causecast + harvey milk: got hope?

I put up a lot of posts about human rights around the world and hope that maybe we can all open our hearts up a bit more to the realities of people who fight for freedom and equality around the world. Right now, though, I’m terrified at how human rights are being attacked right here in North America.

California, a state of more than 35 million people, larger than the population of Canada, is about to vote on Proposition 8 – a government act to legally deny gay people the right to marriage, including the family, tax, legislative, and judicial rights that go with it.

Created by Causecast, this amazing video reminds us of a famous speech given by an outstanding human being, Californian, gay rights activist, and the first openly-gay person elected to public office in the U.S. –  Harvey Milk. Please send it to people you know. Especially if they live in California.

Visit No On Prop 8. If you live in California, vote no on Prop 8.

And know that if we, as citizens of democracies, allow our governments to legislate homosexuals as second class citizens, it diminishes us all. Love is love. Human rights are human rights. And nobody has the right to take away anyone’s right to hope.

Via Towleroad

good magazine: internet censorship.

Although it terrifies me to hear about the kind of censorship and retribution that people suffer in other countries around the world, it doesn’t surprise me as we’ve heard about it before. What surprises me, and scares me more, is that Western companies like Google, Yahoo!, and Microsoft are selling their technology to these governments and aiding their abhorrent violations of humans rights.

Another eye-opening video from the amazing GOOD Magazine. Plus, one of my fave shops – Lifelong Friendship Society – created a simple, sparse, and effective visual accompaniment to help it all along.

Via Fresh Creation

myspace tv: don’t vote.

Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for 27 years because he dared to defy South Africa’s Apartheid and fight for equality and the right to vote.

Aung San Suu Kyi, despite having been elected as Prime Minister of Burma in 1990, has been repeatedly held under house arrest as a political prisoner and denied the right to lead her country by Burma’s military dictatorship.

The People’s Republic of China, the world’s most populated country, denies its 1.3 billion (that’s billion, with a “b”) citizens the right to a fair electoral system. Sure, they get to “vote”, but their leader is “elected” to the position for life. One communist government, in it’s self-imposed omnipotence, effectively denies 1/5 of the planet’s population the right to a fair vote.

Don’t forget that there was a man once, nameless and without glory, who literally stood in front of a tank to fight for his right to equality. The very least the rest of us can do, who have had this equality handed to us so graciously, is to vote.

In the next month, two North American democracies will hold federal elections. Canada on Oct. 14th and the United States on Nov. 4th. Countries where the right to vote is seen as unassailable and and an integral tenet of democracy. Yet, significant numbers of eligible voters in both countries, inexcusably, just don’t really give a fuck.

People in other parts of the world have fought, sacrificed their safety, and lost their lives for a right that hundreds of thousands of North Americans don’t even take advantage of. In the 2004 Canadian election only 60.9% of eligible voters showed, the lowest voter turn out in Canadian history. In the 2004 U.S. election, only 60.7% of eligible voters went to the the polls. Even though this is less than Canada’s lowest turnout ever, this was the highest U.S. turnout since 1968. The average U.S. voter turn out, astonishingly, worryingly, is less than 50%.

If you are lucky enough to be a citizen of a country that recognizes your human right to vote, it is your moral obligation, to humanity and to your country, to avail yourself of this right. There is no excuse not to vote. None. Ever. You diminish yourself and the very ideals of equality and democracy by not voting.

In Canada, click here to make sure you’re registered to vote.

In the U.S., click here to make sure you’re registered to vote.

On election day, show up. Go online and read a few newspapers so you can make an informed decision. Do your democratic duty to maintain and energize the country that you’re a citizen of. Honour those who have fought and died in the struggle for something you are now given so easily. And remember the more than 1 billion people around the world who still aren’t afforded this basic human right.

Vodpod videos no longer available.

seth brau: the universal declaration of human rights.

Amen.

Vodpod videos no longer available.

Via NOTCOT

amnesty international + zurich29: ink.

I’m a huge supporter of Amnesty International – both for the actual work it does and of it’s advertising. In a world where the 10% of us who control most of the planet’s wealth have little to no clue of how startlingly lucky we are, Amnesty fights loudly and intelligently for the most basic rights to be extended to every member of our human family. This isn’t something to be taken lightly.

Their promotional films (like last year’s brilliant “Cattle Market”) are equally important. They are smart but honest and don’t back down from the reality of what they’re trying to do. They appeal to our intelligence because that is how they will reach people open and willing to help their cause. Time and again they find subtle ways to appeal to our sense of decency but also to affect us emotionally – they don’t beat us over the head but do confront us with the reality of how other human beings are being treated in our world.

In their latest spot, “Ink”, again created by TBWA Paris, director Zurich29 adds a continuation to their beautifully executed signature concept. This brilliant solution opens the door to illustrate exactly what’s going on in the world, provide a direct realization to how we can make a difference, and mixes them both into a visually arresting and impactful work.

“Ink” is a continuation (really more of a re-interpretation, but hey – if it ain’t broke don’t fix it) from last year’s “Signature”. This spot, again created by TBWA Paris but with animation and production by Magiclab, rightfully earned a Cannes Gold Lion. Watch it and you’ll easily know why…

Via Feed

amnesty international: “cattle market”.

Sometimes I worry about the humanity of the world. When teenagers playing Grand Theft Auto 4 can blow off a hooker’s head for entertainment value, how can groups like Amnesty International depict real horrors going on in the world in ways that will hit home for people?

For me, “Cattle Market” works. If I wasn’t already a member of Amnesty, I would be after watching this. It’s appropriately graphic, the metaphor is realistic, but it doesn’t go too far and shockvertize. If you seriously sit down and watch this and think about what it saying and don’t feel gross after, then there’s something wrong with your heart.

Wait until the very end. The final tagline put chills across my skin because it’s so absolutely true.

(Agency: Walker. Director: Jeff Thomas. Production: Sonny London.)