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Amazon bows to UAE pressure to restrict LGBT search results

theguardian.com

251–260 of 299 posts

Re: Amazon bows to UAE pressure to restrict LGBT search results

#251
post #249

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are huge differences between Amazon not selling porn due to local laws and Amazon restricting LGBTQ searches due to local laws. Just because there is precedent doesn’t suddenly mean it’s a good thing to do. People in this thread think I’m surprised by this news, or they try to explain why we should expect this from Amazon. I don’t care about any of that. At the end of the day, someone or some people made the ca…

> There are huge differences between Amazon not selling porn due to local laws and Amazon restricting LGBTQ searches due to local laws. Except for the fact that you agree with one ('cos it's "a good thing") and disagree with the other ('cos it's "a bad thing"), what are these differences? > some people made the call to continue making a buck by empowering a homophobic and dangerous group. For an LGBT person, it's bet…

> Except for the fact that you agree with one ('cos it's "a good thing") and disagree with the other ('cos it's "a bad thing"),

Well, no... I don't give a shit if Amazon sells porn. Whether or not they do doesn't really disproportionately harm a minority group.

> what are these differences?

One actively targets a minority group.

Re: Amazon bows to UAE pressure to restrict LGBT search results

#252

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Quoted post unavailable.

"Homophobia is the irrational fear of failure to maintain sexually reproductive replacement in society." No offense intended but this explanation reads like it was written by an alien who has never interacted with a human before. People become homophobic because at formative years they imitate and internalize homophobia from role models. Nobody is sitting around panicking about population levels.

And where do those role models get it from? You can't rebuke me with just "it's role models all the way down".

Re: Amazon bows to UAE pressure to restrict LGBT search results

#253
post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There must be some western culture that has been successful because it is what humans naturally gravitate towards.

This is a very narrow view of the issue. There have been lots of different successful cultures throughout history and they were different in significant ways. Western culture is the one that you are currently living through. The rest of cultures of the past probably also thought they were the best and would last forever.

It took me 7 hours to realize that my parent reply is lexically ambiguous and poorly written. I own it, I am full of covid and operating as well as everyone told me:

My intention was to indicate at least a fraction:

There must be /some/ western culture that has been successful because it [that portion] is what humans naturally gravitate towards.

My accident was to imply that western culture has been wholly successful:

There must be some-western-culture that has been successful because it [all of it] is what humans naturally gravitate towards.

Sorry to any readers in the future, I deserve the replies I got today in this context.

Re: Amazon bows to UAE pressure to restrict LGBT search results

#254

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I also can't understand why we need parades that share what other people do in their bedrooms. This cuts both ways.

There is so much privilege in this statement. I can only assume that no part of your gender/sexuality/race/religion/etc has ever been illegal or called an abomination or that you aren't a "real" person with rights. These parades are about being seen, about demanding basic human rights. A little empathy on your part could go a long way. Also, why do we need parades for Thanksgiving or Christmas. People just want to ce…

No.. You don't get to equate the prosecution of Jews or the literal enslavement of Black people to the "struggles" of LGBTQ.

There are no laws indicted that dictates you can't work if you are LGBTQ, there are no LGBTQ only water fountains and they are not forced to wear an identifying symbol on their arm for their camps.

LGBTQ loves to lump religion, race and their own decision to change "gender" together so that they can use it as a trojan horse to push their agenda.

Should we care for them? Yes. Should we love them? Yes and I believe that they must have access to all the therapy and treatments that they need when diagnosed with gender dysphoria.

Should they be able to have an entire "month" dedicated to them and parade it in front of our children? No, I don't think so. Nor do I think it's wise to subject our children to these at the age of 5 and then encourage them to take puberty blockers and have life altering surgeries as soon as they are 16 to feel at "ease" with their chosen gender.

If we are even not even willing to have a conversation about this without one side immediately jumping into calling the other "transphobic", then we may have a problem.

Why can't we have an honest conversation about this issue for once with being attacked?

Re: Amazon bows to UAE pressure to restrict LGBT search results

#255

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I also can't understand why we need parades that share what other people do in their bedrooms. This cuts both ways.

>I also can't understand why we need parades that share what other people do in their bedrooms Probably a reaction 'what they do in the bedroom' being made literally illegal for a long period of time. I can imagine wanting to throw a parade to show the 'good people of society' that you're just as human as they are, with the expected goal being to ward off further persecution in the future.

What happens in people's bedrooms hasn't been illegal in the west for a long time - and even before was not often enforced.

Re: Amazon bows to UAE pressure to restrict LGBT search results

#256

Do people agree that corporations should respect the customs and values of the local people when operating their business there? If yes, then Amazon is not "bowing", and it is The Guardian who is playing word games here. If not, then it would seem to imply that we are OK with western powers using their capital (instead of gunboats) to impose their ideology on other cultures in the world. Now, one may argue that the c…

My feeling is that if you're going out of your way to promote an ideology/cultural value domestically (Happy Pride Month!, flags everywhere, etc), then yes you need to stick to your guns and not bow to the opposite influence. If you're strictly in the business of making money, then by all means conduct your business but stfu about it.

