A set of myths surround debates about public opinion and human rights advocacy that desperately need busting—or at least demand an honest accounting. Human rights advocates fetishize “awareness” as if it alone serves some magical role in halting abuse, and these myths inform projects that collect data on public perceptions and underwrite proposals for effective framing strategies.
But education is not a cure-all for repression and inequality. Publicizing abuse is necessary but insufficient for protecting against it. For instance, there are many recent examples of human rights violations committed in plain sight—with photographic evidence—strongly suggesting that the power of witnessing is simply not enough to stop abuse. This dogma drove the Save Darfur Coalition to slap slogans about genocide on bumper stickers and t-shirts, and compelled Invisible Children to try and make Joseph Kony famous. Similarly, if data capture positive public support for human rights, that information is only useful if popular opinion is operationalized effectively. Thinking, knowing, and seeing are quite distinct from acting, and assuming that a natural causal trigger exists is a dangerously common trope.
A certain faith motivates the desire to spread the human rights gospel into the mainstream. After all, what was once located solely in the realm of revolutionaries, lawyers and diplomats is now a global vernacular for justice and freedom—a tremendous shift and a distinct product of the work of transnational human rights NGOs. It is no accident that the general public has an opinion about human rights. Advocates work doggedly to introduce ordinary people to the human rights framework, building a base within civil society from which to operate. But how does this serve the human rights cause?
