# Bill Maher drops the nigger bomb **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 3, 2017, 10:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-drops-the-nigger-bomb/787991 "2017-06-03T10:21:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![aldiboronti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2017, 10:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-drops-the-nigger-bomb/787991/1 "2017-06-03T10:21:44Z")
[Story here.](http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2017/06/03/bill-maher-hbo-host-slammed-for-use-n-word.html) > [@](#): > > Bill Maher, the HBO late-night host of “Real Time,” was criticized widely on social media after an interview with a Nebraska senator that aired Friday night where the host joked that he is a “house [expletive].” > > Maher was having a back-and-forth with Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., and the senator invited the liberal talk-show host to visit his state. > > “We’d love to have you work in the fields with us,” Sasse joked. > > Maher responded, “Work in the fields? Senator, I’m a house [expletive].” > > Some in the audience groaned and a few clapped. Maher appeared to quickly reassure the audience and said, “No, it’s a joke.” > > Sasse did not address the comment and the two moved on to another subject. Sasse faced some criticism on social media for not quickly condemning the host’s comments. > > Deray Mckesson, an activist for Black Lives Matter, took to Twitter, saying, “But really, @BillMaher has got to go. There are no explanations that make this acceptable.” > > The New York Times reported that the word was not cut out during HBO’s rebroadcast at midnight. Good for Bill Maher and good for HBO for not cutting it in the repeat. And a loud raspberry to ball-less Fox for using the bullshit _house [expletive]_ As for Sasse facing criticism for not instantly throwing a hissy-fit I respect the man far more for acting as he did. It’s wankers like this Deray Mckesson that are the real idiots here. Dump Bill Maher? Really? The guy is worth a thousand of you, you dumb dipshit, and does more for the cause you claim to support in a week than you have ever done. Honestly, why does the media pay any attention at all to these morons and their dumb tweets? Long may Maher continue to broadcast and long may he ignore the oh-so-tender sensibilities of some who call themselves liberals but who are in reality more repressive than any fascist. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Parker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/35a633/32.png) [@Richard\_Parker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Parker)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2017, 11:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-drops-the-nigger-bomb/787991/2 "2017-06-03T11:15:12Z")
Cafe Society, eh? Don’t want to expose yourself to criticism on this one? ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2017, 11:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-drops-the-nigger-bomb/787991/3 "2017-06-03T11:30:26Z")
If you’re going to use the “X Bomb” construction, you do not spell out the X-word. That’s the whole idea. The word is so bad, that you just use the first letter. F bomb is correct. Fuck bomb is not. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2017, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-drops-the-nigger-bomb/787991/4 "2017-06-03T11:52:43Z")
Objecting to a white guy appropriating the term “house nigger” equates to being “more repressive than any fascist”? Slight overstatement there, methinks. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2017, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-drops-the-nigger-bomb/787991/5 "2017-06-03T11:58:15Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > If you’re going to use the “X Bomb” construction, you do not spell out the X-word. That’s the whole idea. The word is so bad, that you just use the first letter. > > F bomb is correct. > Fuck bomb is not. But then OP doesn’t get to spell out “nigger” in the thread title. Where’s the fun in that?; He’s _controversial_. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2017, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-drops-the-nigger-bomb/787991/6 "2017-06-03T12:24:20Z")
He may - or may not - get a pass. It depends on his political persuasion. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2017, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-drops-the-nigger-bomb/787991/7 "2017-06-03T12:26:44Z")
It wasn’t even a good joke. The slur served no purpose, for humor or otherwise – “House slave” would have hit the same beat. I like Maher’s show, but he deserves criticism for this, IMO. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Parker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/35a633/32.png) [@Richard\_Parker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Parker)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2017, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-drops-the-nigger-bomb/787991/8 "2017-06-03T12:32:29Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > He may - or may not - get a pass. It depends on his political persuasion. Even conservatives are sometimes getting flack from their audiences for racism these days. ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2017, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-drops-the-nigger-bomb/787991/9 "2017-06-03T12:38:03Z")
> [@aldiboronti](#): > > …Honestly, why does the media pay any attention at all to these morons and their dumb tweets? Don’t we all ask that question, pretty much every day? ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2017, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-drops-the-nigger-bomb/787991/10 "2017-06-03T12:47:17Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > It wasn’t even a good joke. The slur served no purpose, for humor or otherwise – “House slave” would have hit the same beat. I like Maher’s show, but he deserves criticism for this, IMO. Yeah, he’s generally funny, but this was a mis-step. He shouldn’t have said it. I’m not going to boycott him forever because he said that, but I think a little less of him. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2017, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-drops-the-nigger-bomb/787991/11 "2017-06-03T12:50:57Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > It wasn’t even a good joke. The slur served no purpose, for humor or otherwise – “House slave” would have hit the same beat. I like Maher’s show, but he deserves criticism for this, IMO. People would have lost their shit over “house slave,” too. Likely the exact same level of outrage, because many liberals these days have no sense of proportion. It’s telling that he’s been slamming Muslims for years but now he’s gone too far. Whatever, I’ve always hated him. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2017, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-drops-the-nigger-bomb/787991/12 "2017-06-03T12:56:13Z")
