Based on this alone, you should pretty much boycott every World Cup, ESPECIALLY the ones the US is involved in.
What about them? I didn't really care until I was hearing about Brazil and the slave labor in Qatar. My natural aversion to anything Russia is enough that I didn't read into anything about it.
Actually hearing about it - but my lack of participation in the media means I don't hear a lot. And I support the US because they're "my" team. Pretty simple. Look, I wasn't very conscious of the issues with the World Cups until pretty recently. I just never looked into it. I can't go back and change what's in the past, but I'm trying in the future. If that's not good enough, then that's your problem, not mine. I can't be aware/care for every single indecency in the world.
Well, I'm trying to understand your threshold for boycotting on humanitarian grounds. You've carved out an exception for supporting the US because they're "your team". Cool. Then you're fine with Yemen, Syria, and Afghanistan, among others. You didn't hear anything about Russia, so their dalliances persecuting gay people (as one example) don't mean anything, nor their activities in Chechnya, Syria, et. al. Cool. You didn't hear anything about South Africa, so their displacement of local populations to build white elephants that barely get half-full for the occasional Super Rugby games is fine. Qatar you've heard of, and their badness is super-duper-bad because someone told you it was. That's one highly-principled way to go about it, I guess.
So, it's probably NOT humanitarian grounds you're really concerned about. Why tell us it is? Also, how could I forget the favela clearances in Brazil?
Slave labor and massive deaths among the workers isn't a humanitarian ground? EDIT: Sorry, I'm human - I'm not perfect. Never claimed to be. Inconsistency is part and parcel of the experience. Frankly, a lot of the time, I just don't care to get involved. I avoided Russia because of, well, it's Russia and all the corruption and stuff that comes with it. I didn't watch much of Brazil b/c the US wasn't in it and the abuses that visited upon the people (advertisers getting laws changed to sell beer, crime, terrible living conditions, etc). Just come out and say I'm virtue signaling or something so we can move on.
Of course it is. So are all the others, especially the one where the US helps the Saudis starve the poorest Muslim country.
My gut says the World Cup will happen whether anyone's watching or not, so I might as well watch. By the way... I know people get tired of hearing this, but it hasn't stopped being true... the U.S. got one more point in the last qualifying cycle in their fifth place finish than Mexico did in their cycle where they finished fourth and got into the playoff. Continuing to beat ourselves up and acting like it's going to be 40 years before we qualify again is getting monotonous. What's more, it's repetitive.
All I'm going to say is that I hope you boycott the US from now until the US gets out of all its elective entanglements, else your "boycott" is a complete show on the very grounds you provide. When the US qualifies for 2022, which side of the selectivity coin will you fall on? What other entertainment will you be forgoing or indulging in? Also, the thing pointed out by others (US was actually in Brazil) gives this whole thing an extra air of bullshit.
Timon, are you as consistent in your reasoning and subsequent actions as you seem to be holding CybrSlydr to? I know I’m not, and I doubt most people are. We’re only as good as our knowledge at the time. If we’re not learning and adjusting, THAT’s a problem.
I know you seem to be opposed to boycotts, but why is it objectionable to boycott supporting the WC in Qatar on humanitarian grounds just because you haven’t boycotted other things on humanitarian grounds?
Especially when a person wasn't aware of the humanitarian offenses of those other things? Are all people expected to be knowledgeable of all things at all times simply because one person is better informed?
Boycotting, especially something like this, requires more than just idle chatter. It means something, and requires actual work to mean anything at all. The boycott-er must withhold economic exchanges with involved parties that said boycott-er would otherwise have had a reasonable chance at partaking in. If that very basic requirement is not met, nothing meaningful has occurred. I doubt he was going to Qatar anyway, so nothing sacrificed there. Probably wasn't ever going to fly Qatar Airways, so ditto. No adidas or associated brands. No Coca-Cola or associated brands (and there are many). No movies at AMC Theaters (Wanda Group). No Hyundais or Kias or Genesis. No Visa or associated brands. No Budweiser or other ABInBev products. No McDonalds. No Vivo cellphones (this is the first time I've heard of them - doubt much is being ventured there). That's just the direct corporate sponsors. Haven't gotten to construction, engineering, design, logistics companies doing business with and for the tournament. Broadcast partners. Ooh, there's one! Except to actually have any effect whatsoever, you'd have to cancel all of your Fox-related service. Saying "I'm boycotting" without actually sacrificing anything other than not putting yourself through the pain of watching the games themselves is not a boycott. Unless you stop paying to watch Fox altogether and forgo any purchasing that you would have otherwise done of the above listed companies and more, you've done nothing. I mean, I can say "I'm boycotting Oakley eyewear". It won't mean anything because I've been "boycotting" them all my life, as I've never purchased any of their products, nor do I ever really plan to. If you had said "I'm not watching Qatar 2022", there wouldn't have been an issue.
Jesus, that's an awful lot of rules set by one person for a very personal decision that another person made in their own life, for themselves, at the expense and harm of no one else, in order to satisfy their own feelings on a topic. And, for those reasons, I'd like to declare that I'm actively engaged in a boycott of Under Armour.
When we get to a point where we're telling other people they're exercising their beliefs incorrectly and using the wrong words to describe the outward expression of those internal feelings, I think we need to have a bigger discussion. No problem whatsoever. It's my choice, for my reasons, by my rules, in my own life. It neither breaks your leg nor picks your pocket.
I'd like to announce publicly, right now, that I'm boycotting anything to do with sex. A boycott that will continue until all women I know end their repulsive policy of not having sex with me.