Qatar just showed us mundane life under a dictator

Dictators are often represented by their abhorrent acts. Their massacres. Their corruption. Their lunacy.

But we often don’t consider how that power would affect the more mundane aspects of life. What would it be like to live your life by arbitrary edict?

Well it just happened at the world cup.

Qatar upended signed agreements 2 days before the world cup started and decided that alcohol would not be served at the games.

2 days.

This is well after everyone had bought their plane tickets, booked their hotels and most likely started their travels. It’s unlikely that they just thought of it 2 days before which means they lied about their policies, signed agreements in bad faith, and when it was too late to cancel plans they announced their change. Like a predator setting a trap.

Some associate alcohol and sports with hooliganism but alcohol and sports are so intertwined in societies that they are a part of the culture. Like our distant ancestors gathered around a fire dancing and signing to bond with others and express connection to a greater whole, these chemicals have very deep roots in the foundations of human societies and civilization itself. All of which was discarded by a monarchy that believes it has the right to assert control over literally everyone.

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Had they announced this change earlier there would have been mass cancellations.

By being “awarded” the World Cup, Qatar was able to exert its control onto the rest of the world. Onto you and I. In a normal country where people have freedom to express their dissatisfaction this would not have gone over well. However in a dictatorship this kind of overreach is not even considered overreach. It is the way of things.

This is what life would be like if you lived in Qatar. Terrible decisions that betray the complete lack of control that you, the average citizen, have over you life. The many minor inconveniences and not so minor tragedies.

Imagine if the leader of Qatar ruled the world?

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