Due to the transition of "power" taking place in the US, it has become necessary, as a people, to address the issues of state sovereignty and the moral responsibility to protect human rights and equality. Today I will talk about the rights of a group that has been and continues to be the most vigorously demeaned, demoralized, victimized, abused, enslaved, and violated; women.
It is women that have the most to gain and loose by our actions in this transition and in the cosmo-political arena. For it is ingrained in society, both Western and Eastern, that women have a "lesser roll" to play and thus continue to be mistreated and misrepresented.
Due to the vastness and efficiency of subjugation done to her (women) it is important to bring her out of the shadows and into the forefront of political and cosmo-political discussion. For it is her liberation that will lead to the perpetual peace spoken of by Immanuel Kant and echoed by modern Democratic Peace theorists. If she continues to be pushed into the shadows by this community then she is again a victim, violated by the ignorance of our thoughts and actions.
She is plagued in the world by abuse, failed legal protection (if any), rape, prostitution, sex slavery, childhood molestation, lack of education, ostracized by her communities, sexual oppression, male domination, media misrepresentation, media devaluation and objectification, unequal and unfair pay, and so on. No other group in the world has ever suffered as much and to the extent of her.
It is plain to see that in nations which offer this group a more liberated roll (such as in most Democratic/Republican states, though it should be noted that this varies and has yet to be full emancipation within the US) we find more progress for those nations as a whole. The liberation and protection of her benefits the nation-state in many ways.
First the act of liberation and ensuring equality by the government increases its moral strength and character. Second, her active participation in the governmental process ensures her progress toward an autonomous position among all groups of people. Third, her participation in the economy provides more innovation, entrepreneurship, and money borrowing, spending and saving which spawns economic growth for her nation, government, and people. Fourth, her education contains multiple benefits that include advancement of intellectual thought, scientific discovery, political theory, economic theory, and philosophy. Her education further improves society by curbing unwanted pregnancy (which assists to maintain a low population thus reducing the societal strains of abandonment, foster care, adoption, etc), unemployment, and prostitution.
One may argue that Women must fight their own way up and that "we" have no right to interfere with the sovereignty of other nation-states. This would be false to assume. I would posit that the abandonment of Women is another violation of her and taking part in this is demoralizing. If we are demoralized, we have no ethical place to stand. In effect it has been removed from us by our inaction. Furthermore, because of effective and seamless oppression, she finds her self in a state that is inescapable. In fact I would argue that her freedom is unattainable without the assistance of those countries and persons that claim value for human liberties and equal rights.
Let us take the example of the Taliban in Afghanistan. We can see that a nation which holds extreme disregard for the rights of its people, and more especially those of its women, creates an atmosphere that devalues humanity and allows for the growth of hatred. The subjugation of women in this society is akin to the treatment of Jews in Nazi Europe. Hatred along with allowance of oppression maintains a false authority of a government over its people and/or groups of people over other groups of people.
Kant pointed out that those countries which are Republican are less likely to go to war. We can say that the same holds true for countries that value and secure the rights of its women. Can we know of certainty that the attacks on New York City wouldn't have happened if we had acted sooner against the Taliban and protected the rights of the Afghani women? Perhaps, no one can say. But with certainty, we can say that acts to ensure the rights of women is beneficial to our societies, to our nations, to our world, and to perpetual peace.
As a final note, not originally intended to be part of this treatment, I'd like to address a situation that is a contemporary example to the efficiency of societal, economic and political subjugation of women in the US and potentially the world.
In the guise of "change" we are ready to appoint a man into political office that sees women as unequal to men in intelligence, commitment, innate ability, and that women cannot overcome these inequalities due to her social situation. I am, of course, speaking about Lawrence Summers who is being appointed as Assistant to the President for Economic Policy and Director of the National Economic Council. It is clear through these remarks, as well as the various other known offenses he has committed toward humanity over the past 18 years, that he lacks the ability to change and assist the progress of women's rights.
He shows blatant disregard and ignorance to the issues of cosmopolitanism and the protection of the natural rights of individuals. It matters not how effective and successful he may be in the positions he is appointed to. The idea that we allow this privileged white man further promotion for remarks that keep minorities, women, and those less fortunate marginalized and devalued, provides society and the world a false impression that it's okay to be a bigot so long as you are willing to apologize.
Though it is no new thing for our government to fail us, I was hoping that this administration, lead by Barack Obama, would provide the change and hope we desperately seek as human beings sharing a vary small planet. Still, here writes one cosmopolite that will not give up on being a voice for the cosmopolitan ideal of human equality... especially the equality of women.
Shadna
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