The Human Rights Foundation chairman, Vaslav Havel, a notable Czech democracy activist, and first democratically elected leader of the Czech Republic, leads discussions on the development of human rights advocacy strategies in the fight against dictatorial regimes.
The speaker discusses their experience working in international development on corporate human rights violations and how corporations influence the types of human rights issues that get talked about, including the obesity epidemic.
The speaker questions why modern-day slavery and human rights violations are not receiving enough attention, especially from influential figures like American corporations and celebrities.
The podcast discusses Milton Mayer's book "They Thought They Were Free" and his interviews with ten Nazi friends. Mayer believed in human rights and was bewildered by the citizens of Weimar Republic who gave up their rights so readily in the face of state oppression.
Speaking out about human rights is important, but when it becomes a frenzy, it can lead to misguided foreign interventions. Discussing these issues can create a check on the perpetrators, but we must also be realistic about fixing problems like Afghanistan.
In this podcast, the speaker argues against prioritizing equity over human rights and shares his concerns that this approach could lead society down a dangerous path towards authoritarianism.
