31–40 of 56 posts
A long time ago, some Jewish coworkers told me about Saudi Arabia as very extreme (a lot of frank discussions about Israel’s issues, Palestinians, and the middle east). Naive as I was, I didn’t believe them at the time but time has proven them right.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Well this was because you were completely ignorant of Saudi Arabia and the peninsula in general then. No one has ever mistook the Saudis for non-extremists and they’re liberal compared to the population they govern.
Not anymore, certainly not since MBS arrived. Its getting closer and closer to Dubai there.
> the use of social media and other communications has been criminalised inside the kingdom since the beginning of Prince Mohammed’s reign. I don't understand the harping on about "social media" here? It's not using social media that's illegal in Saudi Arabia, it's public dissent , and that's been the case since day one. Previously people were jailed or executed for spraying graffiti on overhead bridges, but the auth…
When it was spraying graffiti, at least that's actually bad and universally recognized as a crime, so it was just a really disproportionate punishment for it. Posting on social media isn't supposed to be a crime at all.
> the use of social media and other communications has been criminalised inside the kingdom since the beginning of Prince Mohammed’s reign. I don't understand the harping on about "social media" here? It's not using social media that's illegal in Saudi Arabia, it's public dissent , and that's been the case since day one. Previously people were jailed or executed for spraying graffiti on overhead bridges, but the auth…
When it was spraying graffiti, at least that's actually bad and universally recognized as a crime, so it was just a really disproportionate punishment for it. Posting on social media isn't supposed to be a crime at all.
A long time ago, some Jewish coworkers told me about Saudi Arabia as very extreme (a lot of frank discussions about Israel’s issues, Palestinians, and the middle east). Naive as I was, I didn’t believe them at the time but time has proven them right.
It's a bit more complicated than that. MBS throwing the book at dissenters have very little to do with Palestine or Israel, and very much to do with MBS's increasing personal paranoia and lack of tolerance for even the mildest form of dissent. There are people getting jailed for completely non-political dissent like daring to advocate for female drivers before the government itself made a policy U-turn on that. https…
The US tended to downplay the issues in SA-we need them—so unless someone digs into the history and region it was a bit of a don’t ask and don’t tell.
MBS behavior has made even someone as politically naive as me see what SA really is (and isn’t).
A long time ago, some Jewish coworkers told me about Saudi Arabia as very extreme (a lot of frank discussions about Israel’s issues, Palestinians, and the middle east). Naive as I was, I didn’t believe them at the time but time has proven them right.
Well this was because you were completely ignorant of Saudi Arabia and the peninsula in general then. No one has ever mistook the Saudis for non-extremists and they’re liberal compared to the population they govern.
But consider that I’m representative of the average American of a certain age and older; whose interests begin and end with oil and our involvement because of it.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Well this was because you were completely ignorant of Saudi Arabia and the peninsula in general then. No one has ever mistook the Saudis for non-extremists and they’re liberal compared to the population they govern.
Not anymore, certainly not since MBS arrived. Its getting closer and closer to Dubai there.
A long time ago, some Jewish coworkers told me about Saudi Arabia as very extreme (a lot of frank discussions about Israel’s issues, Palestinians, and the middle east). Naive as I was, I didn’t believe them at the time but time has proven them right.
Well this was because you were completely ignorant of Saudi Arabia and the peninsula in general then. No one has ever mistook the Saudis for non-extremists and they’re liberal compared to the population they govern.
> the use of social media and other communications has been criminalised inside the kingdom since the beginning of Prince Mohammed’s reign. I don't understand the harping on about "social media" here? It's not using social media that's illegal in Saudi Arabia, it's public dissent , and that's been the case since day one. Previously people were jailed or executed for spraying graffiti on overhead bridges, but the auth…
When it was spraying graffiti, at least that's actually bad and universally recognized as a crime, so it was just a really disproportionate punishment for it. Posting on social media isn't supposed to be a crime at all.
Is it? Public dissent is bad?
What do you expect people to do? Vote?
Earlier quoted context omitted.
When it was spraying graffiti, at least that's actually bad and universally recognized as a crime, so it was just a really disproportionate punishment for it. Posting on social media isn't supposed to be a crime at all.
it's very widely recognized as an art form, and it's not necessarily bad at all.