Bill Maher is right

[zsdersw]

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/22/opinion/please-stop-apologizing.html?_r=2

THIS week, Robert De Niro made a joke about first ladies, and Newt Gingrich said it was “inexcusable and the president should apologize for him.” Of course, if something is “inexcusable,” an apology doesn’t make any difference, but then again, neither does Newt Gingrich.

Mr. De Niro was speaking at a fund-raiser with the first lady, Michelle Obama. Here’s the joke: “Callista Gingrich. Karen Santorum. Ann Romney. Now do you really think our country is ready for a white first lady?”

The first lady’s press secretary declared the joke “inappropriate,” and Mr. De Niro said his remarks were “not meant to offend.” So, as these things go, even if the terrible damage can never be undone, at least the healing can begin. And we can move on to the next time we choose sides and pretend to be outraged about nothing.

When did we get it in our heads that we have the right to never hear anything we don’t like? In the last year, we’ve been shocked and appalled by the unbelievable insensitivity of Nike shoes, the Fighting Sioux, Hank Williams Jr., Cee Lo Green, Ashton Kutcher, Tracy Morgan, Don Imus, Kirk Cameron, Gilbert Gottfried, the Super Bowl halftime show and the ESPN guys who used the wrong cliché for Jeremy Lin after everyone else used all the others. Who can keep up?

This week, President Obama’s chief political strategist, David Axelrod, described Mitt Romney’s constant advertising barrage in Illinois as a “Mittzkrieg,” and instantly the Republican Jewish Coalition was outraged and called out Mr. Axelrod’s “Holocaust and Nazi imagery” as “disturbing.” Because the message of “Mittzkrieg” was clear: Kill all the Jews. Then the coalition demanded not only that Mr. Axelrod apologize immediately but also that Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz “publicly rebuke” him. For a pun! For punning against humanity!

The right side of America is mad at President Obama because he hugged the late Derrick Bell, a law professor who believed we live in a racist country, 22 years ago; the left side of America is mad at Rush Limbaugh for seemingly proving him right.

If it weren’t for throwing conniption fits, we wouldn’t get any exercise at all.

I have a better idea. Let’s have an amnesty — from the left and the right — on every made-up, fake, totally insincere, playacted hurt, insult, slight and affront. Let’s make this Sunday the National Day of No Outrage. One day a year when you will not find some tiny thing someone did or said and pretend you can barely continue functioning until they apologize.

If that doesn’t work, what about this: If you see or hear something you don’t like in the media, just go on with your life. Turn the page or flip the dial or pick up your roll of quarters and leave the booth.

The answer to whenever another human being annoys you is not “make them go away forever.” We need to learn to coexist, and it’s actually pretty easy to do. For example, I find Rush Limbaugh obnoxious, but I’ve been able to coexist comfortably with him for 20 years by using this simple method: I never listen to his program. The only time I hear him is when I’m at a stoplight next to a pickup truck.

When the lady at Costco gives you a free sample of its new ham pudding and you don’t like it, you spit it into a napkin and keep shopping. You don’t declare a holy war on ham.

I don’t want to live in a country where no one ever says anything that offends anyone. That’s why we have Canada. That’s not us. If we sand down our rough edges and drain all the color, emotion and spontaneity out of our discourse, we’ll end up with political candidates who never say anything but the safest, blandest, emptiest, most unctuous focus-grouped platitudes and cant. In other words, we’ll get Mitt Romney.

Absolutely right.

 

[nobodyknows]

LOL, Bill's funny as hell because he always has snippets of truth in his material.

 

[PokerGuy]

He's partially right. He's right about the problem, but it's not the "right" that drives the political correctness culture, that's the left.

 

[shadow9d9]

He's partially right. He's right about the problem, but it's not the "right" that drives the political correctness culture, that's the left.

Conservatives feign outrage almost every day related to Obama...

 

[fskimospy]

I'm a bit torn. While of course we should be totally free to condemn people saying and doing horrible things, the pearl clutching does seem to be pretty extreme.

I mean in the Limbaugh case a long known racist and sexist said something sexist. How is the fact that Rush Limbaugh is still a ridiculous, fat, bigoted clown deserving of this much attention?

 

[Ldir]

He's partially right. He's right about the problem, but it's not the "right" that drives the political correctness culture, that's the left.

I am confused. Is there a law that Republicans must fail at reading, or is it that illiterates must become Republicans? Bill Maher did not say the right causes political correctness. He said both sides do.

 

[PokerGuy]

I am confused.

Certainly correct.

Bill Maher did not say the right causes political correctness. He said both sides do.

Exactly, and I said he's wrong about that. Political correctness is mainly a cause driven by the left.

 

[PokerGuy]

Conservatives feign outrage almost every day related to Obama...

As everyone on the left feigned outrage at everything related to GWB, Haliburton, Cheney, Koch brothers and so forth. That's just political ideological outrage. Political correctness and the idea that people have a right not to hear things they don't like comes from the left.

 

[Ldir]

As everyone on the left feigned outrage at everything related to GWB, Haliburton, Cheney, Koch brothers and so forth. That's just political ideological outrage. Political correctness and the idea that people have a right not to hear things they don't like comes from the left.

Certainly correct.


Exactly, and I said he's wrong about that. Political correctness is mainly a cause driven by the left.

I get it now. You are a GOP shill, not an illiterate. Thanks for clearing that up.

 

[manimal]

Opportunistic outrage is a skill most politicians develop for free airtime.



What mahar is describing isnt a product of the political correctness culture.

 

[Dulanic]

As everyone on the left feigned outrage at everything related to GWB, Haliburton, Cheney, Koch brothers and so forth. That's just political ideological outrage. Political correctness and the idea that people have a right not to hear things they don't like comes from the left.

