Glenn Greenwald on Celebrity Endorsements of Saudi Arabia

Celebrity Endorsements and Saudi Arabia

• 🎤 Comedians like Kevin Hart, Louis CK, and Bill Burr accepted large paychecks to perform in Saudi Arabia, with contracts barring derogatory comments about the Saudi royal family or Islam.
• 🎾 Similarly, top tennis players are participating in the "Six Kings Slam" in Riyadh, with participants guaranteed at least $1.5 million, and the winner receiving $6 million, exceeding major tournament prizes.
• 🎭 This influx of celebrities into Saudi Arabia is seen as an attempt at sportswashing and whitewashing the regime's human rights record, including its treatment of women, dissidents, and its role in wars.

Criticism and Defense of Celebrity Actions

• 🗣️ Media outlets like Vox have criticized these events, calling the Saudi comedy festival "no laughing matter" and accusing performers of helping to "put a fun face on Saudi Arabia's crimes against humanity."
• 💰 Tim Dylan's contract was canceled after he acknowledged being paid to "look the other way" regarding Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses, highlighting the censorship accepted by some celebrities.
• 🎬 A satirical TikTok video by Zach Woods humorously criticized comedians performing in Saudi Arabia, referencing the regime's repression and the head of its entertainment authority.

The Role of Western Governments

• 🇺🇸 The speaker argues that the moral outrage directed at individual celebrities is misplaced, as Western governments, particularly the US and UK governments, have deep, long-standing, and profitable relationships with Saudi Arabia.
• 🤝 These governments provide Saudi Arabia with weapons, technology, and surveillance instruments, and engage in multi-billion dollar defense deals, indicating a close alliance.
• ⚖️ The speaker questions the selective indignation, pointing out that while celebrities are criticized for accepting money for a few days, governments maintain decades-long partnerships with the Saudi regime.

Cognitive Dissonance in Public Discourse

• 🧠 The core issue highlighted is the cognitive dissonance in public discourse, where people acknowledge Saudi Arabia's brutality but compartmentalize their own governments' complicity.
• 💡 The argument is that if one is truly upset by the Saudi regime, the focus should be on demanding their own government sever ties, rather than criticizing individuals who profit from the regime.
• 🎭 The speaker believes that many in the West, despite knowing about their governments' involvement, prefer to believe they uphold dictatorships, leading to hypocrisy when celebrities engage with such regimes.