4 ms·

Doesn't it matter which Saudi's money it is? I mean shouldn't a distinction be made between the government, the zealots, private investors, citizens and so on?

rtpg 9y ago
>The money from regimes that have been criticized for their human rights records — from Saudi Arabia’s government in particular, which has plans to funnel potentially hundreds of billions of dollars into tech companies through its state-controlled Public Investment Fund Lots of sovereign wealth fund cash, also people within the monarchy with money to throw around.
- rorykoehler 9y ago
  >The money from regimes that have been criticized for their human rights records TBF the US well and truly falls into that category too.
  - rtpg 9y ago
    classic whatabout-ism that doesn't hold up to scrutiny, and more importantly doesn't matter. "America is also bad!" would not be a defense to selling chemical weapons to Hussein. It's not a defense to helping build the Great Firewall. Your actions' consequences are your fault.
    - rorykoehler 9y ago
      It's not whatabout-ism. The question was why is Saudi money accepted. Human-rights violations is totally irrelevant. If it were a leading concern then companies couldn't accept American money either. SpaceX basically couldn't exist. Humans rights is about political power nothing else. Saudis are already dancing to the USA's tune so the US doesn't roll out the human rights and democracy trope. Instead they trade.
      - mseebach 9y ago
        Yes it's whataboutism. Human rights violations aren't binary and the Saudi variety is in a different class entirely from the US.
        rorykoehler 9y ago
        >different class entirely from the US Could you elaborate how you came to this conclusion?
    - ringaroundthetx 9y ago
      that awkward moment when you realize whataboutism has been a valid argument for a half century
    - wz1000 9y ago
      > "America is also bad!" would not be a defense to selling chemical weapons to Hussein. Ah, but America has also done this. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riegle_Report https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riegle_Report https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran%E2%80%93Iraq_War#Iraq_2 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran%E2%80%93Iraq_War#Iraq_2 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iraq%E2%80%93United_States_relations#Iran-Iraq_War_and_resumption_of_diplomatic_ties https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iraq%E2%80%93United_States_rel...

rtpg 9y ago

>The money from regimes that have been criticized for their human rights records — from Saudi Arabia’s government in particular, which has plans to funnel potentially hundreds of billions of dollars into tech companies through its state-controlled Public Investment Fund Lots of sovereign wealth fund cash, also people within the monarchy with money to throw around.

rorykoehler 9y ago
>The money from regimes that have been criticized for their human rights records TBF the US well and truly falls into that category too.
- rtpg 9y ago
  classic whatabout-ism that doesn't hold up to scrutiny, and more importantly doesn't matter. "America is also bad!" would not be a defense to selling chemical weapons to Hussein. It's not a defense to helping build the Great Firewall. Your actions' consequences are your fault.
  - rorykoehler 9y ago
    It's not whatabout-ism. The question was why is Saudi money accepted. Human-rights violations is totally irrelevant. If it were a leading concern then companies couldn't accept American money either. SpaceX basically couldn't exist. Humans rights is about political power nothing else. Saudis are already dancing to the USA's tune so the US doesn't roll out the human rights and democracy trope. Instead they trade.
    - mseebach 9y ago
      Yes it's whataboutism. Human rights violations aren't binary and the Saudi variety is in a different class entirely from the US.
      - rorykoehler 9y ago
        >different class entirely from the US Could you elaborate how you came to this conclusion?
  - ringaroundthetx 9y ago
    that awkward moment when you realize whataboutism has been a valid argument for a half century
  - wz1000 9y ago
    > "America is also bad!" would not be a defense to selling chemical weapons to Hussein. Ah, but America has also done this. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riegle_Report https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riegle_Report https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran%E2%80%93Iraq_War#Iraq_2 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran%E2%80%93Iraq_War#Iraq_2 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iraq%E2%80%93United_States_relations#Iran-Iraq_War_and_resumption_of_diplomatic_ties https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iraq%E2%80%93United_States_rel...