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.

Do you know how ridiculous you sound ?

YABU.

Unless you use/buy nothing made in countries like China, Russia or Israel (and boycott any sporting events held in those countries); buy/use nothing that is made by paying pennies in sweatshops in places like India and Bangladesh; never visit or contribute to the promotion of any countries in the Middle East who have similar laws to Qatar etc then you are coming across as a performative hypocrite to ban the WC just because it's in Qatar.

Use it as a basis for discussion about what happens in Qatar and all the issues around the migrant workers, LGBTQ+ recognition, oppression of women etc but then let the kids just watch the football.

I don't remember the host countries of the first few Euros/WCs I watched - till I got to my mid-teens I don't remember anything beyond the actual games, the winners and various memorable moments from the tournament but if I had been banned from watching football because of a venue I had no control over then I guarantee I would have remembered my parent being so unreasonable and not the human rights issues, but I was a football obsessed child who lived for watching football (and still do) so being banned from the WC would have been a massive punishment as opposed to just a minor inconvenience of being told I couldn't watch.

Qatar are using the world cup to try to sportswash their human rights abuses.

I think it's highlighting them instead. How many more people know about their abuse of migrant workers, and homophobic, and misogynistic laws now that they are the focus of the sporting world. I suspect it'll be a massive own goal in terms of PR.

If they're too young to understand why you want to boycott it, then they are too young to be boycotting it. If they are old enough to understand then you should have that discussion and let them decide.

@TicketToParadise

*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*

I thought BARB data came from a selected group of people, so unless you are in that group, how will they know?

No this again. FFS. Talk to them about the morals and all the problems of holding it in Qatar. There are many. Then let them chose to watch. You can't change the fact it's already started!

Last time it was in Russia. No-one seemed to mind. The corrupt FIFA officials should be ashamed as they take their gold to the bank in a wheelbarrow

Watching the football can open up some good conversations about different countries, cultures, languages as well as repressive laws, LGBT rights etc. Very wholesome and educational.
My DC have very little interest in the football unfortunately. If only they would watch more football and less weird anime on Netflix.

Only if you also banned them from watching the World Cup when it was in Russia. Or also will ban them from watching the next one when it's in the US given their horrendous recent political dalliances.

It's actually thrown a big spotlight onto these awful regimes that DC may not have otherwise been interested in .

The teams are playing each other not qtar..
You know Qatar owns most of the UK

Really??? Are you going to stop shopping at Sainsbury's and many other places that the Qataries have huge stakes in?? They own most of London ffs!!
Grow up

It depends on how important it is to your children to watch the matches; are they much into football.

Wow! 🤦🏼

I think a place where slaves recently died should be a place of quiet reflection not celebration but we do live in a time where Enoch Powell trends on Twitter so idk anymore.

Yes, absolutely watching it.

If it’s important you can use it as an opportunity for discussion.
But banning it? Nah