Arm band Hypocrisy

winker

Active member
I see some people have criticised England for not following through with the threat to wear a One Love armband at the WC,
This is all getting way too political. Everyone knew the situation in the Middle East when we signed up for the competition, it can’t have been too big a surprise that the Pride armbands would’t be welcome and yet some of the media are making out that this homophobia is shocking and unexpected.
I’m already tired of reading why our sportsmen should virtue signal to show their distaste. Seems a bit hypocritical when the same anti gay laws apply at the Saudia Grand Prix or Boxing but no one’s taking a knee there,
Or what about Englands recent cricket tour to Pakistan, I didn’t see any clamour for rainbow armbands despite single sex relationships being banned there.
It turns out that homosexuality is still illegal in 73 countries including most of Africa and even the West Indies, so unless we’re going to protest every time we play one of these teams then the current backing of the LGBT community is plainly cherry picking and makes the West look like stone cold hypocrits.
 
Everyone knew the situation in the Middle East when we signed up for the competition, it can’t have been too big a surprise that the Pride armbands would’t be welcome and yet some of the media are making out that this homophobia is shocking and unexpected.
Nobody in the media or the players signed up for sportswashing in Qatar. They have every right to feel aggrieved that the sport they love to play or report on is being sullied in this way. The world cup is a marvelous event, run by shady, corrupt, bigoted, greedy capitalist pigs. FIFAs executives e in it for themselves not for the good of the game. An alternative is required before we go through this again with the Saudi's given it
 
I see some people have criticised England for not following through with the threat to wear a One Love armband at the WC,
This is all getting way too political. Everyone knew the situation in the Middle East when we signed up for the competition, it can’t have been too big a surprise that the Pride armbands would’t be welcome and yet some of the media are making out that this homophobia is shocking and unexpected.
I’m already tired of reading why our sportsmen should virtue signal to show their distaste. Seems a bit hypocritical when the same anti gay laws apply at the Saudia Grand Prix or Boxing but no one’s taking a knee there,
Or what about Englands recent cricket tour to Pakistan, I didn’t see any clamour for rainbow armbands despite single sex relationships being banned there.
It turns out that homosexuality is still illegal in 73 countries including most of Africa and even the West Indies, so unless we’re going to protest every time we play one of these teams then the current backing of the LGBT community is plainly cherry picking and makes the West look like stone cold hypocrits.

Are you implying that our sportsmen are disingenuous with their intentions to initially wear the armband? Your post certainly sounds like it. Why is that?
 
I see some people have criticised England for not following through with the threat to wear a One Love armband at the WC,
This is all getting way too political. Everyone knew the situation in the Middle East when we signed up for the competition, it can’t have been too big a surprise that the Pride armbands would’t be welcome and yet some of the media are making out that this homophobia is shocking and unexpected.
I’m already tired of reading why our sportsmen should virtue signal to show their distaste. Seems a bit hypocritical when the same anti gay laws apply at the Saudia Grand Prix or Boxing but no one’s taking a knee there,
Or what about Englands recent cricket tour to Pakistan, I didn’t see any clamour for rainbow armbands despite single sex relationships being banned there.
It turns out that homosexuality is still illegal in 73 countries including most of Africa and even the West Indies, so unless we’re going to protest every time we play one of these teams then the current backing of the LGBT community is plainly cherry picking and makes the West look like stone cold hypocrits.
We are "hypocrits" - hypocrites (sp).
For your education: homosexuality is a criminal offence in 33 of the 54 (British) Commonwealth Countries.
The revolution starts in your own back yard
(y)
 
I see some people have criticised England for not following through with the threat to wear a One Love armband at the WC,
This is all getting way too political. Everyone knew the situation in the Middle East when we signed up for the competition, it can’t have been too big a surprise that the Pride armbands would’t be welcome and yet some of the media are making out that this homophobia is shocking and unexpected.
I’m already tired of reading why our sportsmen should virtue signal to show their distaste. Seems a bit hypocritical when the same anti gay laws apply at the Saudia Grand Prix or Boxing but no one’s taking a knee there,
Or what about Englands recent cricket tour to Pakistan, I didn’t see any clamour for rainbow armbands despite single sex relationships being banned there.
It turns out that homosexuality is still illegal in 73 countries including most of Africa and even the West Indies, so unless we’re going to protest every time we play one of these teams then the current backing of the LGBT community is plainly cherry picking and makes the West look like stone cold hypocrits.
Taking the knee has nothing to do with supporting homosexuality.

The fact that Qatar is one of the richest nations on earth and has huge investments all over the Western world including the UK means they are absolutely fair game for scrutiny.
 
I'm proud of Englands players for taking a knee, I'm even prouder of Irans players for refusing to sing their anthem. I think it's a shame the armbands weren't worn......but I think the op has a point.
Why is there a thousand times more scrutiny and criticism of this tournament, than sporting tournaments, tours and games held in places with arguably much worse human rights records? Like Russia, China, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan.
This isnt whataboutery I'd genuinely like to know why.
 
We are "hypocrits" - hypocrites (sp).
For your education: homosexuality is a criminal offence in 33 of the 54 (British) Commonwealth Countries.
The revolution starts in your own back yard
(y)
Except we don’t run the commonwealth countries anymore, we are not like France where we only pretended to give them freedom but still rule and control by stealth.
 
