Human rights belong to everyone

> Even the worst people

# . sy

Cazzy Lewchuk
Opinions Editor

 

 

W: can all agree that human rights

are important.

Protecting basic dignity, respect,
and the safety of others is something
we're all on board with. Human rights are
perhaps the most fundamental value there
is. We're all human, and we all deserve
basic compassion in the way we treat
others (and thus, how we would like to be
treated).

There are some very terrible people
in the world. People who horrifically
abuse others, who have zero regard for
anyone else’s well-being. Often they are
sociopathic or psychopathic, literally

incapable of feeling any remorse. Ina
perfect world, these people wouldn't exist.
Ina just world, they'd all be locked away
or otherwise incapacitated so they can’t
harm anyone else.
It’s easy to say that these people don’t
deserve human rights. They've shown
no regard for the rights of others, often
on many occasions—why shouldn't they
deserve the same treatment? It’s especially
easy to be in this mindset if the person’s
behaviour is truly heinous, or if they’ve
specifically hurt you, or someone you love.
But like it or not, human rights, by
definition, apply to everybody. The law
protects all of us, and it’s not fair to break
the law just because someone else did
the same thing. Most human rights laws
include a right to life—in areas with the

 

death penalty, that right is broken. If you
committed a certain crime (usually, but
not always, murder), you are not deserving
of the right to life in the eyes of the state.

I believe the death penalty is unjust and
flawed in many ways, but that’s a whole
different article to write.

Many awful people live incarcerated
in prisons that deny them basic human
rights. This could include the right to
adequately hygienic conditions, food,
dignity, or a safe environment. Some argue
that torture is justified on certain people
to obtain information, or to punish them
for their actions. No one deserves to be
tortured, and to suggest this mindset
lowers us to a level of the condemned.

When you suggest a murderer does
not deserve to live, you are denying them

Stop normalizing and defending
Donald Trump's insanity

> He is still as awful as last week

Cazzy Lewchuk
Opinions Editor

 

| can't believe I’m typing this article.

As we all know, Donald Trump is
the president-elect of the United States of
America. Barring unusual circumstances
(and who knows, with this man) he will
become president on January 20, 2017,
leading a Republican-controlled House
and Senate.

The amount of scandals and
controversy Trump has is unparalleled
by magnitudes by any other candidate.
We all know the ridiculous things he said
and did while running (the man argued
women werert attractive enough for him
to sexually assault, for God’s sake) and yet,
he still managed to win.

Now that he’s president-elect, people
are still processing the reactions. How do
we work with this man? Do we want to
give credit to someone who's normalized
and encouraged hatred, racism,
xenophobia, and sexism in a way never
seen before? In two months, he will hold
the position of the most powerful man
in the world. How do we keep him under
control and avoid America turning into a
fascist regime, or being nuked because he
let his temper get the best of him?

The media and individuals are
discussing Trump in a different way now
that he’s been elected. They’re saying to
give him a chance, or that he can change

in office. Naturally, none of Trump's
behaviour has changed since he began
his campaign. He has already nominated
alarming people for his staff positions.
Most notable is Steve Bannon, a media
mogul who runs websites frequented by
the “alt-right” and “white nationalist”
segments of the internet. Bannon is well-
known for his racism, anti-Semitism, and
general misogyny. He was even charged
with domestic violence in the past.
Bannon is literally famous for being a

  

Image via liberalamerica.org

controversial racist, but now that he’s
chief strategist for the president-elect,
we're supposed to see him as okay?
Trump is still the same awful fool
he was a couple weeks ago. He may have
the power, but he’s still a loose cannon
and not someone we should normalize.
Quite recently, he paid off $25 million in
a class-action lawsuit to victims of his
fraudulent school, “Trump University.”
Such a move for the president is insane,
but it’s normal for Trump. The man has

Image via liberalamerica.org

of their human right to life. When you
express hope that a rapist gets raped
in jail, you are suggesting there are
circumstances where raping someone is
justified. When you suggest someone who
beat someone brutally should be brutally
beaten, you're denying them the human
right of safety and protection from assault.

Look—these are bad people. Frankly,
to us, these people are the lowest of the
low, and probably do deserve to be treated
in the ways they treated others. But a
human rights code includes everyone, and
that includes the bad apples. If we want
to create a world where everyone is given
fair treatment, we need to treat everyone
fairly.

Even the horrible criminals who don’t
deserve it.

literally admitting to ripping people off
and working with full-on racists, yet we're
supposed to “give him a chance.” That’s
not even getting into the controversies
he’s already invoked when running.

Trump is also working on keeping
his business empire flowing while
governing, and has appointed his children
as members of his transition team. He
continues to tell blatant lies (such as
taking credit for a factory not moving
to Mexico, when it was never moving
in the first place), throw tantrums, and
behave in ways no sane human—let along
the president—ever should. He’s been
taking phone calls with foreign leaders
on unsecure lines without being briefed,
another unethical and unheard-of thing
for a president-elect to do.

Trump and his supporters have
normalized so many ridiculous and
terrible things. We need to continue
rightfully fighting these things. Indeed,
we need to hold Trump more accountable
than ever with his newfound power. Most
of us were against everything he stood
for before the election ended. We need
to continue that voice, and challenge
the president-elect every step of the way.
Just because someone is president-elect
doesn’t mean they deserve any more
respect than necessary, nor that they
should be allowed to continue their
destructive behaviour.