[beepbopboopp]

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?

[burkaman]

They literally just killed another journalist after torturing him for seven years https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turki_bin_Abdulaziz_al-Jasse...

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]

Wikipedia says that one of the charges was “financing terrorist activities”.

Ironic in the most morbid of ways.

[iaw]

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]

"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]

Meanwhile... we have a former terrorist who posed after cutting multiple persons heads off speaking at the UN....

[wat10000]

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?

[typpilol]

Just bringing up the absurdity of it. I wasn't trying to say Saudi isn't as bad, I meant to say they're all terrible

Awful people run the world.

[NickC25]

>Maybe the narrative changes when their approaches towards human rights does?

Clo$e. The narrative change$ whenever the $audi$ decide that they want it to. U$ually, thi$ involve$ $omething, but I can't figure quite what that "it" could be.

[NickC25]

>While not perfect, Saudi has very clearly moved "Westernly" on many ideas, most notably social and economic ones.

My man, they can kill you for drawing a stick figure.

Let that sink in.

SA is still a single-export economy, and those who are smart enough to get out of SA, do so. From personally having very close relationships with a few folks who worked on the NEOM project, the Saudi locals are not prepared to do any work at all, just spend money and export the work to consultants. It's about posturing, not rolling up their sleeves.

[sleepybrett]

The kingdom literally butchered a journalist for writing about what they were doing. Islamaphobia about sharia law bullshit doesn't even apply.

[NickC25]

Yeah. They don't have a good track record, and that's before the (partially justified) Islamophobia kicks in.

Before anyone thinks I'm Islamophobic, I equally detest and mock all religion.

I do find it funny that if there is an afterlife, Abraham is there, and absolutely befuddled as to why all of his disciples seem to hate each other and want to kill each other.

[sofixa]

[flagged]

[triceratops]

> It has liberalised, socially

I think that's what they meant by "moved westernly".

[kakacik]

Sure, 2 inches per year, 2 steps ahead 1 step back in a good year. In 2000 years they may approach current levels of personal or religious freedom that average western country has. Till then, its absolutely horrible place if you are in any sort of minority group, or woman, or want that pesky freedom for you or your children.

[triceratops]

Criticism and insults from people like you is exactly what they need to go faster. /s

[frogperson]

[flagged]

[sofixa]

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]

Also, even the US is not in danger of becoming a theocracy.

[KerrAvon]

[flagged]

[wat10000]

Never mind third in line, the dude who is currently President just put out a memorandum declaring "anti-Christianity" to be on the same level as "support for the overthrow of the United States Government."

[tomhow]

When disagreeing, please reply to the argument instead of calling names. "That is idiotic; 1 + 1 is 2, not 3" can be shortened to "1 + 1 is 2, not 3."

https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

[sofixa]

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.

[hollerith]

Maybe we have different definitions of theocracy. According to your definition, has there been a time in the past when the US was a theocracy?

[FergusArgyll]

Don't confuse stock and flow

[fred_is_fred]

Sadly enough there are many in the US who are actively working to move the US towards the world you painted above.

[RankingMember]

> I want to start by saying I have no skin in the game here

We all have skin in the game when there's an actor on the world stage that kills its critics buying up huge orgs in our society.