Human rights constitute a vital ingredient of a fair, just society, pointing to a collective moral compass to follow. In the United States, a country founded on the notion of freedom and equality for all human beings, the issue of human rights is all-pervading, even vexed. This paper aims to explore the sociological interpretation of human rights as a social phenomenon, outlining its facets, dilemmas, and effects in modern American society.
Sociological Perspective
As we use symbolic interactionism – lens to analyze the social issue of human rights, we dig deeper into how individuals and groups engage in the social landscape. Symbolic interactionism highlights symbols and meaning and considers interactions as a process of dynamic interactions. On this view, one can see how people actively build and renegotiate the meaning of human rights within their daily practices. It revels in the minute intricacies present in the gestures, language, and shared stereotypes that unconsciously negotiate the identity of what these rights entail by the microscopic experience of human beings and communities. This strategy makes our understanding much richer: human rights are portrayed as a matter of law and as changing social constructs formed in an ongoing dialogue within society.
Manifestations of Human Rights Issues
Who manifests human rights issues in American society demonstrates the consciousness of many challenges of topmost concern to be urgently addressed. The most conspicuous case is the systemic prejudice in the general subject domain, particularly the justice system(Akhmedshina., 2020). The excessive incarceration rates between minorities and racial injustices, as well as police brutality, all point out the violation of equal protection under the law. This systemic prejudice not only steals freedom from the individual but engenders a continuing inequality that haunts the halls of generations of men. It emphasizes the immediate need for structural reform to address the underlying faults that ensure injustice consolidates and the core values of human rights erode in the U.S.
Moreover, poverty deprives the inequality of economic and social rights enmeshed in the American pattern of distribution, where the availability of fundamental resources becomes lopsided. The persistent lack of equal access to quality healthcare, education, and housing reinforces a cycle of poverty and restricts individuals and communities from actualizing their inherent human rights. This systematic imbalance not only exacerbates existing social cleavages but also magnifies the obstacles to social mobility, thus narrowing chances for those at the periphery. Overcoming these economic inequalities is vital to a society where everyone has equal opportunity to live a worthy life without the constraints imposed by economic disparities. It brings to the fore the synergism of economic and social rights in perfecting the quest for a more holistic and progressive nation.
Challenges in Protecting Human Rights
Acknowledging fundamental freedoms is loaded with enormous difficulties, most notably foundational segregation, which prides itself on being an endemic insidiousness. The primary functionalist view uncovers the intricate trap of social designs hidden in the support of inequalities (Geovani et al., 2021). This focal point shows how implanted prejudicial strategies and practices in foundations are a deterrent, making uncalled-for portions of privileges and open doors troublesome. Foundational normalization of regulated separation keeps up with existing incongruities and legitimizes inconsistent power relations. These designs are so well established that fixing them is essential for destroying boundaries that forestall the acknowledgment of widespread everyday freedoms. It requests a transformed methodology toward meaningful evaluation of designs to foster a general public that embraces ideas of equity and all-inclusive fundamental freedoms.
For example, the issue of the gender pay gap can be taken as a considerable, not to say terrifying, case in point of structure-functional issues, exposing the biases hardwired in the work environment. Such bleak reality bares how the ingrained gender discrimination is still evident, which implies unfair treatment of people merely because of gender. In the long run, the persistent inequality in incomes and job opportunities directly jeopardizes the possibility of an individual enjoying economic and social rights based on gender equality. This, in addition to the financial aspect, runs a larger loop of gender-based injustices and leads to the suppression of career progress performance and resources, followed by overall health. These structural-function issues must be addressed for this elimination of discrimination based on gender and to create a non-discriminatory environment in which individuals can enjoy their social and economic rights without conferring any discrimination on any basis.
Implications for American Society
The implications of human rights issues are far more than the experiences of an individual; they get down to the roots of American society. Suppose a society (country) does not have a mechanism for addressing wrongs committed by other members (especially if such wrongs amount to gross human rights violations). In that case, such a society will likely be fermented with resentment, social unrest, and a diminished sense of national unity (Macchi & van Zeben., 2021). the analysis gained through the feminist argument adds depth by pointing out how human rights and gender meet leverage (D’cruz & Banerjee., 2020). The issues related to reproductive rights and abuse occurring at domestic houses draw attention to the necessity of a special approach towards the gender-specific problems that women might face on their way to the protection of their human rights.
In conclusion, applying the symbolic interactionist method encourages us to disentangle modern American society’s confusing human rights issues. The sociological analysis provides a holistic understanding of our country’s issues regarding systemic discrimination in the judicial system and the economic variances that have led us to forego fundamental rights. It is difficult to rectify the wrongs of discrimination involving human rights and therefore requires the collective actions of eroding the discriminatory systems and relying on social justice. Symbols, meaning, and the things we do would be acknowledged, clearing a path for a society that abides by the ideals of equality, justice, and individual unalienable rights.
References
Akhmedshina, F. (2020). Violence against women: a form of discrimination and human rights violations. Mental Enlightenment Scientific-Methodological Journal, pp. 13–23. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/364816468_Promotion_Of_Gender_Equality_to_Prevent_Domestic_Violence_Against_Women
D’cruz, M., & Banerjee, D. (2020). ‘An invisible human rights crisis’: The marginalization of older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic–An advocacy review. Psychiatry Research, 292, 113369. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0165178120324811
Geovani, I., Nurkhotijah, S., Kurniawan, H., Milanie, F., & Ilham, R. N. (2021). Juridical Analysis of Victims of The Economic Exploitation of Children Under The Age to Realize Legal Protection From Human Rights Aspects: Research Study At The Office of Social and Community Empowerment In Batam City. International Journal of Educational Review, Law And Social Sciences (IJERLAS), 1(1), 45-52. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/355537417_JURIDICAL_ANALYSIS_OF_VICTIMS_OF_THE_ECONOMIC_EXPLOITATION_OF_CHILDREN_UNDER_THE_AGE_TO_REALIZE_LEGAL_PROTECTION_FROM_HUMAN_RIGHTS_ASPECTS_RESEARCH_STUDY_AT_THE_OFFICE_OF_SOCIAL_AND_COMMUNITY_EMPOWERM
Macchi, C., & van Zeben, J. (2021). Business and human rights implications of climate change litigation: Milieudefensie et al. v Royal Dutch Shell. Review of European, Comparative & International Environmental Law, 30(3), 409-415. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/355181307_Business_and_human_rights_implications_of_climate_change_litigation_Milieudefensie_et_al_v_Royal_Dutch_Shell
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