Monday, July 6, 2015

Al Jazeera publishes snarky video for the Fourth of July making fun of Americans as fat, gun-toting racists

Al Jazeera publishes snarky video for the Fourth of July making fun of Americans as fat, gun-toting racists

  • Al Jazeera's digital channel AJ+ posted video on July 3rd making fun of the US for gun ownership, racism, teen pregnancy and prescription drug use
  • Commenters criticized Al Jazeera's for its ownership by Qatari royal family, who preside over country with numerous human rights abuses

Qatar-based news network Al Jazeera released a video for July 4th mocking Americans and their problems.
The video, titled Americans Show Why USA Is The #1 Country In The World, featured a string of people saying how US is ranked top in the world in uncomfortable and embarrassing categories. 
AJ+, a digital channel run by Al Jazeera out of San Francisco, posted the video on July 3rd, a day ahead of America's Independence Day celebrations.
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Al Jazeera's AJ+ released a video for July 4th with Americans pointing out uncomfortable and embarrassing ways in which the US is number one in the world
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Al Jazeera's AJ+ released a video for July 4th with Americans pointing out uncomfortable and embarrassing ways in which the US is number one in the world
The video highlighted problems in the US such as the high incarceration rate, racism, obesity and teen pregnancies
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The video highlighted problems in the US such as the high incarceration rate, racism, obesity and teen pregnancies
'Americans consume 80 percent of the world’s painkillers. Makes sense though, right? I mean racism in this country is a big pain in the a**,' one female presenter says.
Other criticisms said that the US was number one in percentage of the population that is incarcerated, teen pregnancies per capita, credit card debt, making pornography and strangely, cheese production.
Presenters said that there were 90 guns per 100 people in the US and that the country had the most deaths by lawnmower.
The US was also mocked for its high percentage of obese adults and the video cited the CDC as a source, though the country most likely does not lead the world in that category.
UN statistics from 2013 found Mexico had a greater proportion of adults with obesity than the US.
Arab countries have also risen near the top of the ranks as oil wealth is increasingly spent on fast food, according to the Atlantic.
Some social media commenters took particular umbrage that the video had come from Al Jazeera, which was founded by the royal family of a country known for alarming human rights abuses.

Commenters on social media were quick to point out that Al Jazeera was founded by the royal family of Qatar, which is known for human rights abuses. Above, the video opened with a picture of a bald eagle
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Commenters on social media were quick to point out that Al Jazeera was founded by the royal family of Qatar, which is known for human rights abuses. Above, the video opened with a picture of a bald eagle
Qatar, a nation of 2million people, has recently made headlines for alleged World Cup corruption and having private citizens who have donated large amounts of money to ISIS. Above, an Al Jazeera newsroom
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Qatar, a nation of 2million people, has recently made headlines for alleged World Cup corruption and having private citizens who have donated large amounts of money to ISIS. Above, an Al Jazeera newsroom
YouTube user Adam Sternberg said 'Interesting stone throwing from that glass house of yours Al Jazeera...a network owned by a country where women have no rights, you can go to prison for criticizing their leader, and stoning someone to death is legal and practiced regularly.'. 
A report from a trade unions group in 2013 said that 1,200 immigrants from India and Nepal had already died constructing the stadiums for the Qatari World Cup in 2022.
The bidding process giving Qatar the tournament was also thought to be largely influenced by corruption. 
US officials also said earlier this year donors from Qatar, a nation of roughly 2million people, gave the most money to terrorist groups such as Islamic State and Al Qaeda, according to the Daily Beast.
Al Jazeera has also faced criticism from former employees, including a lawsuit from a woman who previously worked as a senior vice president.
Shannon High-Bassilik was fired from the network in February now accuses the network of bias against women and non-Arab employees, according to Variety.

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