Dear Reader,
A great thinker of our time, Mike D of the Beastie Boys, once gave a rallying call for the people of our generation to faithfully defend our “right to party.” While his plea was mostly di rected at oppressive parents who went to the Cape for the weekend and only left 20 dollars for food, Mr. D in all his eloquence recognized a truth that is not always self-evident. The reason we call something a right, or have to fight for it, means that there are people around the world who do not have it.
Thirty thousand children die each day due to poverty. Over 1 billion people in developing countries have inadequate access to water, and 2.6 billion lack basic sanitation. Over 36 million Americans live below the poverty line. Numbers like this should sound familiar to anyone who has ever tuned in to the nightly news, or listened to George Clooney on Oscar night. Globalization is bringing us face to face with the 6 billion other people inhabiting this planet. As everyone seems to be getting a cell phone or an invitation to Gmail, these statistics are a reminder of the many people who have not shared the wealth technology is creating. On page 4, “I Came, I Saw, iPod,” examines how this technology is changing our relationships with each other against a backdrop of inequality.
In this issue of common ground, we listen to the voices around the world that are mobilizing to defend their fundamental human rights. This might be a foreign concept for Americans. We think of human rights violations as torture and genocide, happening in some other country we will never visit. In “Finding the Third World in the First World,” the article shows how injustice exists in our own back yard. These violations happen, whether we choose to watch them on CNN or unknowingly contribute to them in our daily routines, as “We’ll be Wearing T-shirts When They Come” warns.
Rights are not passive, simply waiting to be protected or violated. They require a commitment, and someone to fight for them. This publication explores the different conceptions of the rights we have in our own lives. Hopefully these pages will serve as an inspiration for readers to examine what must be defended to live dignified, meaningful lives.
Sincerely,
William Brode
Caroline Graham
Adriane Lesser
A great thinker of our time, Mike D of the Beastie Boys, once gave a rallying call for the people of our generation to faithfully defend our “right to party.” While his plea was mostly di rected at oppressive parents who went to the Cape for the weekend and only left 20 dollars for food, Mr. D in all his eloquence recognized a truth that is not always self-evident. The reason we call something a right, or have to fight for it, means that there are people around the world who do not have it.
Thirty thousand children die each day due to poverty. Over 1 billion people in developing countries have inadequate access to water, and 2.6 billion lack basic sanitation. Over 36 million Americans live below the poverty line. Numbers like this should sound familiar to anyone who has ever tuned in to the nightly news, or listened to George Clooney on Oscar night. Globalization is bringing us face to face with the 6 billion other people inhabiting this planet. As everyone seems to be getting a cell phone or an invitation to Gmail, these statistics are a reminder of the many people who have not shared the wealth technology is creating. On page 4, “I Came, I Saw, iPod,” examines how this technology is changing our relationships with each other against a backdrop of inequality.
In this issue of common ground, we listen to the voices around the world that are mobilizing to defend their fundamental human rights. This might be a foreign concept for Americans. We think of human rights violations as torture and genocide, happening in some other country we will never visit. In “Finding the Third World in the First World,” the article shows how injustice exists in our own back yard. These violations happen, whether we choose to watch them on CNN or unknowingly contribute to them in our daily routines, as “We’ll be Wearing T-shirts When They Come” warns.
Rights are not passive, simply waiting to be protected or violated. They require a commitment, and someone to fight for them. This publication explores the different conceptions of the rights we have in our own lives. Hopefully these pages will serve as an inspiration for readers to examine what must be defended to live dignified, meaningful lives.
Sincerely,
William Brode
Caroline Graham
Adriane Lesser
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