And the right gets outraged that a woman can take a pill... take your pick. Both sides do it.

 

[PokerGuy]

I get it now. You are a GOP shill, not an illiterate. Thanks for clearing that up.

... sorry, you still don't "get it". I'm not a member of the GOP, nor am I a shill. Nice try though.

 

[zsdersw]

As everyone on the left feigned outrage at everything related to GWB, Haliburton, Cheney, Koch brothers and so forth. That's just political ideological outrage. Political correctness and the idea that people have a right not to hear things they don't like comes from the left.

It is, as manimal said, opportunistic outrage that Maher is talking about.. not political correctness.

 

[Ninjahedge]

As everyone on the left feigned outrage at everything related to GWB, Haliburton, Cheney, Koch brothers and so forth. That's just political ideological outrage. Political correctness and the idea that people have a right not to hear things they don't like comes from the left.

Cheney was a scary manipulative megalomaniac.

He did not say much to outrage anybody, but what he did and how he did it was downright scary. He knew how to work the system as he had for 30 years prior and was a fearsome individual that actually got someone HE SHOT IN THE FACE to apologize for him for doing so.

So, even bringing him up is off topic.

There is a balance. You can make a crack like DiNiro and have it just roll off the shoulders. You can say "MitzKreig" because that is a German word for an all out attack, NOT an attack on Jews. What, I can't say "Gesundheit" now because someone will have WWII flashbacks? Even when a good portion of Yiddish has Germanic roots?

Schmucks, every one of them.

But the balance goes the other way, you do not call weight loss clubs "Death camps" and bring up Hitler over policies at Shop Rite. You do not call women stupid and use it as a validation for not granting a right or privilege to them that is granted to the Male population.


We all know the line, but we are listening to the few that think the line is where they put it.

 

[PokerGuy]

And the right gets outraged that a woman can take a pill... take your pick. Both sides do it.

You're mixing up two different things. What you're referring to is a political ideological or moral view and resulting "outrage". Political correctness and people feeling they have some sort of right not to hear or be exposed to things they find offensive is something else, and it's mainly driven by the left.

 

[Moonbeam]

I get it now. You are a GOP shill, not an illiterate. Thanks for clearing that up.

I thought the recommendation going here was not allow your nuts to be twisted of by the imbecilic comments of every moron that comes along. You don't have a right not to be offended by what people say. Your comment was inexcusable and you should apologize.

 

[zsdersw]

You're mixing up two different things. What you're referring to is a political ideological or moral view and resulting "outrage". Political correctness and people feeling they have some sort of right not to hear or be exposed to things they find offensive is something else, and it's mainly driven by the left.

Political correctness isn't what Maher is referring to.

But, as far as political correctness goes... the Right drives it plenty with things like "keep Christ in Christmas", "don't say gay" (Tennessee), "god" in the pledge of allegiance, boycotts of things like Starbucks (National Organization for Marriage), JC Penney (because Ellen does commercials for them), etc. In all of those examples they feel they shouldn't have to see or hear something because it's offensive to them.

 

[PokerGuy]

It is, as manimal said, opportunistic outrage that Maher is talking about.. not political correctness.

Seems to me like he's talking about both. When it comes to opportunistic outrage, both sides do it (just on different issues). When it comes to political correctness, it's no contest, it's driven by the left.

 

[Jaskalas]

I don’t want to live in a country where no one ever says anything that offends anyone. That’s why we have Canada. That’s not us. If we sand down our rough edges and drain all the color, emotion and spontaneity out of our discourse, we’ll end up with political candidates who never say anything but the safest, blandest, emptiest, most unctuous focus-grouped platitudes and cant. In other words, we’ll get Mitt Romney.

So the Left is going to stand up for Rush Limbaugh and accept his apology for 'slut', or is the crusade still on? Perhaps Bill Maher could preach this message to the base.

 

[Moonbeam]

You're mixing up two different things. What you're referring to is a political ideological or moral view and resulting "outrage". Political correctness and people feeling they have some sort of right not to hear or be exposed to things they find offensive is something else, and it's mainly driven by the left.

Hahahahahahahahahahaha

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

HahaHAHAHAHAHAHA

There can be no doubt at all that politically, you are absolutely sure you are correct and have come back a number of times now to make sure that all of us eat it.

 

[Jaskalas]

And the right gets outraged that a woman can take a pill... take your pick. Both sides do it.

My first pick is to have you stop blatantly lying.

 

[zsdersw]

Seems to me like he's talking about both. When it comes to opportunistic outrage, both sides do it (just on different issues). When it comes to political correctness, it's no contest, it's driven by the left.

Since he's talking about politicians and public figures, I'd say he's talking more about opportunistic outrage by and toward those in the public eye than he is talking about what everyday people say/hear/see.

 

[zsdersw]

So the Left is going to stand up for Rush Limbaugh and accept his apology for 'slut', or is the crusade still on? Perhaps Bill Maher could preach this message to the base.

It is an op-ed in the New York Times... if that doesn't reach his base, I'm not sure what will. He also expressed similar sentiments in a recent episode of his show.

 

[Jaskalas]

It is an op-ed in the New York Times... if that doesn't reach his base, I'm not sure what will. He also expressed similar sentiments in a recent episode of his show.

At face value this is about protecting Robert De Niro from faux outrage. I'm not giving them the benefit of the doubt to realize it would speak for their arch-nemesis as well.

 

[zsdersw]

At face value this is about protecting Robert De Niro from faux outrage. I'm not giving them the benefit of the doubt to realize it would speak for their arch-nemesis as well.

On his show he didn't mention Robert De Niro or most of the others he lists in the op-ed. His show is also, overwhelmingly, watched by those on the Left.