Real politik.

Saudi Arabia is a useful ally to have in the region, a fellow enemy of Russian ally Iran, a good customer for the defense industry, and an alliance makes the US less reliant on Israel. That’s a win-win.

Elements in the Saudi government may have helped orchestrate 9/11, but after 2003 attacks in Saudi Arabia they drastically and often violently curtailed the influence of the Wahhabi establishment. The aristocracy clamped down on the power of the clergy. They also offered significant and valuable intelligence cooperation with the US

So if elements in the Saudi government did help orchestrate 9/11, it’s easier to sweap it under the rug. There are more important issues to worry about.

Twenty years ago? Other decisions should have been made and not made.

Now? The world and the regime in Saudi Arabia has changed.

The darkly funny thing about this, is that he’s probably saying this because there’s an election coming up.

Clearly thinks this’ll be a vote winner with their electorate.

The nasty party never really changes does it?

It’s obvious everywhere. If anything it’s often worse in the fediverse, because communities are smaller and extremists are more able to dominate the discussion.

There may not be a lemmy rule against it, but damaging someone’s reputation with false accusations is libel.

1. Get banned for made-up reason X in publicly viewable modlog, without right of reply or recourse.
2. Get doxxed and username tied to your real world name.
3. Doxxers send screenshot of you being banned for X to employer.
4. Employer fires you for irresponsible use of social media.
5. Sue for libel and damages (lost revenue from prematurely terminated employment). Chance of winning probably zero, but a bored no win no fee lawyer, or someone with too much time/money won’t care about that.

All quite implausible, but why any mod would take the risk when a generic reason will suffice or simple insult would suffice is beyond me.

It’s similar amateur hour shit here on kbin. You can ask to have your account deleted, but it won’t happen. If I was a dickhead, I could file a GDPR complaint. You only need to rub one arsehole the wrong way, to open yourself up to a whole load of entirely unnecessary bullshit.

Here’s the thing: no one’s going to do anything about it, but technically this may amount to libel.

On reddit you’re banned via private message, so no one knows why you’d been banned, even if the reason is bogus. If someone accuses you of something in a comment, you can defend yourself. You have the right to reply. But in the fediverse you’re banned and if the mod does it for a made-up reason, that false reason is publicly viewable in the modlog without you being able to do anything about it. They’ve maliciously damaged your reputation without any recourse, right to defend yourself / right of reply.

Now imagine at one point OP’s username is linked to their actual name. An employer does a google, finds they’ve been banned for homophobia. Some arsehole doxxes OP, and sends a picture of their being banned for homophobia to their employer. They’re fired for allegedly being homophobic on social media. At that point, a good lawyer could potentially prove libel and damages caused. OP’s clearly annoyed by all this. Now imagine someone with too much time and money on their hands.

It’s real amateur hour shit. Sure being sued for libel is incredibly unlikely, but there are only downsides to not erring on the side of caution with stuff like this. Want to ban someone? Make up a generic or non-defamatory reason, or simply call them a dickhead, and go on with your day.

Stuff like this, the failure to respect GDPR/Privacy and NetzDG laws, a failure to properly deal with CSAM material… it’s a ticking time bomb under the whole fediverse.

deleted by creator

Here’s the thing: no one’s going to do anything about it, but technically this may amount to libel.

On reddit you’re banned via private message, so no one knows why you’d been banned, even if the reason is bogus. If someone accuses you of something in a comment, you can defend yourself. You have the right to reply. But in the fediverse you’re banned and if the mod does it for a made-up reason, that false reason is publicly viewable in the modlog without you being able to do anything about it. They’ve maliciously damaged your reputation without any recourse, right to defend yourself / right of reply.

Now imagine at one point their username is linked to their actual name. An employer does a google, finds they’ve been banned for homophobia. They’re fired for allegedly being homophobic on social media. At that point, a good lawyer could potentially prove libel and damages caused. OP’s clearly annoyed. Now imagine someone with too much time and money on his hands.

It’s real amateur hour shit. Sure being sued for libel is incredibly unlikely, but there are only downsides to not erring on the side of caution with stuff like this. Want to ban someone? Make up a generic or non-defamatory reason, or simply call them a dickhead, and go on with your day.

Stuff like this, the failure to respect GDPR/Privacy and NetzDG laws, a failure to properly deal with CSAM material… it’s a ticking time bomb under the whole fediverse.

It’s not The Wire or The Sopranoes.

It is genuinely fun and bingeable.

Ah, yes. But here’s the thing.

