Equality: Trade, Travel, And The Media

Humans share a common factor: we are all humans. However, certain countries believe that, even though biologically we are all the same, some are better than others. This ideology is further supported by traders, travellers, and the media trying to enforce an unequal world. Human rights and equality are fundamental to our society, and the factors that support this should be accepted to a considerable extent. Our ideas of equality and natural rights stem from our uses of trade, travel, and media over the course of history in order to form a consensus of what should and should not be equitable. Although many countries have subtleties underlying their constitutions, in the end their similarities lie in the support of people being equal. The days …show more content…
In 1989, as communism fell in the Soviet Union, protests wreaked havoc throughout China. In Beijing specifically, protests attended by 1.2 million people in Tiananmen Square were held to challenge the government control of the media, limiting freedom of speech, and violating human rights. One of the most famous images of the 20th century surfaced from this event that became known as “Tank Man”; as the government sent out tanks to kill protesters, a man of unknown identity simply stood in the middle of the road, facing an oncoming tank. The tank driver didn’t hit the man, but rather disobeyed his officials orders and stayed parked. The identity of Tank Man is unknown, but the image spread throughout the media as the ultimate stand for human rights. For Tank Man, he opted for possible death as opposed to facing injustice any longer, not only cementing his place as an icon, but also proving how important it is for humans to be protected. Human rights organizations have taken to the Internet as means of bringing awareness and gaining support. Amnesty International uses the Internet to inform people about current issues, create petitions, and coordinate protests across the globe. Rights for immigrants and refugees are a massive issue as they are in a grey area; by leaving their home country, they lost their original rights, but not qualifying them as a citizen in their new country gives them no rights at all. Because of this, they are left vulnerable to violations that are left unreported. Such is the case with human trafficking, or the illegal exploitation of humans through laborious or sexual means. Millions are recruited yearly, mainly women and children, to perform tasks that are violating themselves and their rights. The media has also played devil’s advocate at times; while supporting the rights of humans, it has preached inequality