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This is why we should not rely on businesses to lead the vanguard of social progress. A recent example is BLM. If you actually think most businesses that aire

by zozin 6y ago

This is why we should not rely on businesses to lead the vanguard of social progress. A recent example is BLM. If you actually think most businesses that aired an ad or have a BLM webpage on their homepage actually care about advancing black interests in America, then I've got a bridge to sell you. These businesses only jumped on the bandwagon when it became untenable to say nothing, and saying _something_, anything really, is just cheap way of earning some social credential. In the Saudi example, the dynamics are even more atrocious. Every dollar received from the Saudi sovereign fund allows that government to stave off collapse by allowing it to diversify its income streams away from fossil fuels. Every dollar returned to the House of Saud allows a regime that would've been considered repressive two centuries ago to continue repressing women, homosexuals, foreign workers, non-Muslims, etc. And those dollars were invested in companies who likely pitch themselves as trying to make the world a better place through some SaaS product. Give me a break.

baybal2 6y ago
> Every dollar returned to the House of Saud allows a regime that would've been considered repressive two centuries ago to continue repressing women, homosexuals, foreign workers, non-Muslims, etc. Saying this make no justice to the fact that it's Saudi Sunni Arab Muslims, practicing, or not who suffer the most under the regime. While Shia are the ones who suffer repressions by Saudi analogue of Stasi nearly all the time, the repression, domestic espionage, and political inquisition against Sunni populace is their primary activity. Regular Saudis fear talking about Sauds even in their own homes. I studied in Vancouver along tons of Saudi students picked among children of state employees, and ones given the "loyalty exam" to score their passport. Even among such hand-picked selection, people said nobody in the kingdom can speak about the king without chills running their spine. Were they having an option, they would've stayed in Canada.
- KDJohnBrown 6y ago
  > Saying this make no justice to the fact that it's Saudi Sunni Arab Muslims, practicing, or not who suffer the most under the regime. Considering KSA’s funding of terrorists, I would say Iraqis, Syrians, Afghanis and especially Yemenis suffer an order of magnitude more than Saudi citizens. The millions of Philipino, Malaysian, Indian and Pakistani slaves in Saudi Arabia aren’t exactly thriving either.
  - baybal2 6y ago
    Indeed, I believe there is now not a single Arab country in which KSA did not try to stage something at some time. From staging coups, to financing armed insurgency, to economic warfare, to an outright invasion.
    - KDJohnBrown 6y ago
      To be fair, there are few which have mot suffered the same fate from the British Empire or USA either. This is probably why KSA has never faced any punishment from western powers, they are members of the club.

by zozin 6y ago

baybal2 6y ago

> Every dollar returned to the House of Saud allows a regime that would've been considered repressive two centuries ago to continue repressing women, homosexuals, foreign workers, non-Muslims, etc. Saying this make no justice to the fact that it's Saudi Sunni Arab Muslims, practicing, or not who suffer the most under the regime. While Shia are the ones who suffer repressions by Saudi analogue of Stasi nearly all the time, the repression, domestic espionage, and political inquisition against Sunni populace is their primary activity. Regular Saudis fear talking about Sauds even in their own homes. I studied in Vancouver along tons of Saudi students picked among children of state employees, and ones given the "loyalty exam" to score their passport. Even among such hand-picked selection, people said nobody in the kingdom can speak about the king without chills running their spine. Were they having an option, they would've stayed in Canada.

KDJohnBrown 6y ago
> Saying this make no justice to the fact that it's Saudi Sunni Arab Muslims, practicing, or not who suffer the most under the regime. Considering KSA’s funding of terrorists, I would say Iraqis, Syrians, Afghanis and especially Yemenis suffer an order of magnitude more than Saudi citizens. The millions of Philipino, Malaysian, Indian and Pakistani slaves in Saudi Arabia aren’t exactly thriving either.
- baybal2 6y ago
  Indeed, I believe there is now not a single Arab country in which KSA did not try to stage something at some time. From staging coups, to financing armed insurgency, to economic warfare, to an outright invasion.
  - KDJohnBrown 6y ago
    To be fair, there are few which have mot suffered the same fate from the British Empire or USA either. This is probably why KSA has never faced any punishment from western powers, they are members of the club.