> [@Spice\_Weasel](#): > > People would have lost their shit over “house slave,” too. Likely the exact same level of outrage, because many liberals these days have no sense of proportion. It’s telling that he’s been slamming Muslims for years but now he’s gone too far. Whatever, I’ve always hated him. Considering that this liberal disagrees with you, I’m somewhat less than convinced by your characterization of liberals on this. I think “house slave” wouldn’t have made national news or had any significant backlash in any way whatsoever. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2017, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-drops-the-nigger-bomb/787991/13 "2017-06-03T13:00:23Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > Considering that this liberal disagrees with you, I’m somewhat less than convinced by your characterization of liberals on this. I think “house slave” wouldn’t have made national news or had any significant backlash in any way whatsoever. Maybe I’ve just run with the more radical sort. It’s difficult to tell whether my friends are an accurate representation of liberals in my generation. As a liberal, I think what he did was pretty fucking shitty, but I know about twenty people who would be calling for his job either way. ---
**Author:** ![mind\_the\_gap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ea666f/32.png) [@mind\_the\_gap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mind_the_gap)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2017, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-drops-the-nigger-bomb/787991/14 "2017-06-03T13:19:43Z")
There’s lots of responses Mahr could have made, but he’s CONTROVERSIAL and cynical. He might have said “sure, sounds interesting, we could do a show” but that would not have been him. Jimmy Fallon maybe, but not Mahr. Mahr, Kathy Griffin and others have made controversy a centerpiece of their comedy and it works well for them for the most part. It’s just now more than ever, people are itching for a fight and when a controversial comedian makes an especially controversial statement, those whose ox has been metaphorically gored go apeshit. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2017, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-drops-the-nigger-bomb/787991/15 "2017-06-03T13:24:37Z")
I hope people consider Maher’s history before they break out the pitchforks and torches. Yes, it was a dumb, insensitive joke, but Bill has been an advocate for the black community for decades. ---
**Author:** ![Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/channing_idaho_banks/32/250_2.png) [@Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Channing_Idaho_Banks)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2017, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-drops-the-nigger-bomb/787991/16 "2017-06-03T13:28:35Z")
Maybe it would have been funnier if he had said this to a senator from a southern state. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2017, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-drops-the-nigger-bomb/787991/17 "2017-06-03T13:46:32Z")
I thought it was funny. Not the funniest thing said by a comic evah!, funny. Just funny in the way that gallows humour can be funny. Perhaps I’m due for my sensitivity training refresh. \ ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2017, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-drops-the-nigger-bomb/787991/18 "2017-06-03T13:51:25Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > It wasn’t even a good joke. The slur served no purpose, for humor or otherwise – “House slave” would have hit the same beat. I like Maher’s show, but he deserves criticism for this, IMO. This sums it up for me. Gratuitous and not funny. A dick move that poked the racist Hornets’ nest. Why spend time marveling at the over the top sloshing in reaction - he threw the turd in the punch bowl. A kerfuffle that reminds us what Maher is really after. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2017, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-drops-the-nigger-bomb/787991/19 "2017-06-03T13:53:44Z")
> [@aldiboronti](#): > > Long may Maher continue to broadcast and long may he ignore the oh-so-tender sensibilities of some who call themselves liberals but who are in reality more repressive than any fascist. Hyperbole much? I agree you should be allowed to say whatever you want. I also agree that you shouldn’t be surprised if people think you’re an asshole if you try to be oh-so-controversial by using words like “nigger.” Personally, I’m not a fan of Maher, and this doesn’t really bother me all that much, but the reaction to him is perfectly fine to me. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2017, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-drops-the-nigger-bomb/787991/20 "2017-06-03T14:11:40Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > It wasn’t even a good joke. The slur served no purpose, for humor or otherwise – “House slave” would have hit the same beat. I like Maher’s show, but he deserves criticism for this, IMO. I was thinking the same; Maher could have said “house Negro” to the same humourous effect without the baggage. The incident reminds me of a scene from _WKRP in Cincinnati_ involving Mother Carlson, Johnny Fever and Venus Flytrap. The title of this thread is messed up, as has been pointed out. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-drops-the-nigger-bomb/787991.md?page=2)