Legal Human Rights | Questions-Answers

Legal human rights
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Question a.
“Pluralism refers to the equal coexistence of diverse cultures in a mutually supportive
relationship within the boundaries of one nation.”1 “The U.S has been diverse since colonial
times, but immigration significantly increases the extent of the country’s diversity.” Cultural
pluralism enables one to be free to shape and express their identity. Pluralism is based on
“equality of opportunity for all people, respect for human dignity and the conviction that no
single pattern of living is good for everyone.” Everyone is different and come from different
backgrounds. To change an individual or group can create chaos. We should be able to promote
and encourage freedom of speech with no fear of repercussions.
So, creating unity and identity will enable individuals to interact with each other more. It
enables society to work together and make the world a better place. Not permitting one to
identify with their identity may raise conflict. “The lack of a pluralistic perspective concerning
racial and ethnic independence in the U.S contributed to problems in the past.” One may have
feelings of being different and not being accepted in society. An individual may be a risk of
fulfilling their goals due to not being at their highest emotionally. “Our social justice approach
examines oppression as one of the many ways that people are categorized in the larger society,
resulting in advantage or disadvantage.”2 In addition, “it emphasizes structural and systemic
patterns of inequality based upon religious group memberships, reproduced through interlocking
social institutions and culture.” An individual has the right to practice any religion as long as
there is no harm to anyone.
1 Letty Y.-Y. Kwan, “Institutional and Value Support for Cultural Pluralism Is Stronger in
Innovative Societies With Demanding Climate,”
Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology 49, no.
2 (February 1, 2018): 323–35, https://doi.org/10.1177/0022022117746773.
2 Maja K. Schachner, “From Equality and Inclusion to Cultural Pluralism – Evolution and
Effects of Cultural Diversity Perspectives in Schools,”
European Journal of Developmental
Psychology 16, no. 1 (January 2, 2019): 1–17,
https://doi.org/10.1080/17405629.2017.1326378.

Altogether, cultural pluralism can deeply affect one psychologically, which can limit one
to express their identity. I believe that we are one nation but that doesn’t give us the right to
change someone’s identity if it is not harming anyone. In the end, we all need to stand up for
what is right and wrong.
According to the UDHR, the identity of a human being embraces the idea of
individualism. Throughout the declaration, the articles refer to human beings as individuals with
rights and freedoms. In the preamble, the UDHR provides a clarification for the articles that
follow, using diction such as “whereas,” indicating the belief that the articles of human rights are
self-evident. In agreement with the natural scholars, the UDHR seems to “conceive of human
rights as entitlements” and believe that they are “founded in nature.”
The reflected respective identities in UDHR also bring out the respective cultural
conceptions of rights and duties. Since the UDHR reflects an identity that embraces
individualism, the cultural concept of rights and duties are that of each and every individual. In
all the articles, it states the rights and freedoms every individual has, and such, the responsibility
each individual has for themselves3. The point of the UDHR was to make these human rights
universal; however, in reality, as mentioned in Donnelly’s article, “the concept of human rights
concerns the relationship between the individual and the state." These rights are the rights of
human beings, and although Homo sapiens is a singular species, each and every one of their
identity makes them different. Therefore, depending on the environment that an individual is in,
what human rights are most likely to differ, though not generally, but in the specifics.
Question b.
3 Fengyu Duan, “The Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Modern History of
Human Rights,” SSRN Scholarly Paper (Rochester, NY: Social Science Research Network,
November 7, 2017), https://papers.ssrn.com/abstract=3066882.