It sickens me how little it seems to matter to people in our mainstream discourse whether or not Assange is treated as a human being. After he was removed from the Ecuadorian embassy, and officials said he had behaved erratically there and smeared feces on the walls, etc., the public reaction was along the lines of, “Wow, what a weirdo loser”—rather than, “Oh God, what have we done to this person?” It speaks poorly of our society.
Thing is, he damaged himself by choosing to spend nearly a decade in isolation. We haven’t done anything to him other than expect him to submit to due process as a citizen like any other.
That he has driven himself half-mad is indeed tragic, but it’s not societies fault, nor is it sufficient to place him outside the law.
> Thing is, he damaged himself by choosing to spend nearly a decade in isolation.
He always argued that he would not receive fair treatment if he submitted himself to authorities, especially as they would give him no assurance about not handing him over to the US (this is before the US officially started proceedings against him).
> We haven't done anything to him other than expect him to submit to due process as a citizen like any other.
But the International Bar Association say that he is not getting due process. Which rather confirms his original fears. The article here quotes IBAHRI Co-Chair, Anne Ramberg: "With this extradition trial we are witnessing the serious undermining of due process and the rule of law."
Why should I care so much more about his physical and mental maltreatment by the legal system over the other millions experiencing the same everyday? If you asked why public discourse ignores this in general I would understand.
There are, of course, atrocities everywhere all the time. Change generally isn't sparked by routine atrocities rumbling along in the background though, but by people coalescing around specific atrocities that gain high profile for whatever reason (largely random) which serve as an avatar for all the others. So I suspect you have it backwards: the mistreatment of others isn't a reason to dismiss Assange's complaint, but rather to elevate it. Maybe this will be the one that finally catches fire and helps all the others.
>Change generally isn't sparked by routine atrocities rumbling along in the background though, but by people coalescing around specific atrocities that gain high profile
Exactly.
Taylor and Shaver are people worth rioting over. Instead we've got protests because some much less sympathetic people were killed in less inflammatory (though obviously still pretty terrible) circumstances. Not exactly what civil liberties advocates were hoping for but there's no reason not to roll with it because maybe the cops will finally be reigned in a little (hopefully a lot but the government always drags its feet about curtailing its enforcers).
Assange might be an asshole weirdo but if he's what gets us reform then why not take it?
