2 ms·

I think you're missing the point of the article (if your original comment was actually a comment on the content of the article in the first place). The Arab wo

I think you're missing the point of the article (if your original comment was actually a comment on the content of the article in the first place). The Arab world is in a dangerous place because you can be -dismembered- for your ideas. Not for holding someone hostage at knifepoint. If you allow no room for criticism, you're allowed free reign.

manfredo 8y ago
I think you're still missing the point I'm making. A world in which you can be dismembered for disseminating political ides is terrible. Of course. That's as obvious as calling the sky blue. But is something like a military seizing power from a democratic government to prevent a sectarian crisis a bad thing? Where is the inflection point in these sorts of questions? An example I think is valuable is the People's Republic of China. Of course I'm appalled by people getting disappeared, mass government surveillance, and gamifying totalitarianism through social credit. But in a sense, I can empathize with why a mainland Chinese person could view the PRC and CCP in a positive light. In spite of its evils it has drastically improved the well being of (most) its people - targeted minorities like Uyghurs not included. Crackdowns on dissent seem immoral to me from my western view of the world, but among many Chinese there's a sense that curbing dissent is necessary to prevent social collapse. There's this phrase that goes along the lines of "China is it's own worst enemy". Most of China's most destructive conflicts have been civil wars. The country is understandably skeptical of peaceful transition of power - something inherently necessary for a democracy. Is China capable of adopting a western-style democracy and extensive civil liberties without collapsing? I don't know, but I can see why many (most?) Chinese wouldn't want to gamble the future of their country on such a bet. In a similar vein, I'd like to see the thought process of someone who supports MBS and his allies in spite of this assassination.

manfredo 8y ago

I think you're still missing the point I'm making. A world in which you can be dismembered for disseminating political ides is terrible. Of course. That's as obvious as calling the sky blue. But is something like a military seizing power from a democratic government to prevent a sectarian crisis a bad thing? Where is the inflection point in these sorts of questions? An example I think is valuable is the People's Republic of China. Of course I'm appalled by people getting disappeared, mass government surveillance, and gamifying totalitarianism through social credit. But in a sense, I can empathize with why a mainland Chinese person could view the PRC and CCP in a positive light. In spite of its evils it has drastically improved the well being of (most) its people - targeted minorities like Uyghurs not included. Crackdowns on dissent seem immoral to me from my western view of the world, but among many Chinese there's a sense that curbing dissent is necessary to prevent social collapse. There's this phrase that goes along the lines of "China is it's own worst enemy". Most of China's most destructive conflicts have been civil wars. The country is understandably skeptical of peaceful transition of power - something inherently necessary for a democracy. Is China capable of adopting a western-style democracy and extensive civil liberties without collapsing? I don't know, but I can see why many (most?) Chinese wouldn't want to gamble the future of their country on such a bet. In a similar vein, I'd like to see the thought process of someone who supports MBS and his allies in spite of this assassination.