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US comedians defend decision to play in Saudi Arabia: ‘They’re paying me enough to look the other way’ (www.theguardian.com)
submitted 10 months ago by to c/world@lemmy.world
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[–] 15 points 10 months ago (3 children)

These people are all willing to play shows in the US, why wouldn't you expect them to play in Saudi Arabia? Sounds like living in denial about our own country. Like the concept of blood diamonds; money from software made in the US has funded conflict all over the globe but no one called it blood software. We used to export soybeans and used the money to bomb foreigners and no one called em blood soybeans.

Moral failings are always some other countries problem, we're the shining city on the hill remember? /s

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  • [–] 32 points 10 months ago (4 children)

    Playing a show in Saudi Arabia would be different than playing this show funded by the Saudi government. The shows played in America, for the most part, aren't funded by the government here. That's the difference. People gave the celebrities who performed at Trump's inauguration shit for it. That's consistent my guy.

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  • [–] 3 points 10 months ago (1 child)

    We’re about to have a ufc fight on the White House lawn

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  • [–] -1 points 10 months ago

    Saudi Arabia is an absolutist monarchy where the person in power is a monarch, so playing a show for the monarchy is playing a show for the people in power.

    The USA is a capitalist country where the people in power are capitalist owners, so playing a show in a privately-owned venue is playing a show for the people in power.

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  • [–] 5 points 10 months ago

    There's a big difference between playing a show IN a country and playing a show FOR a country. We rightfully give people shit for performing for Trump at the White House but not for performing for a bunch of normal people in Los Angeles.

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  • [+] -6 points 10 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (3 children)

    We're not great currently, but we are leaps and bounds better than Saudi Arabia right now.

    Are you saying all entertainment folks in the US should just stop working? That is neither feasible or possible for non A-listers.

    Edit: apparently some one is ok with already struggling artist starving. Hope you have the same energy when it's your turn to refuse work.

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  • [–] 3 points 10 months ago (2 children)

    Don't invent the scenarios, none of the comedians in questions are "starving".

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  • [–] -2 points 10 months ago

    We're not great currently, but we are leaps and bounds better than Saudi Arabia right now

    No, you are not. You have fascist brigades roaming around terrorizing minorities, you have innocents being taken to illegal prisons, you have a worldwide media apparatus boosting fascism all over the world, 20% of male black US population goes through jail (where slave labour is legal) at some point of their lives, you are intervening in regime change and upholding fascist puppets like Milei or Bolsonaro, you start war after war after war, and last but not least, you're materially and diplomatically enabling the genocide of Palestinians by the fascist ethnostate of Isntreal. The US is not "leaps and bounds better than Saudi Arabia".

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