# 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:** 13
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2017, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-drops-the-nigger-bomb/787991/241 "2017-06-09T21:04:37Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > Bottom line: white liberals don’t get to decide what’s offensive to blacks and Asians. When a Colbert or a Mayer crosses the line, he doesn’t get to claim “It’s okay because I’m on the side of the angels, so pipe down you oversensitive minorities who aren’t smart enough to grasp my sophisticated humor.” So…white conservatives get to? ---
**Author:** ![Miles\_Standoffish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/54ee81/32.png) [@Miles\_Standoffish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miles_Standoffish)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2017, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-drops-the-nigger-bomb/787991/242 "2017-06-10T12:35:31Z")
> [@Dale\_Sams](#): > > Are we going to start criticizing Chappelle for his ‘white people voice’? > > How about we just let it go and let the communities themselves speak out? Not that I’m saying they haven’t… > > And no, I don’t think it’s a false equiv because the quoted bar is set at ‘racist tropes for laughs’ I do see your point, but it’s a bit of a false equiv because of the power differential in society. I.e. because Whites enjoy a privileged place in American culture, it’s not offensive to make fun of their culture or speech. ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2017, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-drops-the-nigger-bomb/787991/243 "2017-06-10T16:44:31Z")
> [@Spice\_Weasel](#): > > By the same token, should white liberals really be deciding when something _is_ offensive to blacks and minorities? > > I’m having a bit of a logical hang-up here. But what makes you think it’s only white liberals saying this sketch crossed the line, and no actual asians that were offended? FWIW I’m not white. So am I allowed to say I thought it was in bad taste? ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2017, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-drops-the-nigger-bomb/787991/244 "2017-06-10T17:12:17Z")
> [@Miles\_Standoffish](#): > > I do see your point, but it’s a bit of a false equiv because of the power differential in society. I.e. because Whites enjoy a privileged place in American culture, it’s not offensive to make fun of their culture or speech. I think its the power diff that MAKES it funny. Comedy is…something something contrasting expectations something something. So Blazing Saddles is funny because its impossible. Eddie Murphy is funny because he’s placing the people with the social power in a supernatural situation (Amityville) and having them be stupid. “Gosh the walls are bleeding, that’s damn peculiar.” and the people with less power be smarter. “GET OUT.” “Too bad i can’t stay.” So basically I’m saying it’s not offensive because its funny. Is Spaceballs: “Comb the desert!!..we aint found shit!!” offensive? My 2017 self says “Mayyyyyybe??” But its also funny. And for what its worth, which is probably nothing, I think if you took a poll of liberals, you’d find that white liberals find it more offensive than black ones. ---
**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 10, 2017, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-drops-the-nigger-bomb/787991/245 "2017-06-10T17:36:34Z")
> [@Mijin](#): > > But what makes you think it’s only white liberals saying this sketch crossed the line, and no actual asians that were offended? > FWIW I’m not white. So am I allowed to say I thought it was in bad taste? You’re allowed to say whatever you want. I was responding to this specific statement by \*\*astorian: \*\* > [@](#): > > Bottom line: white liberals don’t get to decide what’s offensive to blacks and Asians. I just think it’s weird how some white people seem to intuitively know what another oppressed minority is going to find offensive. It’s all totally subjective. Whose opinion do we go by? The most offended? The least offended? If you aren’t white, and some other person who isn’t white disagrees with you, which one of you is '‘right’? From my view, it’s a logical conundrum, one I’ve run into myself as a woman (or rather, seen other liberals run into.) When two women have roughly the same experience of gender oppression and have two different opinions about what should be done about it, who is right? If one woman finds a poor-taste joke offensive and the other doesn’t, who has the more accurate perception? How do we decide what’s offensive? As I said re: Maher, I’m not personally offended but I can see how a reasonable person would be offended. And then someone else (also white) explained why nobody should be offended. So two white people had a conversation about whether or not black people should be offended, which seems kind of lame to me. I mean, it was an interesting conversation, but I don’t know the first thing about being black, so it’s really kind of a masturbatory exercise, isn’t it? And it smacks of a kind of paternalism, as white people have a really long history of deciding what conditions are acceptable for people of color. But say the same debate went down between two black people. Who’s right? I’m not commenting on the Colbert thing, just the phenomenon from a more broad perspective. ---
