Are you letting your kids watch the World Cup?

[sw12londoner]

AIBU to not allow my kids to watch the World Cup due to the fact it's in Qatar? I want my kids to grow to have strong morals and ethics and I just feel like watching it makes it's ok for regimes with bad human rights records to be normalised.

It’s football. Let them watch it if they want
you shouldn’t be inflicting your own political views on kids just wanting a bit of fun

It’s football. Life is too short to watch that crap.

My kids are too old to ban them from watching since they have their own devices. Are your kids too young to search for it on YouTube if that's what they are interested in ?

Oh my god…yes! Of course. Your poor kids. Let them enjoy it. That’s what childhood is for.

I think you're being ridiculous.

Banning them from watching the World Cup isn't going to give them strong morals/ethics

I find a lot of this a bit performative, if you are arsed about human rights do you have anything rechargeable in your home and are aware of the issues around coltan mining, do you buy cheap clothes, do you ensure you’re coffee/chocolate etc is fair trade or is that inconvenient and the World Cup is just an easy way to pretend you care?

Not got any old enough for it, but I wouldn’t, and am not watching this year myself for the same reasons.

But then again I am someone who votes with their feet, I have cancelled holidays planned to states that put in place strict abortion laws in the US recently. I won’t shop with any retailer that supported or funded vote leave in 2016 etc.

What difference will it make? The time for protest was before and just after they were awarded it. Not now (I'm referring to protest by not watching - wearing rainbow colours there is a better protest). It smacks of people nagging themselves feel like they're doing something. Real protests would be banning their exports or businesses, but that's never going to happen.

It's football. Not letting your kids watch is not going to change the archaic attitude of an entire country.

Should it be in Qatar? Definitely not but again it's not something that can be changed.

Making, not nagging 😵‍💫

Not watching impacts the BARB data and therefore money going to broadcasters who supported the games.

So not watching does have impact, small, but it’s a bit silly to claim a boycott in this way makes no difference

It won't make the slightest difference, I'm not boycotting but I'm not going out of my way to watch it either. I do boycott things with my purse, e.g. I don't buy Nestle, because that has an actual impact. Also boycotting would feel hypocritical due to the extreme shittiness of the UK anyway. Hardly an example of equality are we.

Wonder if you would have had the same views when the World Cup was in Russia or the Olympics were in China.

How old are your kids ? Are they aware of the moral impacts in the first place? Unless you will sit and explain to them those as they are watching the game, the won't really know because it's not exactly something that's evident from just watching the game... so the point you are making becomes pointless because it's only obvious to you and not to them. If they are old enough to be aware of the issues themselves already, it feels more reasonable to have a discussion and have them decide for themselves - otherwise there isn't exactly any critical thinking or actual 'learning' taking place ...

this seems like a bit of a for the ego of the parents thing rather than for the benefit of the kids.

If they are old enough to understand the politics then presumable they are old enough to watch it without your say so.

If they are so young they dont understand the politics then just tell them its being played in Spain.

I did tbh. One of them is currently identifying as gay, so I feel it's even more of an important topic. But at 12 - I feel the topic is too much even for a 12 yo.

My eldest is a big football fan and yes we are watching. But he is old enough that we have had talks about the corruption and there human rights issues. It doesn't have to be a one or other scenario.

How old are they and how interested are they?

Life isn't too short to watch something if you enjoy it.

I am letting my children watch it. I have had some basic discussions with my 8 year old about Qatar but kept it very basic as she is already a very anxious child and I want her to enjoy the football as it's something she really enjoys.

What are your hobbies and interests? Maybe some people think life is too short for whatever "crap" you're into?

massive double standard. Do you boycott anything from Russia, China, Israel, all of the many places with human rights violations?
The reaction towards Qatar hosting the World Cup comes across in a way racist and Islamophobic to me. Arab countries are always seen as fair game to criticise compared to others so yes yabu

Does this mean that you've not spoken to your kids about why they're not allowed to watch it?

I banned I’m a Celeb. But I explained why. We are watching football and talking about the issues together. FIFA should have been blocked years ago but they’re still there sitting pretty. They are the problem, like the ITV execs normalising our ridiculous celebrity-politician culture.

We are watching it. My OH works in An industry that massively profits off the event and my DS is football mad and this is the first WC he can remember so has gotten into every match regardless of who is playing.