Quite simply it's about money, the inequality between rich and poor, upper class v. lower class and Hatfields v. McCoys, occupy movements and the Arab spring...and money. Just that. The Sunni (minority) government with their King, yes a King, rules over the Shiite (majority) peeps. Guess who's rich and who's poor. Guess who has a voice and who does not. The Arab Spring has toppled some authority ruled kingdoms this past year, in a quest for equality and democracy, while others, well...they are still trying. That shit happens all the time. So what is the big dealeo about having one of the riches and glamorous sports in the world, Formula One Racing, coming to Bahrain.
It's all about the discrepancy between rich and poor and the distribution of wealth. Where have we seen this before: a minority government (which usually has lighter skin) rules all over the majority of the peeps (who usually have darker skin) and the rich get richer and the poor get fucked. Gee, I dunno, all over the world where regimes are handed down to offspring (North Korea) for generations, and the people of the land, for decades and decades, keep telling the royalty that they want jobs, education, a voice and democracy (Africa, S.E.Asia, Middle East).
To get a Formula One race in your country is a big deal and what the authorities will tell you is that it is good for the country. What they don't tell you is that it's only good for part of the country, the part ruled by the elites. An F1 race is watched internationally (up to 600 million) which brings a lot of advertising dollars and prestige, not to mention all the tourist dollars, to a place where (almost) no one can point out in a map. But it's good for the country you say, well, that is only if you believe in trickle down economics (I don't believe in that and the reason is that it doesn't trickle down).
Didn't people boycott South Africa back in the day (yes)? Well you say, what about soccer and cricket matches, they go to fucked up places where there is no democracy and the distribution of wealth is unequal. That's true, but as the sayin' goes...two wrongs don't make a right.
Oh and one more thing. There's that Amnesty International thingy..."Despite the authorities claim to the contrary, state violence against those who oppose the Al Khalifa family rule continues, and in practice, not much has changed in the country since the brutal crackdown of anti-government protesters in February and March 2011."
Yea, don't forget that crackdown stuff.
* Four part series Al Jazeera Bahrain crackdown 2011.
* Foreign Policy magazine "Formula Zero"
* NPR Protests Press Bahrain's Formula One Race
* Christian Science Monitor April 20
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