4 ms·

The level of arrogance and entitlement boggles my mind. But then, what do we expect from a government whose king travels with 500 tons of luggage and 1500 men,

• thelittleone 6y ago
  When the Saudi King visited Indonesia, the locals where forced to cover non-muslim religious monuments along the path his entourage drove.
• Waterluvian 6y ago
  The culture of the Saudi royal family feels like one of immaturity. It's like a bunch of young teenagers got a ton of resources and simply don't know how to channel them into anything meaningful.
  • totalZero 6y ago
    It's almost as though they found a bunch of liquid money in the ground.
    • pydry 6y ago
      This is why I think cheap, green energy is the best hope for democracy in the middle East. Once the black gold becomes "just another commodity" the West will not be bothered to protect these reprehensible human beings. There won't be an intense desire to keep a an ally on side who holds control over the flow of oil.
      • akudha 6y ago
        That is why they are using their enormous wealth investing across the world, buying properties etc (google how much oil money went into London olympics related real estate, for example). It would be nice to get rid of these shitty ruling class, but it would be very very difficult.
        • shanusmagnus 6y ago
          Agreed. Also, an infantile and power-mad ruling class is unlikely to go gentle into the good night when oil revenue tumbles. That's gonna be an epic shitshow eventually, one way or another.
        • pydry 6y ago
          A lot of them have $20k / week gambling addictions and a lot of their investments really weren't very good. I don't think a bit of London real estate and a share of uber is going to keep them on top forever, especially when western governments realize that there's no need to be nice to them any more and keeping them out of prison and giving them western visas is a bigger headache than it is worth. I expect it's probably going to get a lot worse before it gets better though. The Saudi Royal family is not going to let itself be drained of wealth slowly and go peacefully into the night. They are going to claw each others' eyes out to maintain their status and privilege. MBS will probably get his comeuppance at some point at the hands of one of his relatives or via some Iranian proxy.
• londons_explore 6y ago
  The "King" of the USA probably brings more than 500 tons of luggage and involves over 1500 people when doing a diplomatic visit...
  • gambiting 6y ago
    I don't know, I'm not American but somehow the way the American president travels is slightly less offensive to me than a dude who brings his own gold-plated stairs with him everywhere and 17 Boeings just for the staff and his belongings. It's a "little" over the top.
    • akudha 6y ago
      lol. I don't understand the obsession with gold. Sure it is expensive. But it is just gaudy, ugly to decorate anything and everything in gold/gold color. If you're being a jerk showing off your wealth, at least have some taste. The saudi king's display of wealth is tasteless at best.
      • speed_spread 6y ago
        Taste is not something you can buy, which is why it's so valuable. Faking taste with bling is just a way to de-value the real thing.
    • hutzlibu 6y ago
      " I'm not American but somehow the way the American president travels is slightly less offensive to me " Depends. I lived in Dresden(Germany), while Obama visited the city. It was total madness for a day, with major roads closed etc. But it probably was only half on US orders, but on local politicians who wanted to impress the "yes we can" president. Who cares for the actual local residents, when theres great politics going on? (in TV I only heard local people praise that day, but from people I met during the day, not so much)
      • gambiting 6y ago
        Sure, but that doesn't contradict my statement in any way. The way the american president travels can be both insane, and yet still "slightly less offensive" than a dude who flies around with 17 jumbo jets just for his luggage. At least the american president travels as big as he does because of all the security, armoured car etc - that dude travels that big because he absolutely must have a swimming pool aboard his plane and enough staff to serve his every need whever he goes.
• Invictus0 6y ago
  Ultimately the effect of these lavish displays of wealth is a transfer of that wealth outside of the kingdom.
  • totalZero 6y ago
    It's a drop in the bucket compared to their oil revenue.