Final, yet not so final, thoughts

Over the course of this semester I, along with my 20 classmates, dove deep into the topic of human dignity. We were forced, but rightly so, to explore theorists' perspectives of dignity, violations of human dignity, examples of dignity upheld, and many controversial situations in which the concept dignity could be applied.  We read Kant, Kateb, and Singer.  We discussed dignity as it pertains to healthcare, prison systems, and the media.  We debated over whether dignity was innate or gained or whether or not dignity could be lost or gained.  A group of my classmates underwent a project called “Post-It Proud” to improve other’s self dignity, and the rest of my class also participated in human dignity projects.  It seems a lot to do in a semester and I know I did not even mention everything out course consisted of.  I was fortunate enough to be able to participate in such empowering, fascinating, and intellectual colloquium about Human Dignity.  So what did I learn?

Most importantly I learned that dignity is dignity- no matter what situation dignity is applied to.  As the semester continued and we were asked to blog about certain issues and how dignity pertained to them I struggled with coming up with new things to write about.  I was always drawn back to the idea that every human deserves dignity.   Every human is unique and all humans should be treated equally.  I definitely think Kateb said it best when he said, “the truth of personal identity is at stake when any individual is treated as if he or she is not a human being like any other, and therefore treated as more or less human. [An individual should be treated] as if he or she is just one more human being in a species, and not, instead, a unique individual who is irreplaceable and not exchangeable for another.”  We are all unique and different and, especially when it comes to dignity, no human should be treated as any more or any less human.  Whether or not you live in a culture with unique traditions different than traditions of other cultures, whether you are a famous actor or sports figure, whether you have a mental illness or life threatening disease, whether you have money or you are struggling to find income, whether you are a prisoner or a victim of a crime- you are still a human.  You still deserve dignity.

I titled this entry final, yet not so final, thoughts because while it is technically my last blog entry for the class, there is no way these are my last thoughts regarding human dignity.  While i learned that dignity is dignity, i also learned that people's dignity is violated everyday.  Everyday people are treated as if he or she is more or less human than others.  I know I am not perfect, and I know that no one is perfect; however I also know that if we all become more conscientious in the way we treat others we could make a difference.  It may just be a little at a time, but if we developed insights and mindsets that all humans are equal and should be treated the same the world could become a more dignified place.

When I think about human dignity in any context I am always drawn back to the fact that no matter what the situation, every human deserves dignity.   All humans should be treated equally and no human should be treated as any more or any less human.  In deserving dignity and being treated equally, all people also should have equal opportunities.  This photograph that I took of my mom on the beach reminds me of human dignity because as I look at the picture I feel as though I am reminded that the world has endless opportunities.  I feel like in the picture my mom is ready to scream, "LIVE LIFE!"

Looking back at the picture I am motivated to grab hold of the opportunities presented to me and embrace life.  While it may be a stretch, this pertains to human dignity because I often get caught up in school or work and I loose sight of myself and the things that make me- well me.  One of the most important things I have learned about dignity over the course of the colloquium class is that recognizing ones' self dignity is just as important in recognizing someone else's dignity.  People need to need to embrace what makes them unique and be true to themselves.  This photograph is a reminder for me br true to myself and to take advantage of all the things the world has to offer.

America's Brutal Prison Clips

I would like to think that in a perfect criminal justice system a criminal could be both punished for his or her crime and yet have his or her dignity still upheld.  The key words: in a perfect world.  Today's society and criminal justice system is not perfect and there are flaws.  I do not believe that a criminal's dignity is upheld  in prison. 

When it comes to dignity I always try to remember that every human is a unique individual.  No matter how unique a person is, he or she is still human and all humans should be treated equal.  That is a hard concept to grasp, especially when dealing with prisoners.  A person is more than the crime he or she committed.  Regardless or whether that person was right or wrong or innocent or guilty, that person is still an individual who deserves dignity and should be treated with dignity in prison.  Not only do people deserve to have his or her dignity upheld, but Article 5 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that no one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.  Why then do we still hear of horrible stories in which a criminal's dignity is stripped away?



Is using electric cattle prods on humans dignified?  Is shackling a prisoner to death dignified?  Is spraying prisoners with pepper and tear gas for banging on a door dignified?  I believe there are many factors that play into dignity in prisons.  First, there are many types of crimes with varying degrees of punishment.  There are non-violent crimes, violent crimes, crimes against other humans, crimes against society as a whole, crimes that strip away other peoples' dignity, and many more.  The point is a crime is a crime, but should all criminals be punished the same?  How can someone with a non-violent drug offense be treated the same way a someone who murdered his or her entire family? 

Not only are there a number of different crimes, but there are different criminals.  There are criminals who are remorseful, criminals who regret what he or she did, criminals who have no regrets, criminals who are not remorseful for his or her crimes, and even criminals who believe he or she is innocent.  Should they all be treated the same?  The answer is no they should not be; however, they all should be treated humanely- with dignity and respect. 

I'm sure everyone has heard the phrase, "one person can ruin it for everyone."  Not that it is that pretty common, but I feel like it is what occurs in prisons.  There are some prisoners who are well behaved in prisons and work towards a better future, but there are still other who have no desire to better their lives.  They join prison gangs, abuse other inmates, smuggle drugs into prisons, and in general just do not follow the rules.  It has to be hard for prison employees to work with all these different types of prisoners- to have to distinguish between those who are compliant and those who are non-compliant.  To have to determine who is really trying to make a better a future for ones self and who is just trying to look for an easy way out.  I feel like often times the abuse that occurs in prisons occurs because guards take the easy way out- they do not try to distinguish between those who are compliant and non-complaint.  Often times they automatically jump to extreme measures and inflict cruel punishments on prisoners- punishment that strips the criminals' dignity.  Like I said, in a perfect world I would like to see the criminal justice system uphold criminals' dignity while still punishing criminals for his or her crimes, but today's society is far from perfect.