Ferguson shows the price America pays for criticizing other nations
for their human rights
abuses: greater scrutiny for its own problems.
Ferguson Riots Expose
American 'Human Rights Flaws' (Xinhua, China)
The Beijing leadership has seized on events in Ferguson to attack American criticism of China's abysmal human rights policies toward its own ethnic minorities. In this column for China's state-run Xinhua, columnist Li Li writes that before the United States criticizes others, it should address its own 'human rights flaws,' and be more understanding of 'national conditions' that contribute to such problems in other countries.
BEIJING: In his landmark "I have a dream" speech, civil
rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. voiced strong aspirations for the equal
rights of Black people in the United States.
Fifty years later, the dream has been partly realized. African
Americans today enjoy an elevated political and social status, and notably, the
country has its first African-American president.
Despite progress, however, a racial divide remains a deeply-rooted
chronic disease that continues to tear U.S. society apart, as manifested by the
latest racial rioting in Missouri.
Stunned and enraged over the shooting death of an unarmed Black
teenager by a White police officer, a large number of residents of the suburban
St. Louis town of Ferguson took to the streets, staging a tense standoff with
police in riot gear.
Historically, racial tensions cut deep in American society,
and even now, the scar is obviously far from fully healed. Some might argue
that racial differences and conflicts are unavoidable in a "melting
pot" like the United States, where people from virtually every corner of
the world converge and seek to live together. However, it is undeniable that
racial discrimination against African Americans and other ethnic minorities, although
not as obvious as in the past, persists in every aspect of American social life,
including in employment, housing, education, and particularly, justice.
Posted By Worldmeets.US
In 1992, in the worst U.S. violence in recent times, the
acquittal of four White policemen for the beating of a Black motorist [Rodney
King] sparked a
six-day riot involving thousands of people across the Los Angeles metropolitan
area, leaving an astounding 51 people dead.
In a highly-mixed society like the United States, racial
inequalities can only serve to jeopardize social peace and security. It is
highly advisable for the country to make extra efforts to effectively uproot
racism in all fields so as to prevent such tragedies from recurring.
The Ferguson incident once again demonstrates that even in a
country that has for years tried to play the role of international human rights
judge and defender, there is much room for improvement at home.
In its annual Human
Rights Report issued in February, the United States assaulted almost 200
countries across the world for their so-called poor human rights records.
However, U.S. human rights flaws extend far beyond racial
issues. As revealed by famed whistleblower Edward Snowden, the U.S. government
has hacked into the e-mails and mobile phones of ordinary Americans as well as
leaders of other countries, including traditional U.S. allies. What's more,
Uncle Sam has witnessed numerous shooting sprees on its own territory and
launched incessant drone attacks on foreign soil, resulting in heavy civilian
casualties.
Every country has its own national conditions that lead to various
social problems. Obviously, what the United States needs to do is to
concentrate on solving its own problems rather than pointing fingers at others.
