december 10th is not just my b-day but also the birthday of the universal declaration of human rights. every year i post a simplified version of the 30 articles which make up the declaration. this year, however, i’m not sure about what human rights law and the language of human rights can achieve. altho the declaration might be inspiring in some ways, it leads to a false sense of comfort and much confusion. international law has failed miserably in addressing human suffering or holding powerful nation-states accountable for large-scale rights infractions, both at home and abroad, while giving them ammunition for military humanism, decades long bloody occupations and murderous sanctions that bring targeted countries on the verge of collapse. in the end, all talk of human rights is just a mirage which obfuscates the reality that might will always try to be right. so this year i’m posting luka lesson’s “please resist me” which is an ode to resistance and solidarity. i believe that’s the only way forward. imho.