By Dyreka Klaus
Negative rights amount to the line where you can say “no.” I have a right to say no if you want to touch me, take my things, or restrict my free will/movement. Those rights are legitimate up to the point they bump into someone else’s negative rights. For example: I have the right to freedom of movement so long as I do not use it to violate someone else’s right to say “no” regarding their own person or property.
Positive rights, on the other hand, are when people claim a right to the actions, thoughts, or property of another. Healthcare is thought of as a “right,” but it would fall in the “positive rights” category, since it demands the time, action, and property of others in order to be realized. This is a good example, and delineates why positive “rights” are actually a form of slavery. If you claim some kind of right to me in any way, you are making a claim of ownership, and the literal definition of slavery is one human being owning another.
Government IS control of the public at large, via force and threats of force. I’m not talking about what it claims to be. I’m not talking about what we’re taught it is. I’m not talking about all of the sacred ink on paper (founding documents, legislation, etc.). All of those things are merely opinions, canonized and so widely repeated that they are now largely viewed as “facts” (which is fucking sad).
I’m talking about what can be empirically proven through evidence, and examination through first principles. Hell, even through etymology and definition.
Gubernare (latin) – to rule
Mentum (latin) – instrument or medium
Government – the instrument or medium by which one rules
Rule – control of or dominion over an area or people
Logically speaking, government is control of the population. This is only accomplished (ultimately, if you trace all methods to their basic core), through coercion (violence and threats of violence). If it were voluntary, it wouldn’t be “government” (which is externally imposed), but would rather be “cooperation” (which happens internally for the individuals involved).
Now that we’ve established that government = control, on to voting. Continue reading “The Rights and Wrongs of Rights”