Let’s address the American conservatives first. American conservatives sound like the liberals when it comes to global human rights. Democratization of other nations, global free trade, free speech and freedom of religion in other countries, all sound good. But there is a difference between human rights for those who can afford it and human rights provided by the government to all citizens. The American conservatives preach human rights but give global corporations more power to violate them in other countries. Then they blame the government of those other countries instead of the global corporations. The same American conservatives refuse to blame our own government for human rights violations in America.
There is also a double standard when it comes to free speech competing with freedom of religion and the reverse. The American conservatives condone disrespect of Muslims by blaming the victims for the outrage over the offensive cartoons. They also have trouble separating al Qaeda from moderate and peaceful Muslims. And yet, the same American conservatives have no opposition to our own Christian conservatives censoring free speech in America, endorsing politicians, oppressing homosexuals, and using religion to justify racism.
American liberals, on the other hand, sound like cowards when it comes to global human rights. American liberals want to clamp down on the patriot Act and domestic spying, but have no problem letting American internet companies help build what American conservatives call the Great Firewall of China. American liberals are too afraid to take a side in the illegal immigration issue and yet complain about the outsourcing. American liberals are afraid of both global free trade and the only alternative, which is war.
Many American liberals don’t see how free speech competes with freedom of religion. Some liberals see the conflict, but think the solution is to abolish religion. Most Americans don’t see why Muslims taking their religion so seriously isn’t any worse than Americans taking their materialism as seriously. I believe that more death and destruction comes from materialism than religion. The majority of American liberals understand neither.
So between American conservative hypocrisy and American Liberal cowardice, there is a unified American monopolization of human rights.
I’m embarrassed to be an American when it comes to global human rights. Are you?