humanity
Humanity topics include pieces on the real lives of politicians, legislators, activists, women in politics and the everyday voter.
Is Freedom of Speech Dying?
The history of freedom of speech in the west seemingly begins properly in the radical enlightenment movement in which we see a huge interest in the idea of full freedom of expression. In comparison to Voltaire and other more moderate enlightenment philosophers, the radical enlightenment focuses on ‘the entire truth of what is known to men should be expressed so as to be accessible and available to all.’ Israel, J.I. (2011). The argument is that this is a very extreme form of freedom of speech which seems to have a disregard for consequence, which is against of what freedom of speech actually stands for and J.I Israel argues in the chapter. Moderate enlightenment however, seeks to understand the rights and responsibilities on both sides of freedom of speech, but for its moderate nature is still at risk of leading towards censorship. The challenge is to meet the line between the moderate and the radical in order to respect the ideas, seek to facilitate the ideas with platform and critique those ideas without censorship. In the modern day, many have analysed how the idea of freedom of speech is moving backwards in which freedom of speech is becoming censored to the point where entire arguments have been shut down from Internet services and critical accounts on social media have been suspended with the people themselves being ‘cancelled’ in a culture which promotes this behaviour.
By Annie Kapur4 years ago in The Swamp
Americans Are Sick and Tired of "Thoughts and Prayers"
It's been a while since I've written a story on Vocal. I thought I'd talk about something that continues to infuriate me and probably it does for you as well. I'm seething in anger and Americans are tired of what I'm about to discuss. You're probably aware of the recent shooting that occurred at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, which is west of San Antonio, where 21 people were killed (19 children and two teachers). It's the deadliest school shooting in Texas history.
By Mark Wesley Pritchard 4 years ago in The Swamp
The Queen Will Not Stand Down
Queen Elizabeth ll of England, United Kingdom is said to be the longest reigning monarch. She has been on the throne since was twenty-five years old and inherited after the death of her father and has recently celebrated her ninety-sixth birthday. Britain also recently celebrated her golden jubilee and for being on the throne for seventy-six years becoming the longest reigning monarch.
By Aisha Mohammad4 years ago in The Swamp
The world never forget, except us
May 9, 2022, as the old saying goes, the playing field is even for all classes of people during election as everyone is given the chance to choose the leaders they want. The presidential election was not the ordinary choose the lesser evil race. This is the head to head battle of a widow vice president and the dictator's son.
By Hermione Hope 4 years ago in The Swamp
The Ongoing Crisis Should Not Be Wasted
It is always wise to try to search for the positives around you, especially in the midst of a crisis situation. It may seem impossible to accomplish at the time, and you may not always have control over the circumstances. However, you do possess the power to control how you react and control the crisis as opposed to being controlled by the crisis. Instead of getting distracted and lost in turmoil, if one chooses to focus on any good that can emerge from it like knowledge gained, lessons learned, and potential growth, neither the future nor the present needs to be so grim.
By Andrea Zanon4 years ago in The Swamp
Stand Up For Ukraine
In all the years that we humans have graced this planet with our presence, there has been one constant that seems to follow us wherever we go… war. Even when we speak of peace, the routes which we plot out to get there can often be considered an offensive strategy – peace by force, whether you like it or not. We trudge onward, leaving a trail of destruction in our wake. At times it feels almost impossible to go on, the relentless stream of bad news becoming overbearing, willing us to switch off and stop paying attention. It is imperative that we keep paying attention.
By Outrageous Optimism 4 years ago in The Swamp
Carton Policy
Bahaa Murad, a 25-year-old engineer, boarded the death boat that sank off the coast of Tripoli a few days ago, searching for his dreams, which are supposed to be too small to risk because of them. “I want to take a hot shower every day. I sprinkle water on my body, when I want, not to wait days for the water to reach us.” This is how Baha’s mother recounted, explaining that he went out to join the boat happy and optimistic, wanting to complete his studies in Germany, secure his future, and send money to his mother to pamper her. The grieving mother does not deny that the family finds what suffices it: “It is not food and drink that we lack, but dignity.” Survivors talk about taking an illegal and dangerous journey, as if they were talking about going out for a picnic. The infernal dangers they expose themselves and their children to are underestimated. On board the death boat, only half of its passengers were recovered, and it is estimated that at least 30 bodies are still with the boat at a depth of 400 meters, a shocking number of children, infants and pregnant women.
By Roxanne Mann5 years ago in The Swamp
