Human rights belong to everyone

> Even the worst people

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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.