Corporate ends up bowing / genuinely endorsing ideology / cultural value of their respective regional branches if they want to play ball. Issue is Western HQs bowing to domestic influence domestically, but said domestic voices are culturally trained to prosthelytize, to the point where western domestic zeitgeist seeks to impose their values abroad. Meanwhile transnational branches are typically staffed prodominantly by locals/ regional expats who will clap back when HQ tries to impose incompatible foreign values. Lots of western educated MENA / South Asian folks who return to work in UAE because they get to live out comfortable conservative / traditional life styles. Ultimately that's the work force western companies have to deal with, people who grew up under systems that's not interested in importing US cultural wars. Both sides are sincere about their ideology and desire to make money, but they're simply different markets. Hard to swallow when western workers / market can't fathom those abroad are mostly interested in their goods/services and not values because decades of western trade politics tied trade to values promotion.

Re: Amazon bows to UAE pressure to restrict LGBT search results

#257

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Where should they operate?

Places where they aren’t required to enforce medieval, harmful policies that harm minority groups.

You know they plot to undermine unionization and going as far as coming up with ways to reduce social trust, skirt tax laws, find ways to pay workers less than a living wage and have the government cover the shortfall, etc.?

It's not that they dearly want to do the right thing but this horrible islamic theocracy is forcing their hand, they've just fooled you with their vapid rainbow-flag-wrapped virtue signaling.

Re: Amazon bows to UAE pressure to restrict LGBT search results

#258

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is so much privilege in this statement. I can only assume that no part of your gender/sexuality/race/religion/etc has ever been illegal or called an abomination or that you aren't a "real" person with rights. These parades are about being seen, about demanding basic human rights. A little empathy on your part could go a long way. Also, why do we need parades for Thanksgiving or Christmas. People just want to ce…

No.. You don't get to equate the prosecution of Jews or the literal enslavement of Black people to the "struggles" of LGBTQ. There are no laws indicted that dictates you can't work if you are LGBTQ, there are no LGBTQ only water fountains and they are not forced to wear an identifying symbol on their arm for their camps. LGBTQ loves to lump religion, race and their own decision to change "gender" together so that the…

> There are no laws indicted that dictates you can't work if you are LGBTQ

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lavender_scare#Executive_Order...

> they are not forced to wear an identifying symbol on their arm for their camps.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pink_triangle

> Should they be able to have an entire "month" dedicated to them and parade it in front of our children?

Don't attend, then. No one forces you.

> Why can't we have an honest conversation about this issue for once with being attacked?

I'm expected to have "honest conversations" with people who call me a pedophile. You try it for a change.

Re: Amazon bows to UAE pressure to restrict LGBT search results

#259

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No.. You don't get to equate the prosecution of Jews or the literal enslavement of Black people to the "struggles" of LGBTQ. There are no laws indicted that dictates you can't work if you are LGBTQ, there are no LGBTQ only water fountains and they are not forced to wear an identifying symbol on their arm for their camps. LGBTQ loves to lump religion, race and their own decision to change "gender" together so that the…

> There are no laws indicted that dictates you can't work if you are LGBTQ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lavender_scare#Executive_Order... > they are not forced to wear an identifying symbol on their arm for their camps. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pink_triangle > Should they be able to have an entire "month" dedicated to them and parade it in front of our children? Don't attend, then. No one forces you. > Why can'…

>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lavender_scare#Executive_Order...

One obscure law from 70 years ago that only prevented *reads wikipedia section* about 5000 people in a country of millions from working at a very specific place, is this really the best defense of your claim ?

>Don't attend, then. No one forces you.

There is a certain audaciousness to the idea of making a parade a public month-long occupation of streets and public squares then telling people they can not attent if they want. The only thing missing is for you to tell the GP to "Make Your Own City Bro" if they don't like what their city is doing.

I can equally say, "Don't attend the UAE then. No one forces you." but I have a feeling you won't take it gracefully.

>I'm expected to have "honest conversations" with people who call me a pedophile.

Who's expecting you ? and who's calling you a pedophile without provocation ?

Re: Amazon bows to UAE pressure to restrict LGBT search results

#260
post #150

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is such a tired argument. LGBT+ acceptance is fortunately not limited to « what people do in their bedrooms ».

Of course it's more than that but the objections of religious groups seem to revolve around the bedroom activities much more than any other aspect. That's why I mentioned that specifically. Which I find strange because it's exactly the aspect they are not impacted by in any way.

Which religious groups? As a Muslim, it's prohibited because God said so, there's really nothing more to be said. The Creator knows what is good and what is bad for us, and we are to Submit to His orders.

In many times, the Wisdom behind such orders is made apparent to us. As we see here (and historically, as per the accounts in the Quran about Prophet Lot Peace be upon him), these groups will not stop at just what's in the bedroom. Today we see indoctrination and outright hostility toward anyone who disagrees with them, causing societal instability.

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