Human Rights
By: Jacques-A. Gerber
Tags: White Privilege, Racism, Social Justice, Human Rights

Universal or White privilege?

Photo by author on Nevermoond

As I learn more about racism (and anti-racism) and attempt to deconstruct values and behaviors that have long been unchallenged in my privileged environment, I find myself wondering about human rights and any connection they might have with White privilege. This might sound quite paradoxical, social justice and anti-racism being essentially rooted in human rights... So what exactly is the problem?

Beyond their philosophical and social formalization that goes back to the 18th century if not earlier, Human rights have been established universally, thus applicable to all people anywhere on Earth, since the United Nations adopted its famous Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) in Paris in 1948. The Declaration is a pillar of Western democracies, echoed in constitutions around the world, but very often ignored if not mocked or even systematically violated in many parts of the world.

It is hard to measure objectively how a country performs in terms of human rights, but this map shows that Northern Europe, followed by the rest of Europe, New Zealand, Canada, Japan, Taiwan, Uruguay, and Panama are doing best. With the notable exception of Botswana and Namibia, as well as the remarkably low performance of the US, Western countries seem to generally offer a much freer and more equal environment to their population. At first sight, this map looks strikingly similar to a map that would feature the proportion of White citizens in each country. It shows that White majorities seem to enjoy human rights disproportionally, in alignment with their White privilege.

Correlation is not causation. So what connection could there be, if any, between human rights and White supremacy? Is it mere coincidence, or is there a deeper, possibly darker, relationship between the two?

Throughout history, Western countries have sometimes used human rights as a geopolitical weapon, patronizing emerging countries about their poor records on that matter, sometimes justifying wars and occupations to bring “democractic values”. While lecturing countries that do not meet standards imposed on them, Western countries often fall short of showing the right example within their own borders, for instance in their management of prisons or refugees, not to mention minorities.

So, are human rights a White privilege? Are they a hypocritical tool for White Supremacy to enforce its power both within White dominating countries and beyond? Or are they a genuine moral standard for all to seek and strive for? For example, when Western democracies condemn the treatment of Uyghurs by Chinese authorities, is it anti-Chinese rhetorics or rightful defense for a discriminated minority?

It might very well be a little bit of both. In principle, human rights define a moral contract that should remain valid beyond White supremacy and deserve to be rightly claimed by all.

The UDHR states that all humans are “born free and equal in dignity and rights” regardless of “nationality, place of residence, gender, national or ethnic origin, color, religion, language, or any other status”.

This is an ideal worth fighting for and provides legal ground for minorities to claim their rights.

In practice, I guess it depends on whose voice is using them, for what purpose, and in what context. Anti-racists are typically expected to fight for human rights, equity, and inclusion. People all around the world are inspired by the UDHR to fight for recognition and against discrimination. On the other hand, dictatorships are often quick to reject human rights as an outdated weapon used by former empires to keep on influencing their interior affairs and claim their right to operate according to a different standard. Adding further confusion and complexity to the problem, the US decided to leave the UN Human Rights Council in 2018 (the US had voted against its creation in 2006) stating its bias against Israel.

In retrospect, the boldest critics of human rights often happen to be on the wrong side of justice in their actions, or the wrong side of history in their talks, regardless of their skin color. For example, Karl Marx rejected the idea of human rights, a convenient reason for Soviet leaders and other intellectuals to justify the Gulag. More recently, in the Philippines, President Duterte used human rights in characteristically despotic ways to justify his use of force against his own citizens…

More importantly, we often witness people of all origins fighting for human rights all over the globe, highlighting the shortcomings of their government and dominating groups. From the Selma to Montgomery marches to the fall of the Berlin wall, from the “yellow umbrellas” in Hong Kong to the Venezuela protests, “we the people” demonstrate again and again the universal value of human rights and how mankind may progress through shared values.