Except we don’t run the commonwealth countries anymore, we are not like France where we only pretended to give them freedom but still rule and control by stealth.
Our Monarch is nominal head of the Commonwealth - we start with our own back yard. (y)
 
I'm proud of Englands players for taking a knee, I'm even prouder of Irans players for refusing to sing their anthem. I think it's a shame the armbands weren't worn......but I think the op has a point.
Why is there a thousand times more scrutiny and criticism of this tournament, than sporting tournaments, tours and games held in places with arguably much worse human rights records? Like Russia, China, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan.
This isnt whataboutery I'd genuinely like to know why.

Its a fair question. Probably a lot to do with how corrupt the whole process was in awarding them the tournament and the high profile status of the event. Not to say other events in other dubious countries haven't been corrupt or high profile of course.

At the end of the day I'd argue the hypocrisy is not the fact people are challenging Qatar. Its that they didnt challenge other countries.

I think its a crap argument to say "well we didnt moan much about China hosting the Olympics, so Qatar should also get a pass".

thats the wrong way around of looking at it.
 
I think whilst some of what the Op says is true I believe we were made certain promises on the World Cup in their bid. For them to row back on some of these promises during the event itself is what’s causing the concern.

I’m sure we will have boxing in Saudi this next year yet this last fortnight they have beheaded a number of people. Again money will win the day and we will continue to see the big fights in Saudi despite the fact they do things that civilised nations don’t agree with.
 
I think its a crap argument to say "well we didnt moan much about China hosting the Olympics, so Qatar should also get a pass".

thats the wrong way around of looking at it.

It reminds me of the climate change argument - "why should we do anything cos China produce more than us"

People wouldn't do anything if all they relied on was whataboutery. As soon as you start saying 'but what about so and so' you have kinda lost the argument. It's all about what WE do.
 
It reminds me of the climate change argument - "why should we do anything cos China produce more than us"

People wouldn't do anything if all they relied on was whataboutery. As soon as you start saying 'but what about so and so' you have kinda lost the argument. It's all about what WE do.
Agree with just a touch of pedantry…….
It’s about what ‘II’ do. (I think you meant that anyway btw)

We just love to point the finger at others - what are ‘they’ doing about it etc.

When people like us do something, however small, it’s - ’what did you do about that though’ (i.e the Saudi Grand Prix).

Can’t win except take some comfort in that we are doing something, however small.
 
The world cup is a marvelous event, run by shady, corrupt, bigoted, greedy capitalist pigs. FIFAs executives e in it for themselves not for the good of the game.
This!

However, I do think that the FA and other Football Associations could have put a halt to all of this lunacy by standing up to FIFA.
If there is one good thing to come out of holding a World cup in places like Qatar is that there will be a serious look at how this was allowed to happen and the process completely overhauled otherwise Saudi Arabia or North Korea could be on the horizon - oh, hang on 🤡
 
I see some people have criticised England for not following through with the threat to wear a One Love armband at the WC,
Only one player was ever going to wear an armband and that was the captain Harry Kane. The 'criticism' generally comes from 1) armchair pundits wanting to create a headline, 2) people who spend their lives on Twitter and who generally know nothing about football and 3) Right wing media gloating that 'England has had to row-back on its woke virtue signalling'.
Everyone knew the situation in the Middle East when we signed up for the competition
You make it sound like we made an on-line application. Nobody 'signed up' for anything. The football team 'qualified' on the pitch over a period of 18 months 10 years after the competition was awarded to Qatar.
yet some of the media are making out that this homophobia is shocking and unexpected.
Homophobia will always be shocking and should always be criticised whether it was 'expected' or not.
I’m already tired of reading why our sportsmen should virtue signal to show their distaste.
Well this says more about you than 'our sportsmen'. I should have known once you mentioned 'virtue signal' which side of the debate you're on.
Seems a bit hypocritical when the same anti gay laws apply at the Saudia Grand Prix or Boxing but no one’s taking a knee there
'Taking a knee' has nothing to do with 'anti gay laws'. It's a support protest undertaken by the BLM/anti-racism movement.
so unless we’re going to protest every time we play one of these teams then the current backing of the LGBT community is plainly cherry picking and makes the West look like stone cold hypocrits.
This is a ridiculous argument. Rome wasn't built in a day. What you're saying is that unless everyone backs the LGBT community then no-one should. Just think on that.
 
Nobody in the media or the players signed up for sportswashing in Qatar. They have every right to feel aggrieved that the sport they love to play or report on is being sullied in this way. The world cup is a marvelous event, run by shady, corrupt, bigoted, greedy capitalist pigs. FIFAs executives e in it for themselves not for the good of the game. An alternative is required before we go through this again with the Saudi's given it
Those in the media maintain the positions of power for those 'greedy capitalist pigs'. Our FA aren't speaking out against FIFAs executives' corruption for fear of our snouts not being allowed at the trough.

We're all, directly or indirectly, benefitting from doing business with the Middle East states with appalling human rights records yet the media only appear to be making a fuss over the armband in support of one particular group. Where is the support for women, for foreign workers, for persecuted minority religious groups etc?
 
Everyone knew the situation in the Middle East when we signed up
That’s just it this wasn’t the situation as Qatar made certain promises in ther bidding plan and inclusivity was key to it passing the fifa test ( not the vote but the tests of suitability) so they did make those concessions only to reneg on them a week and in one case a day before the tournament started.

Allowing alcohol was another of these reneged promises.

A World Cup for all was the plan they ran on where everyone would be welcome.
 
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