Tag: discrimination

May Pete rest in peace

Posted on by kathiemm

Peace and social justice are what Pete Seeger tirelessly worked for and sang for throughout his life.

Seeger was the consummate activist, hounded by the FBI because he would not name names during Senator Joseph McCarthy’s reign as Chief Bully of the United States.

We should remember that terrifying reign well today, as we see once again how Big Brother’s henchmen can threaten all who support world peace and social justice.

The video at the beginning of this post highlights many of the causes to which he dedicated his life.

Pete’s songs have inspired and engaged people around the world on behalf of peace and justice. One internet site has versions of his songs in 33 different languages. His grandson carries on his tradition.

We cannot fill his shoes but we can follow in his footsteps.

Kathie Malley-Morrison, Professor of Psychology

Human rights urgency

Posted on by kathiemm

December 10 is Human Rights Day, the anniversary of the U.N. Declaration of Human Rights. In 1993, the World Conference on Human Rights (source of  the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action) created the United Nations post of High Commissioner for Human Rights. Internationally, there’s still much work to be done.

Here in the United States, the most urgent human rights problems include:

Sexual trafficking. The FBI notes that “Human sex trafficking is the most common form of modern-day slavery,” that it is the fastest growing business of organized crime, and that “The United States not only faces an influx of international victims but also has its own homegrown problem of interstate sex trafficking of minors.”

Mass incarceration. This national disgrace violates, among other human rights, the right of freedom from discrimination. See these articles in:

Capital punishment. States that maintain the death penalty violate many human rights—as does the federal government which permits such violations. Moreover, conditions on death rows constitute torture—another major human rights violation.  See this (pdf) fact sheet or watch the video.

Poverty. Income inequality and its handmaiden, poverty, are both causes and effects of human rights violations—including  economic, social and cultural rights indispensable for human  dignity (Article 22 of the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights).

The U.S. is marketed as home of the free and the brave, but members of the privileged class who view rights solely as freedom to pursue their own wealth and power at all costs (i.e., costs to the less privileged) are neither free nor brave. Rather, they are the slaves of their own greed and the perpetrators of their own worst nightmares.

Kathie Malley-Morrison, Professor of Psychology

How do we end violence against children? Let me count the ways.

Posted on by kathiemm

Violence confronts children at every level of society–in their relationships with parents and siblings, in the home, at school, and in the media and values that dominate their nation.

  • Hitting, punching, kicking are forms of violence.
  • Humiliation is a form of violence.
  • Poverty, discrimination, and the denial of opportunities are forms of violence.

How do we end these?

Laws do not solve all problems, but laws against corporal punishment—as have been enacted in many Western European and other nations—send a message and set a standard for parenting behavior.

Education does not solve all problems, but citizen education concerning alternatives to corporal punishment and psychological maltreatment can contribute to the development of healthier environments in which children can learn and play without constant fear of  harm from others.

Efforts at social reform are not always successful. Yet recognition and commitment to social justice, equal opportunity, and equal protection will increase the likelihood that children can be provided with enough food to eat, safety to survive, and opportunity to become positive contributors to society.

You can help in each of these areas. How?

  • Find positive ways to deal with your own inevitable anger and frustration when you feel disappointed with the people you love and/or for whom you feel responsible.
  • Be aware of and responsive to what is going on in local schools in your community. Is bullying widespread? Is anything being done about it? Do children have safe places to play?
  • Listen to leaders at the neighborhood, state, and national level. What agendas do they promote—equal opportunity and social justice? Or the rights of the rich and powerful at the expense of everyone else? Listen, learn, and decide what will contribute most to healthy environments for all children. Then take action.

To learn more, please watch “A mission to end child abuse.”

Kathie Malley-Morrison, Professor of Psychology

A new birth of freedom

Posted on by kathiemm

“[W]e here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain–that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom–and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”  (Abraham Lincoln, Gettysburg, PA, November 19, 1863)

Abraham Lincoln, 1858
Abraham Lincoln, 1858. Image in public domain.

As we celebrate Lincoln’s birthday on Sunday, let’s reflect on  freedoms that still demand pursuit. There are many:

  • Freedom from racism, sexism, prejudice, and discrimination
  • Freedom from tyranny and injustice
  • Freedom to have control and choice in regard to one’s body, one’s mind, one’s labor
  • Freedom to live by the ethic of reciprocity without being punished for doing so.

Right now, important efforts to obtain freedom and democracy are underway in many parts of the world, and often without the support of our own democracy in the U.S.

Our own democracy is in need of support as well, as it is often undermined by our own government and citizens in the name of national security.

The United States does not have a good record regarding support for democratic movements elsewhere in the world. As a Muslim friend of mine said, the election of Barack Obama was in many ways revolutionary—an effort to take back the power of the people, by the people, and for the people from the ruling military/industrial/media complex.

The pro-democracy and Occupy movements throughout the world offer an opportunity for the President and the American people to put our money, support, and understanding where its professed values lie—to advance freedom, democracy, and peace.

Kathie Malley-Morrison, Professor of Psychology