If you make a polite and reasonable comment about veganism and it’s met with hostility, you’re more likely to come across as the good guy and those attacking you come across as arseholes. People reading the exchange are more likely to think that the guy defending veganism or animal rights may have a point.

If you come in all guns blazing, and attack people, people are just as likely to think you’re the arsehole.

Oh, of course. But once you accept that all humans are flawed, you’re more likely to empathize with people who make poor choices, relate to them, and become more convincing.

So for example, you don’t call people hypocrites and a murderers, which will inevitably cause them to become defensive and double down. Especially in a conversation where people are already expressing that they dissaprove of animal abuse. Instead you say something like:

“Same here. Animal suffering also makes me sad, and I couldn’t help but think that I was part of that. I slowly transitioned to eating no meat a while back. But I know it’s hard to make changes. If anyone wants tips, just ask. No judgement.”

Or perhaps:

“Yeah. Food’s really becoming expensive. One thing that does help, is that I eat vegetarian curries. They cost less to make and it’s not that hard. I found this cool recipe and use a rice cooker so I can take care of the kids while it cooks.”

I mean, imagine people who own a fairphone and buy only fair trade chocolate, went around calling the rest of us cunts. They might have a point, but it really wouldn’t help them win the argument.

Now read the rest of the paragraph you chose to ignore.

I’m vegan and have been for years.

Your moral pontificating may be good for your own ego, but at the end of the day Burger King’s vegan nuggets have done more to promote veganism, than lectures from the terminally online. Be honest with yourself. You’re not doing it to convert people. You’re doing it to feel good about yourself. Vanity. It’s the Devil’s favourite sin.

You know how I convert people? I make them nice food and give them recipe tips.

Imagine you’re about to eat an ice-cream. You see a kid drowning in a pool. You could save him, but instead you choose to eat your ice cream. You put short term pleasure before saving a child’s life. Evil, right?

Now imagine that you can’t see the kid. You know he’s going to die, but instead of donating a bit of money to a charity, you buy that ice cream, drink that fancy frappucino, buy that t-shirt or overpriced gadget you didn’t actually need to buy. You put a short term endorphin rush above saving a child’s life.

This is you. This is everyone. Humans are all evil to a degree. We are all hypocrites to a degree. We allow that kid to die, those workers to get abused, those animals to suffer. The only excuse we have is that we are animals and that we largely act on instinct, even if we rationalise our choices afterwords, often telling ourselves we’re not bad people.

Once you accept that basic fact, mostly because life experience has forced you to come to terms with your flaws, you hopefully become more humble. You gain character, wisdom, and honesty. And here’s a silver lining: once you realise that you’re also deeply flawed and approach fellow humans with humility, you often end up becoming more convincing.

Of course, the first step is to accept that convincing people to be less evil, is more important than vanity and holding to the idea that you’re somehow better than them.

Here’s Norm McDonald telling a joke about hypocrisy:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljaP2etvDc4

Next year will be a bit dicey, but after that they’re done. Europe alone can outspend Russia 100 times without breaking a sweat. They’ll bankrupt themselves, again.

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/25/2d/3a/252d3aece2c2e0a80f8db92bb22e5a0e.jpg

I wonder if it’s dawning on some of them that supporting Russia, a country with an economy the size of the Netherlands and Belgium, is probably less profitable than supporting the US defense industry and selling weapons to markets which make Russia look like Burkino Faso with nukes.

I mean, ignoring the morality or right and wrong of it all, since that’s less relevant to some of these ghouls.

Important detail: they weren’t just warned by the Americans, but by multiple countries.

Just to add:

• Syria: they also allowed Russian Islamic extremists to go fight in Syria rather than cause trouble in Russia - some of them reportedly joined ISIS
• Dagestan
• Sudan/Darfur
• disproportionate recruitment of Muslim minorities for the Ukrainian front
• violent repression of Muslim minorities
• involvement in the Sahel + helping military regimes in Niger/Mali/Burkino Faso fight ISIS affiliated groups
• Afghanistan: ISIS have previously attacked the Russian embassy there, saying the Taliban aren’t radicals and are Russian puppets.
• Iran: ISIS has perpetrated attacks in Iran, hates the Iranian regime. Iran is a Russian ally and provides them with drones for Ukraine, Russia in turn supports Iran.

Etc. etc. etc.

Also:

France have has no restrictions

Quality journalism if the people writing the articles can barely speak English.

can’t upvote without getting an error message, so the internet points theory doesn’t work.