US State Department Welcomes News that Saudi Arabia will Head UN Human Rights Council

https://theintercept.com/2015/09/23...a-chosen-head-u-n-human-rights-council-panel/

This article is a wonderful case study for people who constantly ask me why I aim my criticism at US policies rather than those in the Middle East. It's all one snake, but you aim for the head not the tail - and make no mistake, I'm fully aware that the snake is hurting and abusing Americans too. It's truly incredible how some people believe US policies can be so inhumane abroad but miraculously have an excellent respect for Americans at home.

 

Different article. That's a story about how horrific Saudi Arabia is. This is a story about how the US state department welcomes them as the head of the UN human rights council.

Your post is the story of how attacking me is more important than discussing a problem that's crippling your country.

 

It's absolutely crippling the USA. You guys are in reverse mode in education, technology, social mobility, income, health. The GDP is growing but the humongous majority of people are staying the same or getting worse. WHERE IS THAT MONEY? This is Empire 101, I'll leave it to you to go back and study the patterns in history. What happens next is not pretty.

Americans should be waaaaaaaaaaay better off given the resources at the government and the peoples' disposal. This is horrendous. I feel like I'm in a third world country when I see your infrastructure, the ghettos, the mafia like business culture. The upside is a lot of your civil rights persist which is extremely important, but those are being eroded slowly, and more importantly in the context of the world your civil rights are looking antiquated when looking at major industrialized countries.

I mean imagine that today, when we discuss these issues, some of you pridefully lash out and make personal attacks about my country. Think about it for a second. Your retort is "but our rights are way better than yours!"

Duh. The fact that you have to say that is a cute little indicator of how it's going downhill. You're comparing yourself to the only countries left in the world where even the appearance of democracy is not promoted. Not even a shamocracy.

And these are your allies.

I understand that it hurts to face it, and especially to hear it from a Middle Easterner who is highly critical of your government's policies. But if you can for one second stop lashing out at me with personal attacks and poorly hidden emotion, we can actually discuss something we both agree on: American can be much better for Americans. This is not some radical idea, I know you think it, I've seen your posts. We obviously disagree about why it should be better, how much better can it be and how to make it better - or we can discuss how to move away from this madness of welcoming the worst human rights abuser to a human rights council. If this was about Islam or Arabism or whatever you think is my bias, why on earth would I not be celebrating this news? Why am I not happy that saudi has been given this position and your politicians are welcoming it? It irritates me to no end, because of the joke that it is. I know you agree, but instead you choose to attack me personally?

I won't attack who you are. If you don't like what I say, put me on ignore, there's lots of people who do that and it works wonderfully. But if you actually want to discuss issues like this openly and honestly, let me know.

 

There is no way you could ever know this, or i could communicate, or i would publicize, or i could even do in any significant detail. I help the weakest in my country by going out of my way, and that's the best I can do. But that's not change, that's a band aid.

Also, for me to do something is not the equivalent of you guys doing something. Your entire family is not at risk of being disappeared, ever. You have no idea how it feels living in a place where you have seen that happen in your lifetime.

More importantly, a change in your country has a greater impact on my country than a change in my country so I find it more efficient to aim my efforts there. I'm essentially taxed by the US without representation, I want a vote in your country or I want to stop being taxed by your country. Neither you guys nor your American ancestors have ever found that acceptable for yourselves, there's no reason I should.