**Author:** ![KAndre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@KAndre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KAndre)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2017, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-drops-the-nigger-bomb/787991/246 "2017-06-10T18:55:47Z")
Oddly enough, I actually agree with Ice Cube’s explanation: > [@](#): > > I still think you need to get to the root of the psyche because I think there’s a lot of guys out there who cross the line because they’re a little too familiar, or they think they’re too familiar. Or, guys that, you know, might have a black girlfriend or two that made them Kool-Aid every now and then, and then they think they can cross the line. And they can’t. You know, it’s a word that has been used against us. It’s like a knife, man. You can use it as a weapon or you can use it as a tool. It’s when you use it as a weapon against us, by white people, and we’re not going to let that happened again … because it’s not cool … That’s our word, and you can’t have it back. > > … It’s not cool because when I hear my homie say it, it don’t feel like venom. When I hear a white person say it, it feel like that knife stabbing you, even if they don’t mean to. It is very situational. Very. I don’t use the term because I find it vulgar and crass and disgusting (especially when it was aimed at me). I have had friends and relatives use it to emphasize a point and that works for me, and yes, they get to say it because they’re black. As far as I know, my uncle Walter (a Belgium native, and about as white anyone gets, and has been a member of my black family by marriage since 1971) has never used the term while with my family and wouldn’t try; but if he did, he would be shut down immediately, and I would think less of him. And I love my uncle Walter. Random white guys using it, no. Just no. ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2017, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-drops-the-nigger-bomb/787991/247 "2017-06-10T19:04:27Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > A Republican talk show host would not have made a joke about the about the racist history of southern states. I don’t defend Maher’s use of the word, but I think Maher deserves to be forgiven. He’s not coming up with the same old lame-assed tripe of: “Well Black people say it all the time, so why can’t I say it?!” A person’s history comes into play here. I think it’s been demonstrated that Maher is at least conscious of racism and its impact on people. Moreover, he how he responded matters. Maher has accepted unequivocally that what he did was highly inappropriate and offensive, and he also invited African Americans on his show to confront him about it. He didn’t give some sorry-ass Twitter apology. He didn’t duck the outrage. That doesn’t mean the controversy is over and that people are ready to move on, but people can be forgiven. And as I’ve commented before on other threads, I think this is exactly how the response to an occasionally offensive comment ought to play out. I don’t think people should have their careers destroyed over a mistake, and I disagree with firing someone or terminating them every time they say something that offends. But at the same time, you don’t just let it go either. Sure, there needs to be a willingness to forgive a mistake, and it can be a teachable moment. But hiding in cyberspace isn’t a teachable moment – nobody learns anything from their mistakes that way. There needs to be personal, face-to-face accountability. I think Maher fucked up, but I think he has atoned for it. Time will tell if he can avoid repeating it. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2017, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-drops-the-nigger-bomb/787991/248 "2017-06-10T20:09:08Z")
> [@KAndre](#): > > Oddly enough, I actually agree with Ice Cube’s explanation: I’ve defended Bill Maher, and I still defend him, but when someone like Ice Cube proffers a thoughtful explanation for why this was hurtful, it’s not something I feel I can argue with. So I think where we’re left with is this: Maher threw out the phrase in an improvised moment on a live TV show, clearly meaning no harm (we know this from his background of being the furthest thing from a racist, strongly defending black voting rights vs. the “voter ID” crap, etc.), and if there is a broad consensus that it was wrong, so be it; he apologized, and taking all the facts into account, that should be the end of it. I’m genuinely mystified as to why this silly thing continues to have traction and the whining goes on and on. What the hell do they want? The demand that Maher be fired from his Emmy award winning show now in its 15th season is beyond absurd – the equivalent of calling for the death penalty for someone using a bad word. There really is such a thing as balance and perspective, and apparently some folks don’t have it. ---
**Author:** ![caligulathegod](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/caligulathegod/32/9685_2.png) [@caligulathegod](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/caligulathegod)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2017, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-drops-the-nigger-bomb/787991/249 "2017-06-10T21:40:35Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > Here’s a snippet of the 2005 Asian character: > > I'll look for more. Again, this isn't the end of the world -- I just think it's a bit ugly, similar to doing a stereotypically black jive talking and watermelon loving character, and worth criticizing. Here’s the whole bit. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBPgXjkfBXM](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBPgXjkfBXM) ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2017, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-drops-the-nigger-bomb/787991/250 "2017-06-11T02:14:19Z")
Just watched last night show, which seems like it was 50% dedicated to his apology. Lordy, I hope we’re now past it. (Credit to Comey for that word.) It was an impromptu mistake, he meant no harm, and he apologized. ---
**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 11, 2017, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-drops-the-nigger-bomb/787991/251 "2017-06-11T03:57:42Z")
I think I actually respect him more than I did when this thread started. ---
