The first right listed in the European Convention on Human Rights is property. There is no corresponding right to food and shelter.

What human rights ought to be is a contestable thing: under capitalism we’ve put property (literally) at the top of the list. Much of our society is organised around this principle. What if we gave people the right to democracy in organisations that affect their lives? Their workplaces, schools, local hospitals, universities, even shops? The right to habitable shelter, food, and free healthcare? The right to meet their needs through the formation of associations like cooperatives?

Human rights have a dual purpose, insofar as they both express and enforce a social ideal. They’re both cause and effect of hegemony, and they’ll carry hegemonic values within them.

Plus my guess is that most of the people complaining about this are happy to lob big words around on the internet but have never once actually campaigned for the rights of anyone whose rights have been violated.

Their “you use technology” thing is weird too. We’re not Amish. We just want to end the domination of the world by capital, not get rid of all capital goods.

I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that people can be so reflexively and unthinkingly wrong.