Hypocrisy of US as human rights police

BEIJING - The hegemony it has exercised, the inquisition by torture it has practised, and the profound racial inequalities all point to the sheer hypocrisy of the United States as a defender of human rights.

One day before the annual World Human Rights Day, a report detailing tortures and abuses conducted by US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) against prisoners in Guantanamo and Afghanistan has provoked strident criticisms worldside.

The US government loves to decorate itself as a vehement watchdog of human rights on the world stage. On too many occasions, US troops, upholding their proud American flags, invaded countries which stood no chance against their cutting-edge weapons, just in order to shed "the light of civilization" to every corner of the world.

It does not even need a discerning eye to see through that camouflage and realize that hegemony, instead of defending human rights, is the US operating code.

The Guantanamo Bay has become notorious for human rights violations since 2004, but neither former President George W. Bush nor President Barrack Obama has done anything to change the situation.

To simply look through the details of water boarding, deprivation of sleep and sexual abuses in the report can constitute a traumatizing experience.

Ben Emmerson, the special rapporteur on human rights of United Nation, said the report revealed a "clear policy orchestrated at a high level with Bush administration" and some US high ranking officials should be brought to justice.

Although the US government has always advocated the country as a diverse and equal society that can provide equal chances for people from different backgrounds, the truth is hardly so.

For one thing, the racial disparity still remains a major issue un-stabilizing the structure of American society.

Many barriers -- stereotypes, discriminatory housing practices, and institutional racism -- are still there, stripping African-Americans of decent opportunities enjoyed by the whites.

A revealing study by Institute on Assets and Social Policy found that even equal achievements, such as income gains, can yield unequal wealth rewards for whites and African-Americans. Black unemployment remains twice as high as white unemployment.

In addition to the racial disparities, the American people are also distinctly divided by their bank balances, as the poor get poorer, the rich richer.

The New York city council approved a real estate mogul in July to install a "poor door" in one of its mansions, so residents who live in pricey condos can enter the building through a flourish gate with a lobby in front, while renters of affordable apartments must use a separate side entrance.

Its democratic system, supposed to protect the human rights of its citizens, does not prevent rich people from using their influence over authorities to infringe on the rights of the poor people.

Even worse, it failed to prevent a white police officer from firing at least six bullets into an unarmed black boy in the street.