Discussion: Deciding Human Rights

[asterroc]

This came up on someone else's blog, and now I want to know what people think.

Viewpoint A: "Human rights should never be subject to a general vote. We should never allow the majority to oppress the minority."
Viewpoint B: "But how do we know what basic human rights *are*? Who defines them except the people, and therefore a popular vote?"

Discuss!

FWIW I ask these discussion questions when I'm uncertain of what I think on the topic and I want input to help me understand the nuances of it. As usual, I would appreciate it if vituperation was kept to a minimum, yadda yadda.

Comments

[zandperl.livejournal.com]

Ah, but then is gay marriage a privilege that we could elect to turn into a right, or is it part of the basic right to marriage (which isn't actually enshrined in the constitution anyways)? And who decides?