“The heyday of human rights has passed.” Mr. Kennedy states it would be surprising if the definition written down fifty years ago survived. “Time moves on,” he states.

Here is the definition/declaration I believe he was referring to:

http://www.un.org/Overview/rights.html

It doesn’t wear too thin to me, but I’m no expert.

It sounds as though Mr. Kennedy is asking for a more nuanced approach as opposed to institutional – he mentions “the proliferation of a variety of other diverse modes of pursuing social justice.” That sounds intense, but I’m not clear what it really means, or where and how that could manifest itself.

The one tangible alternative I heard was “religious movements and religious vocabularies.” But aren’t religious movements as or more institutionalized than anything else?

I do appreciate the discussion in general though. The fact that these organizations are called “human rights” organizations would seem to free them of any scrutiny at all. Like for instance who wants the to be the one to criticize something called “No child left behind,” or “The Patriot Act.” I’m sure there are specific organizations that need to be shaken up.

With that said, I’m still not sure what exactly Mr. Kennedy is scrutinizing or presenting as an alternative. For instance, women’s rights (or lack thereof) in Afghanistan. What does Mr. Kennedy propose as a strategy to confront this massive crisis?

Two “institutions” I believe in:

http://globalvoicesonline.org/

http://www.witness.org/