A Tragedy of Conscience

Dismembering Journalists

In 2018, Jamal Khashoggi, a journalist for a progressive newspaper in Saudi Arabia, was drugged, suffocated, & then dismembered in the Saudi consulate in Turkey while his fiancée waited outside at the apparent behest of the royal family of Saudi Arabia. They then attempted to pack his parts into a suitcase to dispose of his body.

'Care Homes' for Disobedient Women

In 2025, the same family threw millions of dollars at American comedians to entice them to perform, like monkeys, for the Saudis at the Riyadh Comedy Festival. Knowing that the Saudi leadership have committed this & other unspeakable atrocities on women (abduction of Lolita Safeeraldeen), Dar al-Reaya care homes (torture centers for disobedient women) & free speech advocates (executed Turki al-Jasser, Salma al-Shehab was sentenced to 27 years & raped in custody) & much more, including homosexuals, as well having supported the 9/11 attacks.

Dave Chappelle, Kevin Hart, Louis C.K., Jimmy Carr

Knowing all this, these comedians flew to Riyadh, shook hands, enjoyed luxurious accommodations, & performed: Jimmy Carr, Dave Chappelle, Aziz Ansari, Louis C.K., Bill Burr, Pete Davidson, Kevin Hart, Gabriel Iglesias, Bobby Lee, Russell Peters, Andrew Schulz, & Chris Tucker, to name a few.

Notable Exceptions

Notably, Nimesh Patel & Shane Gillis refused to perform despite repeated attempts by the Saudis to increase their fee.

Cashing In

If someone planned to perform then donate the fee for free speech advocacy, then that would be different. If someone was starving & needed the money, that would be different. But a majority of these names are already millionaires, richer than 90% of the rest of the American populace.

A Shrinking Pool

As our list of spineless hypocrites gets larger, our ability to seek entertainment from respectable individuals becomes harder & harder. Yet another tragedy of conscience as potential heroes become forgettable nothings.