WWE's Decision to Host Event in Saudi Arabia Draws Criticism

[Debater Slayer]

Right now, a major WWE event, the Greatest Royal Rumble, is taking place in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The choice of the venue has drawn criticism because female pro wrestlers are not allowed to perform due to Saudi Arabia's restrictions on women's freedoms, and this was the response of Paul "Triple H" Levesque, one of the company's heads:

He said: “I understand that people are questioning it, but you have to understand that every culture is different and just because you don’t agree with a certain aspect of it, it doesn’t mean it’s not a relevant culture.

“You can’t dictate to a country or a religion about how they handle things but, having said that, WWE is at the forefront of a women’s evolution in the world and what you can’t do is affect change anywhere by staying away from it.

“While, right now, women are not competing in the event, we have had discussions about that and we believe and hope that, in the next few years they will be. That is a significant cultural shift in Saudi Arabia.

“The country is in the middle of a shift in how it is dealing with that – the position is changing, and rights are changing, as are the way women are handled and treated in society. We think that’s a great thing and we’re excited to be at the forefront of that change.”

Source and full article: Triple H defends hosting WWE event in Saudi Arabia with no women wrestlers

Personally, while I disagree with the wording of Triple H's argument and think that the wording contains a conspicuous air of cultural relativism and ethical concession (which, however, I still find understandable from a marketing and PR perspective), I also largely agree that change can't be affected in Saudi Arabia by simply refusing to perform there. No matter how imperfect this precedent is, the fact that it has been set to begin with is a major step forward that I think would have been unwise to miss.

The show started with the Saudi and American national anthems, and the crowd--largely consisting of Saudis and other Arabs--loudly cheered for both anthems. It seems to me that the American anthem's being cheered in Saudi Arabia, especially at a time of relative political tension, is a significant step in the right direction. This event definitely gives me hope that Saudi Arabia is taking some positive steps--even if there are also major imperfections so far (most notably ones relating to women's and LGBT rights).

Thoughts? Opinions? What do you make of the event's cultural implications? Do you agree or disagree with the WWE's decision to host it in Saudi Arabia despite the aforementioned restrictions on women?

 

[Subduction Zone]

One has to remember that pro-wrestling is not a sport. It is a drama. The actors are athletes but the matches are not only staged, they are often choreographed and they take the same "match" from city to city.

Saudi Arabia is not allowing a play with female actors in their country. Though still ridiculous one can at least put it in a better perspective by realizing this.

 

[Revoltingest]

Will the Iron Sheik wrestle?
Hmmm....maybe not (he's retired, & was born in Iran).

 

[sun rise]

Saudi Arabia is very slowly lifting the restrictions on women. My basic frame-of-reference is to welcome those changes, note how far they have to go but not try to force an overnight change. So I'm OK with the decision to perform in Saudi Arabia.

 

[Nakosis]

I wonder if they should have just not responded to the criticism. There are some social/political groups that aren't going to be happy no matter what you do are say. Responding just provides more fuel for the fire.

Leave it alone and eventually they'll go find some other event/cause to criticize.

 

[Kapalika]

and think that the wording contains a conspicuous air of cultural relativism and ethical concession

Do you feel, particularly in relation to these types of issues (women's rights ect), that cultural relativism is incorrect? Do you think there is validity in the concept of cultural relativism?

I can understand why they took the position they did. They are trying to get into a new market and honestly I don't know if they could of said anything better in their position. They are interested in growing their business, not in taking strong political stances but at the same time they say they hope that women can compete as wrestling becomes more common there.. so they seem to be for women's rights.

I think in any case we can't expect any region or culture to change over night. We could argue if it's right or wrong to force our values on other cultures but I think Saudi Arabia is making a change of their own will for the good. I don't think avoiding them would really help anything. If anything them going there, I think, is a good thing as it's exposing their people to new ideas which I find better for women.

 

[Subduction Zone]

Saudi Arabia is very slowly lifting the restrictions on women. My basic frame-of-reference is to welcome those changes, note how far they have to go but not try to force an overnight change. So I'm OK with the decision to perform in Saudi Arabia.

And on a related note here is a parody video that was made about 5 years ago, but with the recent changes in Saudi Arabia has found new popularity:

 

[ronki23]

The Prince Mohammed bin Salman is doing the right thing; he wants Saudi Arabia to be open to all religions. He seems to be a nice guy in the angry part of the world