The Language of Advocacy

Listening to the advocates here in Thailand, I have been struck that they speak a different language than the advocates in the States. It is the language of human rights, of human dignity. Wassawut Yimchaem (Wut as he is called here), speaking at the Chiang Mai meeting, described his recovery process in the universal language of human dignity. “I learned to be in relationships; this is very important for any human being,” he said. “We are human beings; we have the same needs as anyone. We need love, friends, family. And like everyone, we have some things to work on. Some things bring us happiness, and some bring us pain. We have the right to live like anyone else. This is why we formed the Network.” Ott, like Wut, speaks the language of human rights – these are the fundamental values that drive TTAG and TDN. Their message is simple and compelling.

At dinner after Wut’s talk, I shared my observation that US advocates did not often frame their message using human rights language. “Of course not,” shared an Australian public health professional, now working in Cambodia. “The US still won’t sign the International Declaration of Human Rights!” It’s not a language that resonates in American politics. The consensus was that the US dialogue is more about right and wrong – bringing a relative morality to the argument. We should care about the poor because it’s the right thing to do; it will make us somehow a better person, a better society. The language of equity seemed closer, yet also distinctive from the human rights message. Yet, the advocates with whom I talked all agreed – no matter what the language, there was still plenty of work to go around, wherever we lived!