Love this

[Vee]

I have to agree with some of the comments that say this clip should be played in schools.

Spoiler: profanity

 

[Debater Slayer]

Maher is comparing communist dictators who orchestrated political purges with American leftists who typically refuse to even support ownership of guns and oppose violent interventionism in other countries. He's equivocating and using misplaced hyperbole.

It's also extremely tone-deaf that he attributes "attempts to change human nature by screaming at it" to a minority of "woke revolutionaries" who hold no power when that's exactly what the US has done under several right-wing administrations, including those of Reagan, Bush, Jr., and Trump. Reagan screamed at economics, Bush screamed at Afghanistan and Iraq, and Trump screamed at North Korea, China, Iran, and even his fellow Americans who dared to criticize his politics. Now the GOP is also screaming at abortion laws and "woke" corporations, among other things.

There's a lot of valid criticism of communism and the far left in general, but Maher has somehow failed to make any significantly cogent point amidst his flashy but insubstantial tirade. He's becoming out of touch, and I think his increasingly tone-deaf commentary might be an attempt to cling to relevance in an age when his brand of politics is becoming increasingly unpopular and outdated. Communism and socialism just aren't as effective of boogeymen as they once were now that many Red Scare tropes are dying off and far-right, fascist politicians are again becoming quite vocal and emboldened.

 

[Guitar's Cry]

Maybe. But not to teach Bill Maher's political viewpoint. It would work for teasing out political bias, or a teacher could show a comedian with an opposing viewpoint as well and have the kids do a research project to come up with their own conclusions.

I work with high school kids. It wouldn't take long for them to point out that America was founded due to a revolution based on Enlightenment ideals.

 

[Sirona]

When I read the Watchtower at my grandma's, it always said that Jehovah's Witnesses were non-political. But that was at least 20 years ago, so I don't know if that's still true, and I don't want to start a debate on the subject. Just saying.

 

[Vee]

When I read the Watchtower at my grandma's, it always said that Jehovah's Witnesses were non-political. But that was at least 20 years ago, so I don't know if that's still true, and I don't want to start a debate on the subject. Just saying.

We aren't. But good sense is still important .

 

[Debater Slayer]

Maybe. But not to teach Bill Maher's political viewpoint. It would work for teasing out political bias, or a teacher could show a comedian with an opposing viewpoint as well and have the kids do a research project to come up with their own conclusions.

I work with high school kids. It wouldn't take long for them to point out that America was founded due to a revolution based on Enlightenment ideals.

It could also be shown as an example of out-of-touch, inconsistent politics from a superficially liberal demagogue who demonizes religion but thinks he's more tolerant than those "woke" folks.

 

[Estro Felino]

The lounge-living and carefree Left in Europe couldn't care less about the factory workers' class.
In my country, the dems are all like that. There's nobody who isn't.

They love to be on luxurious yachts, sipping cocktails ...in Saint-Tropez or in Sardinia.
Since they can't talk about the proletariat and the workers' right, they restlessly focus on LGBT issues (as if the 99% of the human population were not heterosexual and cisgender). Now gay people can get married so it's time to move on. Speaking of economics. And not of people's sexual orientation.

It's a sexualized politics, theirs: sex, sex, sex.
There is much more than sex, in this world. There is art, literature, science, progress.

 

[Vee]

There is much more than sex, in this world. There is art, literature, science, progress.

All these ideologies that want to erase history and human nature provide distractions from important values, like hard work, taking care of each other, appreciating what we have, value other people's qualities, etc.

 

[Audie]

Maher is comparing communist dictators who orchestrated political purges with American leftists who typically refuse to even support ownership of guns and oppose violent interventionism in other countries. He's equivocating and using misplaced hyperbole.

