Except Netflix isn't "trading with Saudi Arabia". Netflix is trying to sell subscriptions to Saudi individuals, and it is the Saudi government that is trying to enforce censorship. 2 completely distinct groups.

(Were this a less autocratic regime,I would have said "governments are just people", but I take your point on the government of SA being largely disjoint from the citizens)

Besides, this whole thing is irony of the highest order. We scream bloody murder about Saudi Arabia explicitly censoring a comedian, meanwhile in the US we have an arguably worse form of implicit censorship where if you make an offensive (and harmless) joke, a bunch of noisy leftist maniacs go into high gear to end your career.

Human society of any sort is only possible because our species evolved beyond purely selfish behaviour to co-operate for the greater good. Modern civilisation is reliant on the majority of individuals following moral codes, instilled by cultural, religious and familial institutions and enforced by community action. We do not allow "profit-seeking" as a pass for acting immorally.

If companies want to enjoy the rights given to individuals within our societies, such as freedom to operate, equal treatment and protection under the law, etc. Then they also need to be bound by the same moral codes that allows successful co-operation between individual people. Allowing companies to have full legal rights while exempting them from moral responsibility is just as unfair and dangerous as it is to give a certain class of human the freedom to ignore moral norms without consequence.

It's not confusion, it's choice.

Same applies to free speech. The US could apply a law to their companies but they do not (because free unbound capitalism). I ignore anything related to national security in this argument :).

There is no confusion. Some people simply are of the opinion that declaring profit as your purpose is not sufficient to justify hurting other people.

https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/n5TqCuizyJDfAPjkr/the-baby-e...

This knee jerk relativism is getting old. Just because morality exists outside of systems of formal logic, doesnt make it any less important. It is still up for debate.

I can't believe posters on HN are defending this.

I can’t for the life of me understand what motivates people on this forum to behave this way...

And you maintain the same sense of correctness even as it is explained to you that your argument is regressive and unhelpful.

Commenters mistaking this for me condoning what Netflix did or making some broader assumption are just that, mistaken.

You did answer my question with an example, but I chose not to reply because I thought that if two sentences can be misconstrued so badly, more sentences wouldn't make anything better, but, since you replied, I will ask you:

> All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights

If a woman decides that she wants to cover her face with a burqa and we legislate a burqa ban, are we following her right to freedom or are we oppressing her? If a society votes that they don't want to see nudity on TV, is it right for another society to not adhere to that? Is it moral for Spotify to censor songs that the US finds offensive, even though Sweden disagrees?

The above is an example of a “global value” to be enforced.

If that is being violated anywhere, it is a problem.

This just sounds like an excuse to pander to human greed.

Certainly there are some things so terrible that we should expect companies not to go along, preferring to leave the country rather than participate. But censoring a TV episode (not even an entire show!) isn't that bad in the scheme of things.

Besides, Saudi probably has very different values, I am pretty sure if they try to spread their version of proper values in US, like what quality defines a woman, people won't be very welcoming and outrage will follow.

But the mere fact that someone has a different opinion on something does not in any way entitle them to equal consideration of their position. Just because a murderer thinks that murdering people is fine does not mean that you should be welcoming towards murders or that outrage is unjustified.

Take religion as a sample. The western countries will be majority atheist in 30-50 years. Do not assume that is the same around the globe.