November 18, 2004

Plumbing the bowels of human rights


Through Tim Blair's link to an ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) article, I learned today that toilets are a human right.
The conference's organiser[that would be the World Toilet Summit currently underway in China], Jack Sim, says toilets are a forgotten human right and the silence over the issue needs to be broken.

"The entire toilet movement is taking on the world," he said.

"People are saying 'we want good toilets' because a toilet is a basic human right and this basic human right has been neglected."
I'm tempted to say Jack Sim is full of shit and that he ought to be flushed down the crapper. Indeed, the temptation is too great. Jack Sim is full of shit and ought to be flushed down the crapper.

There. That feels better. But seriously (almost), how deep must one plumb the bowels of human rights to come up with this one, hmmm?

[Linked to the Beltway Traffic Jam].

Posted by Peter at November 18, 2004 06:29 PM
Comments

Humourous. But here's a question for WCRS. ARE there ANY human rights? Any at all? Any that WCRS considers legitimate?

Posted by: Glenn at November 20, 2004 11:44 AM

Who said there aren't any human rights? Not me.

The essential human rights upon which the US was founded are all rights that enable and empower the individual. They are rights to be free from intereference in worshipping, speaking, owning guns, and having a place (read castle) of your own that can't generally be dishonored. We can't be forced to be witnesses against ourselves and we can't be put in jail unless a jury agrees. That sort of thing. All of these rights tell the government where their business stops and our business starts.

And our business includes arranging and organizing our lives so that we have toilets when we need them. Which is not to say it isn't a good thing for governments to build and maintain public toilets -- it's only to say that if they don't it isn't because a "right" has been viciously violated by a cruel an tyrannical anti-human rights government.

Posted by: Peter at November 20, 2004 06:10 PM

And there are those among us who would steal urinal caps and create anarchy.

Posted by: Dan at November 23, 2004 08:46 PM