**Author:** ![Reluctant\_A](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/839c29/32.png) [@Reluctant\_A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reluctant_A)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2017, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-drops-the-nigger-bomb/787991/252 "2017-06-11T05:16:15Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > … Maher threw out the phrase in an improvised moment on a live TV show, clearly meaning no harm (we know this from his background of being the furthest thing from a racist, strongly defending black voting rights vs. the “voter ID” crap, etc.)… “We” know this? You have a mouse in your pocket? Is Professor X sitting next to you? Who is we? ---
**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 11, 2017, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-drops-the-nigger-bomb/787991/253 "2017-06-11T05:29:43Z")
> [@Reluctant\_A](#): > > “We” know this? You have a mouse in your pocket? Is Professor X sitting next to you? Who is we? Uh, you can count me in on that “we”. Along with the black guests Maher had on his show last night. ---
**Author:** ![Reluctant\_A](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/839c29/32.png) [@Reluctant\_A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reluctant_A)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2017, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-drops-the-nigger-bomb/787991/254 "2017-06-11T05:58:44Z")
> [@Grrr](#): > > Uh, you can count me in on that “we”. Along with the black guests Maher had on his show last night. Let me put it this way: I don’t know that Bill Maher is racist, but I don’t know that Bill Maher _isn’t_ racist, either. What I _do_ know, and I’ll go to the bank with this, is that Bill Maher isn’t the “furthest thing” from a racist. I don’t know how anybody can listen to any of his Islamophobic rants and say confidently to themselves, “There ain’t no way in hell _that_ dude is racist!” Like, he might hate all religions, but he doesn’t go in on all religions with the same fervor that he goes in on Islam. That’s coming from someplace other than your run-of-the-mill, garden variety disdain for religion. There’s something else at the root of that kind of mad, and all I’m saying is, I wouldn’t bet _my_ life that it ain’t racism. ---
**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 11, 2017, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-drops-the-nigger-bomb/787991/255 "2017-06-11T06:16:30Z")
> [@Reluctant\_A](#): > > Let me put it this way: I don’t know that Bill Maher is racist, but I don’t know that Bill Maher _isn’t_ racist, either. What I _do_ know, and I’ll go to the bank with this, is that Bill Maher isn’t the “furthest thing” from a racist. I don’t know how anybody can listen to any of his Islamophobic rants and say confidently to themselves, “There ain’t no way in hell _that_ dude is racist!” Like, he might hate all religions, but he doesn’t go in on all religions with the same fervor that he goes in on Islam. That’s coming from someplace other than your run-of-the-mill, garden variety disdain for religion. There’s something else at the root of that kind of mad, and all I’m saying is, I wouldn’t bet _my_ life that it ain’t racism. Religion isn’t a race, it’s a choice. I’m not found of his Islamophobic bull shit either. But I’m not going to conflate racism with religious bigotry. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2017, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-drops-the-nigger-bomb/787991/256 "2017-06-11T06:19:48Z")
> [@Grrr](#): > > Religion isn’t a race, it’s a choice. I’m not found of his Islamophobic bull shit either. But I’m not going to conflate racism with religious bigotry. Nearly all anti-Muslim bigotry is actually anti-Arab bigotry in disguise. They don’t worry about the white skinned American looking Muslims. And the specific coverings are all cultural, not religious. There’s a reason the opposite is usually the “West.” ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2017, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-drops-the-nigger-bomb/787991/257 "2017-06-11T06:23:29Z")
> [@Reluctant\_A](#): > > Like, he might hate all religions, but he doesn’t go in on all religions with the same fervor that he goes in on Islam. Amen, brother! It’s not like Bill Maher ever made a movie that slams Christianity or Judaism, amirite? [:dubious:](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0815241/) ---
**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 11, 2017, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-drops-the-nigger-bomb/787991/258 "2017-06-11T06:28:36Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > Nearly all anti-Muslim bigotry is actually anti-Arab bigotry in disguise. They don’t worry about the white skinned American looking Muslims. And the specific coverings are all cultural, not religious. > > There’s a reason the opposite is usually the “West.” I suspect this is probably true in most cases. But in this instance, we are specifically talking about Bill Maher. Given his history, I have no reason to believe his Islamophobia has anything to do with race. ---
**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 11, 2017, 10:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-drops-the-nigger-bomb/787991/259 "2017-06-11T10:54:07Z")
I see no reason to believe Maher bears any negative feelings towards black people, but I do remember some of the kind of jokes that Ice Cube mentioned (he said this isn’t the first time Maher skirted the line of racism) - for example, I recall Maher wishing that Obama would “go gangsta” or “be blacker” when dealing with his Republican critics. Even if he doesn’t mean any harm by it, those are jokes that reiterate a stereotype (black people as dangerous or threatening) that has done a lot of harm. Not the end of the world, and I still like his show, but Friday’s show brought back to me some of those jokes I found problematic. ---
**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 11, 2017, 11:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-drops-the-nigger-bomb/787991/260 "2017-06-11T11:07:52Z")
I found Ice Cube’s words slightly depressing. My take away is that, no matter how hard we strive for unity, there’s always going to be that line that divides us. Or maybe I’m being naive. Maybe people don’t give a fuck about “unity”, and it’s all about equality. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-drops-the-nigger-bomb/787991.md?page=12) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-drops-the-nigger-bomb/787991.md?page=14)