The Psychology of Human Rights Violators and Courageous Resistors Essay

The Psychology of Human Rights Violators and Courageous Resistors Using a vocabulary based on the work of social psychologist Ervin Staub, it is clear that many researchers have found elements of the human psyche and the human experience that contribute both to acts of courageous resistance in the face of horrific human rights abuses as well as contributing to the perpetration of the acts themselves. Certain categories emerge while assessing the actions of an individual in either of these circumstances: environmental or circumstantial pressure and support; concept of self in relation to others, and specific learning experiences that coalesce into paradigms from which actions are taken. In his analysis of human rights violations, Staub discusses â€Å"difficult life conditions,† â€Å"in-group/ out-group† distinctions, and â€Å"learning by doing.† Various other scholars of human rights have a vocabulary that will enhance the meaning of this terminology in the context of both human rights violators, and courageous resistors of t hat violence. Staub's assessment of â€Å"difficult life conditions† and how people behave under threat to safety and security is supported and expanded upon by Kristen Renwick Monroe, who posits that, though ethnic difference and tensions are not a sufficient to explain human rights abuses, they will be magnified by economic struggle or other stresses, and can explode into acts of extreme violence. She draws in the concept of dehumanization, addressed by Staub and many others, positing that the cognitive perceptions of a people under strain can be manipulated to scapegoat a group of people in an attempt to release the frustration of powerlessness in hard times. The idea that one can distance oneself from one's victi... ...ing the path of â€Å"learning by doing† towards courageous resistance. Those raised in authoritarian cultures according to various theorists, including Staub, often don't have the internal locus of control that allows them to make the connection between seeing oppression and choosing not to participate in it. So, this is another place where theories of pro-social actions and human rights violation are converse to one another. A synthesis of all of these theories leads me to believe the following: if one can use the similar pathways of â€Å"learning by doing† and â€Å"authorization† within a pro-social, inclusive world view and create a society where authoritative child rearing need not become authoritarian child rearing, it is possible to say that there may one day be a world where there will be no violations of human rights that will require others to courageously resist.

On Immigration Issue: Hilary Clinton and Barack Obama Essay

Barrack Obama and Hilary Clinton had both express their plans about the reformation of the immigration system in the country. Currently, America’s population is increasing fast. However, there are several who are not listed as legal migrants of the country. According to the website of Ohama, the number of undocumented immigrants had increased for more than 40 percent since the year 2000. This shows that there is an approximate of five hundred thousand people who lives illegally or who overstays in the country every year. Immigration raids are ineffective because an estimate of 3,600 arressts were made in the year 2006. This only shows that the ratio against the number of discovered illegal immigrants versus the total number of illegal immigrants does not even reach 1%. (barrackobama.com, 2008) Barrack Obama had planned on create securing borders for the country. He had stated in his plans that he is very willing to back-up the integrity of the borders. He would implement this through providing additional people, infrastructure and technology needed on the borders and points of entry of the country. Obama wants the system to work in a real time manner so that the immigrants who had been reviewed as illegal would be easily deported to his or her country of origin. The same as Obama, Hilary Clinton wants to know who is in the country through the security of the country’s border. She also agrees in having a new technology that would help stop the flow of illegal immigrants in the country. Both Obama and Clinton had pointed out the security of the border. However, Obama’s plan had been more specific as to what actions must the government take in order to secure the borders. Clinton had stated the security of the borders but she did not tell what particular aspect of security must be done to the border. Hilary Clinton had mentioned in her plans that the employers must follow the law against employing and exploiting illegal immigrants. Clinton had proposed that a new technology to help stop the flow of undocumented immigrants in the country and an employer verification system that is universal, accurate and timely. Barrack Obama on the other hand would remove incentives for immigrants to enter the country illegally. This would be done by pinpointing the employers who hire undocumented immigrants. Upon identification of these employers, corresponding punishment would be done to these employers who had been found to hire illegal immigrants. Looking at the plans of both Presidential candidate, Hilary Clinton’s suggestion on the implementation of a technology for illegal employment is a good measure to determine automatically who are the illegal immigrants. Barrack Obama’s plan concentrated on the employers and the corresponding punishment that would be given to such. The difference between these plans is that Hilary wants to determine the illegal immigrants and the employers while Barrack wants to know the employers only and not the illegal immigrants of the country. Among the laws and regulations that both candidates wanted to prioritize it is the family of the illegal immigrant and the illegal immigrant. Hillary plans to repair the immigration system. She had stated that the current immigration system at times is the reason why families are damaged and forced to be apart because of the current laws. As such, Hillary Clinton had noted a national interest in the families. She had introduced an amendment during the consideration of the immigration reform bill that would protect the family. Obama’s plan is to fix the immigration bureaucracy and increase the number of allowed legal immigrants to be with their families and meet demand for jobs that employers cannot fill. Obama had noted in his plans bringing out illegal immigrants out by providing a system that would allow illegal immigrants to gain legal status if the immigrant is in a good standing to pay a fine, learn the English Language, and law-abiding in order to become citizens of the state. He had also included in his plans to expedite citizenship to the military troops who are foreigners and serves America. This population is around 5% of the total US troops population. Hilary Clinton was not able to take note of this things on her plans in immigration. However, she had noted facts on the impact of immigration policies on the workers. She would take note of the worker programs that exploit workers and creates cheap labor that undermines the wages of the U.S. workers. The right of a worker to work in safe conditions with decent wages had been noted in her plans. Clinton would support Ag Jobs programs. This program is about keeping agricultural industry lively and enable agricultural workers fair wages and labor protections that they need. As a conclusion, both candidates have noted several important issues that needs to be tackled regarding Immigration. Both had determined that the undocumented immigrants must be known. The large number of illegal immigrants in America is very alarming that is why, both of them had created plans immediately in order to contain the problem. Hilary Clinton had addressed the issue of border security, illegal immigrant employment, immigrant family choice and cheap labor exploitation. Barrack Obama on the other hand had addressed border security, illegal immigrant employment, honorary of the immigrant troops and converting illegal immigrants into citizens. Based on the presented plans, Obama’s show more details and also looks on the realistic side of the problem. Specific solutions are specified in his plans and this has made his plan more realistic. Works Cited: Obama 2008. â€Å"Immigration†. 2008. Obama for America. 28 March 2008. Online: Hillary Clinton for President Committee. â€Å"Reforming Our Immigration System†. 2008. Hillary for President 2008. 28 March 2008. Online: < http://www.hillaryclinton.com/issues/immigration/>

The Wars During The French Revolution - 1709 Words

Since the beginning of time, armies have attacked their neighbors with the conquered having to endure the pillaging of their properties and goods. The goods most sought after were things that most resembled the culture and values of the place they had raided. These typically included â€Å"religious articles, military banners or symbols, works of art, and important written records,† (Kurtz 1985, 1). These were sought after by the conquerors because they would represent their success in battle for years and they would be able to display them to show their dominance. In Europe, this occurred frequently even before any of the World Wars. The Religious wars of the sixteenth century seemed to accelerate this trend. However, due to the deprivation caused by these wars, the wars during the eighteenth century were more focused on destruction of enemy forces and infrastructure. The wars during the French revolution marked a return to the old ways of looting personal goods, and it was continued by Napoleon and his armies they brought back to France treasures from public and private collections from Italy and the rest of Europe (Kurtz 1985, 2-3). The rise of Napoleon marked the return of raiding and looting for the sake of demonstrating absolute power over enemies, a practice that was unfortunately continued by Adolf Hitler and the Nazis during their reign of terror and destruction during the 1930sand 1940s. The Nazi war machine wreaked havoc on Europe during World War II. 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