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World Elites for Equal Dignity (WElitesED)
HumanDHS is primarily grounded in academic work. We are independent of any religious or political agenda. However, we wish to bring academic work into "real life." Our research focuses on topics such as dignity (with humiliation as its violation), or, more precisely, on respect for equal dignity for all human beings in the world. This is not only our research topic, but also our core value, in line with Article 1 of the Human Rights Declaration that states that every human being is born with equal dignity (that ought not be humiliated).
We agree with Professor Shibley Telhami, who advocates the building of bridges from academia as follows, "I have always believed that good scholarship can be relevant and consequential for public policy. It is possible to affect public policy without being an advocate; to be passionate about peace without losing analytical rigor; to be moved by what is just while conceding that no one has a monopoly on justice." We would like to add that we believe that good scholarship can be relevant and consequential not only for public policy, but for raising awareness in general.
We look for interested people, who would like to develop our WElitesED page. Please see our Call for Creativity.
The significance of elites
by Lindner, 2005
When I discuss with people, many tell me that we first have to create peace, justice and non-humiliating social structures locally, in our immediate social environment, before we can aim at global peace. I do not want to denigrate this view, however, I do not fully agree. If we want to build a decent global society, a task which includes tackling war, terror, poverty, injustice, corruption and other social illnesses at a global scale, we cannot merely become Mother Theresas, placing some bandages on the wounded, locally, and let the elites forge the global structures. Rather, we have to engage the elites of this world and invite them into more equitable social contracts. Because otherwise, our efforts will always stay small and fragile, and one single decision, from some powerful elite of this world, may undo all our efforts.
Ultimately we need to change the notion of what "elite" means - from illegitimately arrogating superiority to responsibly and legitimately providing leadership for forging policies which entail respect for equal dignity for all. We need leadership, we need experts who work for us; we cannot do without it. However, the pilot in a plane or the captain of a ship, though masters over their passengers when in the sky or at high sea, do not need to abuse their passengers. Clear hierarchy and stark inequality characterize these situations. Yet, the pilot and the captain need not look down on their passengers as lesser beings, let alone exploit or manipulate them.
So, my personal focus is to reach the powerful, the elites, engage them, and build cooperation - instead of confrontation - following the example of Mandela. I have several routes in mind, firstly, I think, we want to change elite behavior through strengthening public opinion, which then may guide elites into new social contracts, which have respect for equal dignity at their core. Events such as Ukraine's orange revolution in 2005 should no longer be necessary (see also our big events project). Secondly, I think, we should try to reach elites themselves more directly (like David Hamburg did).
Links
'$100 laptop' to Sell to Public
By Jonathan Fildes
Science and technology reporter, BBC News
Computer enthusiasts in the developed world will soon be able to get their hands on the so-called "$100 laptop".
The organisation behind the project has launched the "give one, get one" scheme that will allow US residents to purchase two laptops for $399 (£198).
Please read the entire article at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/technology/6994957.stm and on http://www.xogiving.org/.
Garry Davis: World Citizenship, World Passport, World Presidency, World Service Authority, World Government of World Citizens, World Government House
Garry Davis (Bar Harbor, Maine, July 27, 1921) is a peace activist who created the first "World Passport." A former World War II bomber pilot and Broadway actor, he renounced his American citizenship in Paris in 1948 to become a "citizen of the world." Davis founded the World Service Authority, which now issues the passports - along with birth and other certificates - to applicants. Davis first used his "world passport" on a trip to India in 1956, and has been variably admitted into or jailed by countries around the world after using his world passport. Up to 150 countries have purportedly accepted the world passport at one time or another. In France, his support committee was co-founded by writers Albert Camus and André Gide and the Abbé Pierre (quoted from wikipedia).
See also www.onefilms.com and www.1worldcitizen.com.
Richest 2% Own 'Half the Wealth'
By Andrew Walker
Economics correspondent, BBC World Service
The richest 2% of adults in the world own more than half of all household wealth, according to a new study by a United Nations research institute. The report, from the World Institute for Development Economics Research at the UN University, says that the poorer half of the world's population own barely 1% of global wealth. There have of course been many studies of worldwide inequality. But what is new about this report, the authors say, is its coverage.
It deals with all countries in the world - either actual data or estimates based on statistical analysis - and it deals with wealth, where most previous research has looked at income.
What they mean by wealth in this study is what people own, less what they owe - their debts. The assets include land, buildings, animals and financial assets.
Please read the entire article at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/business/6211250.stm.
The Pixel Press
At PixelPress our intent is to encourage documentary photographers, writers, filmmakers, artists, human rights workers and students to explore the world in ways that take advantage of the new possibilities provided by digital media. We seek a new paradigm of journalism, one that encourages an active dialogue between the author and reader and, also, the subject. Our online magazine features projects that use a variety of linear and non-linear strategies, attempting to articulate visions of human possibility even while confirming human frailty. For us the digital revolution is a revolution in consciousness, not in commerce. We work with organizations such as Crimes of War, Human Rights Watch, World Health Organization and UNICEF to create Web sites that deal directly with contemporary issues in complex and innovative ways that circumvent media sensationalism and simplification. We also try to factor in ways that the viewer can help remedy social problems, rather than remain a spectator. Recently we completed a site focusing on how to end polio worldwide; another trying to aid an orphanage in Rwanda; one trying to reclaim the Brazilian forest; and a site featuring the images of photographers from the Vietnam War. And we also create books with photographers such as Machiel Botman, Kent Klich and Sebastião Salgado on social themes, as well as traveling exhibitions using both digital and conventional processes.
