Saturday, July 15, 2023

The Right Not To Be Unloved



How about that, the ol' double negative. Two negatives do not always make a positive, which is what my Right To Be Loved was. We have the right, in more words, not to be around people who don't love us. I don't think anybody would dispute that. Like, "No, I'm not going on a date with him, he dislikes me." Who would think to reply, "But you love this guy! You have to go on a date with him!"?  I do think we have a right to be loved by one other person in the world and I think all of us ARE, but if a positive right is too strong for you, as the right to pursue happiness is too strong for me, then a negative version, a right not to pursue unhappiness seems to me inarguable in any basic conception of human rights.