Human Rights and Culture Term Paper

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Human Rights and Culture Smehra

Cultures should have complete autonomy over the practices occurring within them.

We live in a world where the word 'culture' has come to mean one of two things. In the literal sense of the word, when we say that someone is 'cultured' we tend to mean that they are intellectual and knowledgeable in the arts. From a social stand-point, 'culture' has come to define the differences between people, rather than the being its true nature in bringing people together.

For example, since the tragedy of 9/11, people from Middle Eastern cultures have felt that they have become more vulnerable in society. This sort of vulnerability stems from ignorance and lack of education in world cultures which, beyond a cultural inequality in society, has also led to a misjudgment that cultures that do not agree with our own, or the 'moral majority' should be stripped of their autonomy or else face harsh consequences for their 'disobedience'.

The world is a large melting pot of cultures, languages and beliefs that weave together to form the human race. It is not only necessary that people be allowed to choose their own belief system, it is also important that individuals should be allowed to practice the customs and traditions of their culture without feeling pressurized by western cultures into eventual extinction. It is unreasonable to believe that a culture should be governed from someone, or some group outside of the culture. In its simplicity, someone not associated or familiar with a culture would have very little persuasion amongst those in the culture, let alone have no knowledge on what to found moral and ethical courses of action within the culture.

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For example, someone visiting Thailand may enjoy the sights and sounds of all the tourist locations and temples, by showing their up-most respect for religious icons and beliefs. Then resting in a cafe, may put their feet up and therefore insult the Thais around them because it is considered highly offensive for one to show the soles of their feet to another person. This is a simple example of cultural ignorance and demonstrates that if it is possible for a harmless tourist to insult another culture, it is even easier for another government or group to wage harm and offense if they were permitted to govern another

In the most basic of arguments, different cultures should be given autonomy because it is their given right. Individuals are deserving of their own space and traditions to guide them, and to enrich their lives - regardless of who disagrees with them or believes they are wrong. It is the idea of 'right' and 'wrong' that give us a reason to misunderstand cultural groups and ethnicities because we are practicing our own guidelines rather than understanding theirs and applying them.

Take into account, the political and social situation in Northern Ireland. Predominantly Protestant, due to its inclusion as a territory of Great Britain, and for 3,000 years it has been politically dominated by Protestants, the 'territory' has suffered the most in the simplest sense of discrimination against cultural autonomy. "Certainly there is no doubt that politics are riven with religion - at least insofar as they have involved extreme civil religious blocs that are "culturally" if not always "religiously" Protestant and Catholic respectively" (CrossCurrents, para11).

In these circumstances, politics and cultures have become woven….....

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