This will be a great way for the Saudi's to influence western opinion of them. It won't take long for the kingdom to take editorial control.
The Kingdom of Saud - It's in the game.
beepbopboopp•42m ago
I want to start by saying I have no skin in the game here. While not perfect, Saudi has very clearly moved "Westernly" on many ideas, most notably social and economic ones. It can even be argued that their recent moves in that direction have made it near impossible for the other large economy companies to move too far the other way. Th
At what point does the narrative about their investments on the larger stage become less pejorative?
sofixa•37m ago
> While not perfect, Saudi has very clearly moved "Westernly" on many ideas, most notably social
Citation very much needed. It's still a country where you can be executed for being gay, protestors against government projects get murdered in the streets, and anyone vaguely critical against the government (that includes being critical for things which have since been allowed, like women driving) being imprisoned for long periods of time. Oh, and did they not execute a dissident in a consulate? Did they not bait various government detractors living abroad to return to Saudi under threat of harm to their families?
It's still a reactionary theocracy. It has liberalised, socially, in the years since MBS has had de facto control, there is no denying that; but they're nowhere near "westernly".
> At what point does the narrative about their investments on the larger stage become less pejorative?
When their sportswashing and investmentwashing ends up entirely working. It will probably take years, Khashoggi's murder was still only 7 years ago. It will also depend a lot on how their World Cup works, a lot of the world will be watching that one closely and it will have big ramifications.
fred_is_fred•31m ago
Sadly enough there are many in the US who are actively working to move the US towards the world you painted above.
frogperson•30m ago
The western world seems to be reverting to theocracy. It will be interesting to see where these 2 cultures meet in the middle.
sofixa•27m ago
The USA isn't the only country in the "western world", please stop equating the two.
Even for Britain, France, Germany, the countries with the biggest far right/reactionary political groups, where there are legitimate chances for them to end up in power, none of them are religious. Or even that socially reactionary for that matter.
hollerith•22m ago
Also, even the US is not in danger of becoming a theocracy.
KerrAvon•13m ago
This is a dangerously ignorant statement. You need to read up on the dude who’s now third in line for the presidency.
sofixa•8m ago
I really wouldn't go this far, there is _way_ too much religion in US politics for proper separation of church and state. When elected politicians regularly quote religious documents in their reasoning for making decisions, agreeing and disagreeing with others, etc. you can't claim a theocracy isn't on the cards.
FergusArgyll•26m ago
Don't confuse stock and flow
triceratops•19m ago
> It has liberalised, socially
I think that's what they meant by "moved westernly".
iaw•32m ago
They have a well documented and known human slave trade for their laborers in the kingdom.
Maybe the narrative changes when their approaches towards human rights does?
wat10000•16m ago
"Why does everybody have such a low opinion of this oppressive theocracy?" Gee, it's such a mystery.
Remember when the current leader of Saudi Arabia lured a Washington Post journalist into a Saudi consulate, had him tortured to death, and cut into pieces to dispose of the evidence? What a bunch of merry pranksters. We really should lighten up.
typpilol•13m ago
Meanwhile... we have a former terrorist who posed after cutting multiple persons heads off speaking at the UN....
wat10000•12m ago
Is that related somehow or are you just trying to diminish the awfulness of Saudi Arabia's government by bringing up the awfulness of some other guy?
Not referencing the Saudi Arabia portion here specifically but LBOs as documented in the book Barbarians at the Gate (covers Nabisco/RJR tobacco) gives me basically zero hope for the future of EA. EA was already rabid cost-cutters and RIF specialists, and they won the most hated company award for however many consecutive years for a reason. Giving them crushing debt to go along with their propensity to give large executive bonuses and stomp their workforce is not a good recipe long-term
ecshafer•8m ago
EA won the most hated company award because video game players are dramatic. Charging $5 for a launch DLC is a drop in the bucket compared to the ways that some larger more critical companies can affect your life.
fred_is_fred•1h ago
The Kingdom of Saud - It's in the game.
beepbopboopp•42m ago
At what point does the narrative about their investments on the larger stage become less pejorative?
sofixa•37m ago
Citation very much needed. It's still a country where you can be executed for being gay, protestors against government projects get murdered in the streets, and anyone vaguely critical against the government (that includes being critical for things which have since been allowed, like women driving) being imprisoned for long periods of time. Oh, and did they not execute a dissident in a consulate? Did they not bait various government detractors living abroad to return to Saudi under threat of harm to their families?
It's still a reactionary theocracy. It has liberalised, socially, in the years since MBS has had de facto control, there is no denying that; but they're nowhere near "westernly".
> At what point does the narrative about their investments on the larger stage become less pejorative?
When their sportswashing and investmentwashing ends up entirely working. It will probably take years, Khashoggi's murder was still only 7 years ago. It will also depend a lot on how their World Cup works, a lot of the world will be watching that one closely and it will have big ramifications.
fred_is_fred•31m ago
frogperson•30m ago
sofixa•27m ago
Even for Britain, France, Germany, the countries with the biggest far right/reactionary political groups, where there are legitimate chances for them to end up in power, none of them are religious. Or even that socially reactionary for that matter.
hollerith•22m ago
KerrAvon•13m ago
sofixa•8m ago
FergusArgyll•26m ago
triceratops•19m ago
I think that's what they meant by "moved westernly".
iaw•32m ago
Maybe the narrative changes when their approaches towards human rights does?
wat10000•16m ago
Remember when the current leader of Saudi Arabia lured a Washington Post journalist into a Saudi consulate, had him tortured to death, and cut into pieces to dispose of the evidence? What a bunch of merry pranksters. We really should lighten up.
typpilol•13m ago
wat10000•12m ago
burkaman•18m ago
Another murder last month, this one they killed for the crimes of attending protests and funerals: https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/mde23/0239/2025/en/
Two years ago they sentenced this man to death because he tweeted something they didn't like to less than ten followers: https://www.uscirf.gov/religious-prisoners-conscience/forb-v...
throwup238•14m ago
Ironic in the most morbid of ways.
newssucker•39m ago
moduspol•20m ago
onlyrealcuzzo•14m ago
Voloskaya•7m ago