- Oct 12, 2022
- 2,702
After all the noise in the build up to Qatar, esp over women's rights, it would be hypocritical not too.
But as said I'd be amazed if there was any outrage.
Can we outraged at our own racism!
Well, to me, there’s quite a substantial difference here, and the difference is, America has had many opportunities to vote in a way that would allow alterations to their gun laws, and have chosen not to take them. The lives of their own kids seems less important to them than their ability to freely wave an assault rifle around in McDonalds.
Now, to me, that seems a frankly moronic choice, but it is their choice. Nobody makes them vote the way they do, and if that’s what’s important to America then God bless them and I won’t be visiting.
The issue with Qatar was that Qatar needed a lot of infrastructure built quickly and couldn’t manage it without bringing in external labour. They contracted out internationally and people took the jobs, just as you or I might do. I’ve worked on a contract basis. They’ve all waved goodbye to their families, saying they’ll be back in 6 months and that they’ll send money home, and thousands of those workers were killed. They didn’t get home.
They’d just taken a job, none of them voted for death, people are missing their son or their father for no other reason than deliberate failure to implement and enforce basic health and safety in their working conditions. There have been widespread reports that workers had their passports confiscated once there, and couldn’t leave if they wanted to. This was not accidental, this was done with the state deliberately looking the other way because it needed its infrastructure built on time.
I didn’t watch the last World Cup, to me it felt that in doing so I’d be legitimising the Qatari position of the end justified the means. I couldn’t pretend that it’s ok for thousands of ordinary people to die to put on, what at the end of the day is supposed to be a football festival. I completely understand why others did watch it, I missed it, and everyone should draw their own line for themselves.
Not a single one of those workers in Qatar voted for their death, they just took a job. America chooses its gun laws and lives (or dies) with the consequences.