RE: Grand Master Chess Player Refuses To Defend Her Title In Saudi Arabia. She is wrong
Yes. There is a nuance to seeing these issues when trained in Anthropology.
But also no. She clearly has her values regarding treatment of women that mean more to her than attending a tournament.
Every individual is going to have something that they care about more - maybe she doesn’t give a shit about how Russia treats homosexuals. Does that somehow negate her opinion on how Saudis treat women?
The idea that somehow someone cannot have an opinion about morality without also sharing the same values as everyone else. It’s a bit of a crap argument.
I also share her opinion about how Saudi women are treated. Also as a trained Anthropologist I understand why that opinion I hold is problematic and influenced by my own perceptual and cultural conditioning.
I’m also not a woman, so my opinion doesn’t have the same impact on me, than, say, how child rapists are protected by the Catholic Church, or how the alt-right are using syllogism and linguistic tricks to bring fascism further into the mainstream.
She’s using her position to make a values-statement. Good on her.
Yes because she mentions human rights as the center of her opinion. Human Rights are not a buffet.
So we only listen to the opinions of those who subscribe wholesale to every social issue?
I don’t think that’s possible personally. I don’t think a person can literally be standing for every social issue.... because there are likely as many issues as there are people on the planet.
Like I said, I care about human rights.... but there are some I just cannot give energy too because of a number of reasons. I can support them in spirit but also have to strategically choose where I invest my energy in this matter...
Where can I make the most profound change?
Perhaps for her, women’s rights are where she can make the most impact.
It seems though that there are many cases where ‘women’s rights’ and the women who speak up for them are critiqued by impossible standards, moreso than other issues.
Why is that, do you think?