This is horrible. The line between migrant labor, indentured servitude and human trafficking is very thing, and it's often difficult (or just nobody cares) to regulate and otherwise police migrant labor in this way. Sadly, what we are reading about with this situation is actually unique in that it's actually getting media attention - most of the products that we use everyday, or the infrastructure by which we all live, is made exactly through this type of labor exploitation that often borders on slavery
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This is how we get our oil. This is how we get our commodities in general. Human trafficking and slavery is why we in our Western oligarchical aristocratic nations can enjoy such a luxurious quality of life with abundant material goods that we continuously throw away before going to Wal-Mart to get another $3 shirt, marveling at the cheapness. Our quality of life exists because of this type of slavery that is largely hidden from us. I have a friend who's in his early 20s and is making over $200k a year as an oil-futures trader in the Financial District in Manhattan. And I keep asking myself, what in the world gives him the right to temporarily own, via setting and owning the contract on the price, of great quantities of oil - he had absolutely nothing to do with its creation and has never even seen it, yet he gets to profit in the hundreds of thousands of U.S. dollars off of it? What is that? People are enslaved and people die to make that oil, yet some rich white boy in New York can claim that through his "merit" he is making a six
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Not to open a can of worms, but the US did not bomb Kuwaiti refineries. Iraq systematically destroyed Kuwaiti oil fields as they retreated as a "scorched earth" strategy intended to slow down and disrupt the UN forces driving them out of the area. It was their actions that booked out the Sun.
This doesn't diminish the man's suffering in the least nor does it justify the inhuman way he was treated.
WTF is up with the brain-dead selection of major sports events venues, lately? Olympics in Russia, World Cup in Quatar... I'm completely sick of sports right now. As an industry, it seems to bring out the worst in people.
It's not braindead, it's carefully chosen. It gets FIFA a brand new stadium to use. And Qatar has such low taxes that all the ticket and merch sales from the World Cup will be far more profitable there than if they were held in almost any other country.
Both Russia and Qatar bought the venue to bring attention and $$$.
As an aside there's an interesting perspective someone took about how Qatar hosting a World Cup gives them a slight bit of protection should a massive war ever erupt in the Middle East. They can somewhat keep their country neutral and clean by claiming they have to prepare for their upcoming World Cup. (Also the reason why a Russian oil billionaire owns Chelsea - had Putin ever gone after him and his ownings, he would have a host of super-angry soccer fans throughout the world demanding an explanation)
In other words - it has nothing to do with sports and everything to do with politics and under the table $$$$
Personally, I look forward to the day these immigrant workers lose their patience and we see the thobes of these obscenely wealthy Gulf misogynists hanging from the lampposts.
I'm all for a Middle Eastern nation hosting the World Cup.
Qatara (and really, Russia) was an obvious bribe that was chosen b/c the host nations made sure to ive plenty of donations and fruit baskets though. The whole thing's left a pretty bitter taste in my mouth.
not really excited about Brazil either tbqh; although I think they have an honest desire to host the game.
Either way- dirty business. Very dirty business. And FIFA will continue to encourage blackmail and bribes because they aren't accountable to a single person.
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This doesn't diminish the man's suffering in the least nor does it justify the inhuman way he was treated.
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Both Russia and Qatar bought the venue to bring attention and $$$.
As an aside there's an interesting perspective someone took about how Qatar hosting a World Cup gives them a slight bit of protection should a massive war ever erupt in the Middle East. They can somewhat keep their country neutral and clean by claiming they have to prepare for their upcoming World Cup. (Also the reason why a Russian oil billionaire owns Chelsea - had Putin ever gone after him and his ownings, he would have a host of super-angry soccer fans throughout the world demanding an explanation)
In other words - it has nothing to do with sports and everything to do with politics and under the table $$$$
Reply
Reply
Qatara (and really, Russia) was an obvious bribe that was chosen b/c the host nations made sure to ive plenty of donations and fruit baskets though. The whole thing's left a pretty bitter taste in my mouth.
not really excited about Brazil either tbqh; although I think they have an honest desire to host the game.
Either way- dirty business. Very dirty business. And FIFA will continue to encourage blackmail and bribes because they aren't accountable to a single person.
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