Human Rights Universalism and Relativism

¶ … film A Force More Powerful shows how nonviolent political protest has a universal component. Although the most famous nonviolent movements include those of Gandhi and King, there are many other lesser-known movements that have created meaningful and lasting change without the use of brute force, war, or weapons. These movements began with a commitment to human rights, and were inherently based on improving human rights in their respective locations. In so doing, nonviolent movements have radically altered political paradigms and points-of-view worldwide.

Nonviolent political movements have changed the discourse of human rights, allowing for a fusion of universalist and relativist approaches. For example, the Gandhi movement was unique to India and the needs of the subcontinent. Without diverging from the fundamental tenets of Indian morality and worldview, Gandhi nevertheless created a universal movement based on the ultimate view that all human beings are equal and that colonialism is erroneously based on artificial social or political hierarchies.

Although Gandhi worked within a specifically Indian framework, his actions became the universal model for human rights movements worldwide. When King adopted Gandhi's philosophy, he also adapted the form of political protest used in India for the needs of Americans in the middle of the twentieth century. While there remains some respect for cultural diversity, universalist human rights prevail during nonviolent movements.

Nonviolent movements champion the rights of women, people of color, and other groups considered "underclass." As Campbell, MacKinnon and Stevens point out, cultural relativism can too often be used to "excuse the denial of basic human rights to a group or groups," (103). There can be universal standards of social justice without denigrating indigenous cultures or promoting homogenization.

It is not a perpetuation of colonialism to suggest that women and the poor deserve basic human rights, because basic human rights are not "western" values; they are the values that promote welfare and quality of life. The film A Force More Powerful essentially shows that universal human rights are a more powerful force than the outmoded social norms that perpetuate injustice and inequality. It is therefore important to recognize the value of universal declarations of human rights, to change the minds and hearts of future generations.

By making sexism, racism, and other injustices intolerable, it becomes possible to witness greater equality worldwide without sacrificing the integrity of culture or society. For example, the film shows how a small group of Danish political activists sought to challenge the authority of the Nazis. If a relativist view were applied to the situation, the Nazis would be set out to represent their racist and violent views as being true defenders of Northern European "culture." Yet hatred can never be considered a valid part of any culture.

The Danes did not sacrifice the integrity of.