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PaperclipPerfector  1mo ago (text post)   3224 thread views

Small-Scale Question Sunday for March 9, 2025

Do you have a dumb question that you're kind of embarrassed to ask in the main thread? Is there something you're just not sure about?

This is your opportunity to ask questions. No question too simple or too silly.

Culture war topics are accepted, and proposals for a better intro post are appreciated.

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Why is LGBTQ so important for liberals in terms of foreign policy?

For example, when debating Russia, arguments often amount to Russia is evil because they aren't onboard with pride. Russia isn't putting LGBTQAASASFDSFDSFDSFDSFSD people in concentration camps, they simply seem not to have pride flags while having a don't ask don't tell attitude. Why does that infuriate liberals that much?

Countries in the middle east can engage in all sorts of questionable behaviour but, often it is a lack of LGBTQ flags that infuriates the left. Again, they aren't mass-executing LGBTQ people or having concentrations camps, they simply don't celebrate it or want it rubbed in people's faces.

It seems like existence of pride parades seems to be a key benchmark for judging the moral virtue of a country. Why is this benchmark so central?

Again, they aren't mass-executing LGBTQ people or having concentrations camps, they simply don't celebrate it or want it rubbed in people's faces.

Isn't this flatly untrue though? People are imprisoned for homosexuality for many years in many middle eastern countries (Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Dubai, UAE), and executed or whipped in Iran and Saudi Arabia.

This hasn't been that widespread. We are told 5% of the population belong to these minorities yet there aren't 4 million gay prisoners in Iran. The handfull who end up in prison seem to either be agitators, pedofiles or people who are doing their best to provoke the system.

If the only ones imprisoned are agitators, shouldn't we have examples of Iranian men who are undeniably fucking other men, yet weren't imprisoned for it?

Well, I guess this place is called the Motte for a reason! What a massive change of tack. If we accept that the middle east is actually secretly tolerant of homosexuality, but uses its anti-gay laws merely as an instrument of authoritarian rule to arrest agitators, well okay then. But that still sounds just as much like something a liberal should oppose (regardless whether or not the country in question has pride parades).

But that still sounds just as much like something a liberal should oppose

Yes, but now the difference between liberals (who is not fine with using anti-X laws merely as an instrument of authoritarian rule to arrest agitators) and progressives (who do this constantly, that's why they really like anti-X laws) becomes extremely important.

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