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Originally Posted by Cali Panthers Fan
He's also anti-children and anti-religion, but I don't hold that against him, even though I disagree with some of his key talking points. It's just how he wants to live his life, and he discusses topics from that perspective.
But he's also pro-intellect, and pro-intelligent debate. He also doesn't hide behind rhetoric and brings facts to back every point he makes.
It's not as if he's some anti-liberal monster, but he often gets painted that way because he challenges the status quo.
Give me 10 Bill Mahers for every Tucker Carlson out there and we have a better media discussion of ideas and topics. Will he get it right every time? No. He's human, and prone to bias and his own logical fallacies, but others hold him in check and that's why he invites the debate onto his show. I've yelled out loud about comment he's made on air, especially about vaccines, but on the whole, he has a good perspective on things.
It's a rare concept in modern media, to have an opinion from your own perspective, and debate/defend the merits of those positions. He's not saying he's the only one to listen to, he's just one voice of the many he has on his show. I agree with most people and positions, and I disagree with some. It doesn't meant I need to shut down the discussion full force because I disagree, but many people in our culture would love to do so just because of one position that they dislike.
Get over it. That's our society, for better or worse. Either live with someone saying something you don't love, but is backed by facts and reason, or get off the intellectual discussion bus.
Just being pissed off at people doesn't actually change anything. Try talking through stuff and empathize a little with where someone is coming from. It won't kill you, even if it feels uncomfortable.
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rubecube went heavy handed with it, but Maher's rhetoric and persona certainly lends itself to what they're saying. And I disagree with you: Maher definitely hides behind rhetoric.
I can appreciate where Maher is appearing to position himself. That is, "can't we just talk about this?" In fact, I think that should be embraced more often, but I would like it to be more genuine. The problem I have is that he's clearly obfuscating his position with his influence.
For instance, he's routinely wanting to validate queer and trans folks, but always has this niggling problem we need to discuss. "Yes, it's OK to be trans, but we need to address how trans athletes are a threat" or, "Yes, it's OK to be trans and they are a minority, but they are such a danger to free speech and liberty".
The scales are never balanced in his commentary: Queer and trans people deserve a right to exist without levied hate and violence, but did you also know that they can compete against your child or go into the same bathroom as your kids, and that is just as equal a problem? I'm simplifying things, but the point is that he counters LGBTQ+ rights with monstrously minute objections, while often giving the latter more attention and airtime.
Pepsi pointed it out well:
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Originally Posted by PepsiFree
I don’t think Maher dismissing LGBTQ+ as trendy is as innocent as you do. He also has on and enables anti-trans legislators. I think it’s fine if you want to “just ask questions” but he likes to nod along and say “I agree” with some pretty heinous answers.
Case in point would be his appearance on Riley Gaines (an anti-trans activist) podcast. You can go look it up, but he agreed (not just nodded along, but acknowledged and said “I agree”) with several of her anti-trans talking points, like “they don’t want equal rights, they want to take our rights” and “the idea of that community being oppressed is silly.”
It’s not like he was unable to speak his mind and correct her either. She directly follows it up with “people don’t see color anymore” and he jumps on that and clarifies a much more intelligent and measured answer that what her idiotic mind could come up with.
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I've noticed this trend with Bill Maher more and more lately. It's not so much a "let's talk about this", but rather a "aren't you noticing how damaging these people are to society?". It's tough because I've been a total Dave Chappelle STAN for a long time. While I think Dave, much like Bill, probably would prefer to have real conversations play out, I'm just turned off by how they go about it.
I'm more receptive to Jon Stewart pointing out that 'Joe Biden is also old' than Bill Maher complaining that 'trans people can also suck'.