and myths that are performed by politicians in a way that undermines democracy. It is noted that public opinion is distorted to weaken the systems of administering social equality. In most cases, the wealthy and elite people in society perform such depraved acts (Hacker and Pierson 210).
Therefore, human rights have been used as a tool to intervene in the realigning of public opinion. They also seek to take into consideration the relationships that exist amongst the media, politics, and/or people’s ideas. According to Bloomer, human rights demonstrate the public ideas that are used in the media and politics to ensure that they reflect the true meaning of the intended actions (115). The respect for human rights also alleviates the absurdity that exists in the espousal of public knowledge. They assist people in sharing their ideas as they raise the voice of the public against various processes that undermine the nature of politics and will of the ordinary citizens (Bloomer 115).
Why are Human Rights considered the right tools?
In most cases, public opinions are based on the development and issuance of the people’s outcry against evil practices that lead to abuse. With the introduction of human rights, tremendous changes have been noted in the public domain. Various people have been inspired by various movements in the society that have ensured the development of positive perceptions of public opinions. On the other hand, the embracement of human rights has ensured the development of various movements that are concerned with vices such as abuse, inequality, and discrimination, among others worldwide (Bloomer 115).
Civil liberties are also used to highlight cases of inequality that result in increased incidences of violating public opinions in matters that pertain to basic needs, such as education, health, shelter, food, and/or water. A report released by Bloomer indicated that there had been a rise in the inequality of Civil Liberties(115). For instance, the report revealed that the USA has the richest people, even after undergoing economic recessions. This population makes about 1 percent of the US population. In 2009, they possessed approximately 95% of the national wealth (Bloomer 115). In other countries such as Holland, such wealth can be effectively utilized to solve issues of absolute poverty and various violations that are directly or indirectly linked to it.
Inequality is also noted in Africa, where rich people have been increasing gradually. Currently, the continent has 55 people who are billionaires (Hacker and Pierson 210). Inequality increased the dangers that arise from the violation of human rights, economic inefficiency, and reduced public participation in national politics and leadership, among others (Bloomer 115). The consideration of human rights has been on the rise as civilians and leaders use them as a tool to curbing disadvantages that arise from inequality. The human rights movement is used to advocate for various constitutional liberties to health, education, and political participation, among others (Bloomer 115).
Opinions of the Vulnerable in the Society
Human rights are being used to represent the vulnerable in society. These people have the right to negotiate matters that concern fairness, justice, political equality, businesses, and education, among other issues that affect society. Most of the vulnerable populations are denied information on their rights to political participation, education, good life, and health. Such are exposed to constant vices that include abuses, disposed assets, and limitation to prosperity, among other privileges (Bloomer 120).
In such cases, human rights are used to decrease public oppressions by ensuring that better treatments are accorded to them by various government agencies and businesses. Human rights are also used as a tool to ensure that right actions and fair treatment are administered to the members of the public. The respect for civil liberties is a paramount tool for the formulation of public opinions with a view of ensuring social transformation (Bloomer 120).
Conclusion
The essay has elaborated on human rights as a useful tool of public opinion-making regarding matters of politics and economics, among others. The respect for human rights has led to the development of various movements to fight various failures such as the dispossession of public property, environmental damage, and unfavorable working conditions that require change, among others.
Works Cited
Bloomer, Phil. “Are Human Rights an Effective Tool for Social Change? A Perspective on Human Rights and Business.” SUR-International Journal on Human Rights 20.1 (2014): 115-121. Print.
Hacker, Jacob and Paul Pierson. Winner-take-all politics: How Washington made the rich richer and turned its back on the middle class, New York, NY: Simon and Schuster, 2011. Print.