The pandemic has eroded democracy and respect for human rights

Re:The pandemic has eroded democracy and respect for human r... by starfallg on Sunday October 18, 2020 @01:11PM (#24819341)

> But this is exactly the mindset that I'd characterize as an erosion of "respect for human rights".

Google "positive rights". It is widely accepted that there are some things we are obliged to do. The base state of our existence is not to do nothing.

You're trying portray what is in effect a public health measure into something sinister and I don't think it's working.

I stand by my assertion that the original point was a strawman. By and large, the initial lockdown measures were put into place by different countries with the goal of solving the immediate threat of overwhelmed ICUs and none were designed to last indefinitely. All of which were relaxed in the summer, but now have to be reintroduced partially in many countries due to the lack of other measures put in place to stem a second wave.

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Re:The pandemic has eroded democracy and respect for human r... by SpicyLemonZest on Sunday October 18, 2020 @01:46PM (#24819687)

What I'm trying to portray is that a lot of people think that Covid-19 is more important than most human rights, and nearly any restriction for nearly any duration is acceptable if it'll slow the spread. I think it's entirely fair to call that an "erosion of respect for human rights", and the source article describes many examples of how that can go wrong. As long as Ugandans share the attitude that controlling the spread is the most important thing in the world, President Museveni will be able to continue oppressing his political opponents.

If you think that the leaders in your area are moral enough that they'd never abuse unlimited power in this way... I'm not gonna tell you you're wrong, I don't know, but I'm skeptical.

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Re:The pandemic has eroded democracy and respect for human r... by jjeaff on Sunday October 18, 2020 @04:14PM (#24820760)

I don't see how any politicians are getting much out of lockdowns right now. Especially since polling places are still open and most people can vote by mail.

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Re:The pandemic has eroded democracy and respect for human r... by SpicyLemonZest on Sunday October 18, 2020 @04:15PM (#24820774)

Again, I'd really suggest reading the source article in more detail, because it lists quite a few descriptions of politicians getting political advantage out of lockdowns.

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