Copyright
© 2000
Team C001515
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Having moved
away from Hercules, Batman and the other traditional comic book and Saturday
film matinee heroes, we did have a bit of debate about who should go in
our list! The hero can be as diverse as the human being. It will usually
come down to personal preference. Still, we had to find a bottom line,
therefore there were a number of common traits that each hero in our site
had to have.
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In
selecting heroes, interviews and heated discussion finally helped
us narrow the field.
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Finally,
we decided that the real heroes in this world are those who do something
to make the world we all live in a better place - those who make a difference.
Some of these heroes are rich and famous, while others have died in poverty
and were virtually unknown at the time. Some you will know, others will
remain a mystery for you until you discover their
biographies on our site.
Our selection
of heroes has stemmed from the recognition of three basic categories of
human rights as discussed on a site designed for a study of civics and
citizenship. Our heroes are those individuals who have worked to ensure
access to these rights as well as ensuring that organisations respect
the importance of these. The section on Human Rights outlines three categories
of human rights. (http://www.abc.net.au/civics/rights/what.htm).
We have selected our heroes to fit into either one of these categories,
or into a fourth category we have called "trailblazers".
While we
have allocated our heroes and heroines to one of these groups, this is
sometimes not an easy process. Obviously some people have made significant
achievements in a number of areas. It is possible to say that all of the
people in our list are trailblazers.
1.
Civil and political rights:
These include the rights to life, liberty and security of the individual;
freedom from torture and slavery; political participation; freedom
of opinion, expression, thought, conscience and religion; freedom
of association and assembly. The suffragettes in our list as well
as the freedom fighters of the 1960's such as Martin
Luther King fit into this category. |
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Hero Survey
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(C) 2000 Taro Sato, All Rights Reserved.
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2.
Economic and social rights:
These are "security-orientated" rights, for example the rights to
work; education; a reasonable standard of living; food; shelter and
health care. Some of the people in our site who have fought for these
rights include Edith
Abbott and Fred
Hollows. |
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3.
Environmental, cultural and development rights:
These include the rights to live in an environment that is clean
and protected from destruction, and rights to cultural, political
and economic development. When we say that each person has human
rights, we are also saying that each person has responsibilities
to respect the human rights of others. This last category has probably
seen the most activists in the last 10 years.
As
we struggle to take more from this planet and make more from ourselves,
so too is the extent of destruction becoming apparent. People such
as Jacques Cousteau,
Rachel Carson and Ian Kernian have struggled not only for their
rights to a clean environment, but for the rights of all of us and
our children to inherit a planet that will enable a healthy life
for all humans as well as animals.
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4.
Trailblazers:
Finally, we have a group who has been included because they have done
so well in their field. These we have called the trailblazers. The
great writers, artists, scientists and explorers who have sacrificed
much in their own lives to achieve not only their personal bests,
but a sense of pride for their nation and even gender. Cathy
Freeman - not only great at her sport, but an ambassador for aboriginal
rights, John Lennon,
the great musician who also moved on to campaign for peace and the
recognition of human rights. |
We applaud
those who achieve using their talent and hard work who then go on to support
the cause of the human race as well as achieving their own personal bests.
It is interesting that many of these people have also gone on to bring
about significant changes in one or more of the human rights areas. While
we may not have the resources behind us that some of these people have,
even the smallest contributions can help to make huge differences to the
lives of others.
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