It's also extremely tone-deaf that he attributes "attempts to change human nature by screaming at it" to a minority of "woke revolutionaries" who hold no power when that's exactly what the US has done under several right-wing administrations, including those of Reagan, Bush, Jr., and Trump. Reagan screamed at economics, Bush screamed at Afghanistan and Iraq, and Trump screamed at North Korea, China, Iran, and even his fellow Americans who dared to criticize his politics. Now the GOP is also screaming at abortion laws and "woke" corporations, among other things.

There's a lot of valid criticism of communism and the far left in general, but Maher has somehow failed to make any significantly cogent point amidst his flashy but insubstantial tirade. He's becoming out of touch, and I think his increasingly tone-deaf commentary might be an attempt to cling to relevance in an age when his brand of politics is becoming increasingly unpopular and outdated. Communism and socialism just aren't as effective of boogeymen as they once were now that many Red Scare tropes are dying off and far-right, fascist politicians are again becoming quite vocal and emboldened.

None of that there hyperbole in
the word "scream", huh?

Oh, and some of are aware that
Commies are not just an imaginary
threat, boogeymen.

 

[Debater Slayer]

None of that there hyperbole in
the word "scream", huh?

There is; I just borrowed the phrasing from Maher's argument to illustrate how it could apply elsewhere.

 

[Audie]

There is; I just borrowed the phrasing from Maher's argument to illustrate how it could apply elsewhere.

There is; I just borrowed the phrasing from Maher's argument to illustrate how it could apply elsewhere.

You think it applies in those cases?

 

[Debater Slayer]

You think it applies in those cases?

The ones I mentioned? Yes, if "scream" is taken to mean "trying to brute-force change."

 

[Guitar's Cry]

It could also be shown as an example of out-of-touch, inconsistent politics from a superficially liberal demagogue who demonizes religion but thinks he's more tolerant than those "woke" folks.

I mean yes, but that wouldn't be good teaching. I would prefer the students to learn to think for themselves.

As much as I don't care for Mahar and disagree with his politics, if we are discussing using his stuff in the classroom, it needs to be done with a focus on utilizing it in an unbiased format to increase skills related to critical thinking so they exercise it in the wild.

 

[Debater Slayer]

I mean yes, but that wouldn't be good teaching. I would prefer the students to learn to think for themselves.

As much as I don't care for Mahar and disagree with his politics, if we are discussing using his stuff in the classroom, it needs to be done with a focus on utilizing it in an unbiased format to increase skills related to critical thinking so they exercise it in the wild.

I agree. I was just criticizing his politics by pointing out what I see as the main issues therein.

 

[Guitar's Cry]

I agree. I was just criticizing his politics by pointing out what I see as the main issues therein.

Works for me.

 

[Audie]

The ones I mentioned? Yes, if "scream" is taken to mean "trying to brute-force change."

OK, that's a definition that wouldn't occur to me.

 

[Stevicus]

I have to agree with some of the comments that say this clip should be played in schools.

Bill Maher is kind of hit and miss, both as a comedian and as a political commentator. I doubt they'd play it in schools due to the foul language.

It's not really a new tactic, to compare ideals of social justice in the U.S. to communism.

 

[Heyo]

There's a lot of valid criticism of communism and the far left in general, but Maher has somehow failed to make any significantly cogent point amidst his flashy but insubstantial tirade. He's becoming out of touch, and I think his increasingly tone-deaf commentary might be an attempt to cling to relevance in an age when his brand of politics is becoming increasingly unpopular and outdated.

Maher has always been a hit and a miss by trying to think out of the box. But even when he fails, he is still making people think.

 

[Vee]

Bill Maher is kind of hit and miss, both as a comedian and as a political commentator.

Fair point. I don't have a personal opinion about him and don't know him enough for that but in this case it made sense to me. I've seen some other videos where he said things I disagree with but that's life.

 

[Revoltingest]

I have to agree with some of the comments that say this clip should be played in schools.

Funny...a word I never thought I'd use
to describe Bill. Oh, that video is going
to give some posters the vapors!