# 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:** 4
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2017, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-drops-the-nigger-bomb/787991/61 "2017-06-03T18:27:17Z")
> [@aldiboronti](#): > > If ever it was appropriate to use the word on this board it was for this thread and this title. Sure, I could have written _house n-word_ but its such a ham-fisted and ludicrous construction that I would have found it impossible to write it with a straight face. And simply using _n-word_ was just as inappropriate. _Bill Maher drops the n-word bomb_. See the problem with that? It’s possible of course for me to have found another way to convey the information. But life is too damn short for such needless foolery. And JFTR no, I don’t pepper my posts with needless n-words (there, see, the euphemism is totally appropriate in this sentence). Oh and this is in CS because it’s appropriate for CS. > > I’m a conservative, that’s true, but an English one and believe me I’ve recently learned the difference between that and the US version. I like Bill Maher and though I disagree with him on many things I respect his integrity, honesty and frankness. I wish there were more liberals like him, which is something of a paradox because if there were I think the liberals would be winning elections rather than losing them. > > I see that [Sasse has quickly kowtowed to the twitterati.](http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-et-entertainment-news-updates-june-bill-maher-s-use-of-racial-slur-on-hbo-1496502551-htmlstory.html) > > The respect I expressed for him has now withered on the vine. I don’t mean to be disrespectful but almost all of these things would sound ludicrously constructed and difficult to say with a straight face, if said with an English accent. See the problem with that? ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2017, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-drops-the-nigger-bomb/787991/62 "2017-06-03T18:32:40Z")
> [@Spice\_Weasel](#): > > Is there anyone here looking to sanction Maher? I think ‘‘wow, what an asshole’’ is an appropriate punishment for this and similar offenses. If his people want to fire him, that’s their own business. Why is he an asshole for making this joke? I apologize if you’ve already detailed this but I would like to know what it is specifically that makes Maher worthy of the title of asshole for making this joke? It the totality of the offense just the use of the word nigger, regardless of context? Or does your predetermined opinion of him color your view of his joke? ---
**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, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-drops-the-nigger-bomb/787991/63 "2017-06-03T18:33:31Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > Richard Pryor used the word ‘honky’ without restraint. > > I’m sure all of you looking to sanction Maher felt the same outrage about Pryor’s word choices back in the day. > > Right? > mmm Did thousands of white people hear “honky” as the last thing anyone said to them before a state-sanctioned mob tortured and hung them in the public square? No? Then maybe the context and impact of the words is teeensy bit different. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2017, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-drops-the-nigger-bomb/787991/64 "2017-06-03T18:36:20Z")
> [@Richard\_Parker](#): > > a state-sanctioned mob tortured and hung them in the public square? What are you referring to here? ---
**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 3, 2017, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-drops-the-nigger-bomb/787991/65 "2017-06-03T18:36:26Z")
> [@Grrr](#): > > Yes, it was a dumb, insensitive joke, but Bill has been an advocate for the black community for decades. Uh, you got any receipts on that? I mean, I stipulate that my Google-fu is weak, but when I do an internet search on “Bill Maher activism”, “Bill Maher advocacy”, “Bill Maher black activism” or “Bill Maher black advocacy”, the closest that I can find to any such thing is: [ol] [li]Bill Maher campaigned for (and probably voted for) Barack Obama.[/li][li]Bill Maher does not deny that anti-black racism exists.[/li][li]Bill Maher has sex with black women.[/li][/ol] YMMV, but I don’t consider any of those things, or even the combination of those things to be examples of advocay for black people. I’m not even sure how low your bar has to be for anyone _ **to** _ consider those to be good examples of advocacy. I _did_ find examples of Maher _criticizing_ black activists for prioritizing black issues over straight-ticket party unity to defeat Trump, but I don’t think that I’d classify that as advocacy. Could you kindly direct me to something that I may be overlooking? ---
**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, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-drops-the-nigger-bomb/787991/66 "2017-06-03T18:40:19Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > What are you referring to here? This pretty much sums up this thread. ---
**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, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-drops-the-nigger-bomb/787991/67 "2017-06-03T18:40:48Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > Ok, maybe not you personally but a lot of the critics in this situation are calling for Maher to be fired. Disagreeing/taking issue with the content of a show is one thing. I am not commenting on whether or not it was a poor decision on his part or if it reflects on him as a comedian or person. I just don’t follow the outrage at all. I do not understand the offensiveness of this joke. I don’t feel visceral outrage at this particular joke. At least in part because I don’t expect much out of him. But I can see how a reasonable person would be offended by this. Being offended by this requires accepting the following premise, which I do: We live in a country in which systemic discrimination against black people is still a thing. This is a reality which has its roots in systemic oppression stretching back centuries. Many people would like to pretend that slavery is not relevant to present-day problems, but differing feelings about black people and whether their concerns are worth paying any attention to have shaped public policy from then until the present day. I accept this premise as true because I have studied the history of social policy, as it relates to racism, in some detail. In many ways, we are still living the legacy of slavery. If you accept that premise, it’s a pretty short jump to being offended at a white guy calling himself a ‘‘house nigger.’’ Because he is white, and he doesn’t suffer at all from the reality of slavery, whereas black people still do. He’s mocking a reality that people still have very emotional and practical ties to. I hope that helps clear up where these people are likely coming from. I don’t actually know because I am not one of them. I mean, I agree with the premise but I’m not the one suffering. [QUOTE=Ambivalid] What are you referring to here? [/QUOTE] He’s referring to the lynching of black people throughout American history. See, the context of the word ‘‘nigger’’ is nothing at all like the context of the word ‘‘honky.’’ Not even close. ---
**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 3, 2017, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-drops-the-nigger-bomb/787991/68 "2017-06-03T18:51:16Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > Why was it not okay? I mean, I agree it wasn’t okay, but I want to hear your reasoning. It’s not really that different than why it’s wrong for you or me. Black people have told us it is offensive, and connected to a racist history. The word carries no legitimate meaning. It just means “you black people are inferior.” However, we can (in some contexts) mention the word, which is different from using it. For a comedian, that may take the form of using it in a joke to condemn those who would think the word is acceptable. Neither Maher nor Richards did this, however. Sure, we can add that Richards’ use was unplanned, while Maher’s probably was planned. But I’d argue that both can mean bad things–the former because it means it’s a word you use, the latter because you had time to think about it. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2017, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-drops-the-nigger-bomb/787991/69 "2017-06-03T18:51:54Z")
> [@Richard\_Parker](#): > > This pretty much sums up this thread. Obviously I’m familiar with the grotesque history of the treatment of black people in America. I asked what you were referring to in order to know if you were referring to a specific situation or speaking more in general terms. I see now that it’s the latter. ---
**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, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-drops-the-nigger-bomb/787991/70 "2017-06-03T18:57:33Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > Obviously I’m familiar with the grotesque history of the treatment of black people in America. I asked what you were referring to in order to know if you were referring to a specific situation or speaking more in general terms. I see now that it’s the latter. It’s not obvious at all. A lot of Americans think white terrorism against black people ended in 1863 and the rest was the inconvenience of separate water fountains. Hence the “too soon” jokes about slavery, as obvious a ststement of historical ignorance as you’re likely to find in the wild. America has never reckoned with this history. There is no remembrance museum. And so many forget. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2017, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-drops-the-nigger-bomb/787991/71 "2017-06-03T19:03:03Z")
> [@Richard\_Parker](#): > > It’s not obvious at all. A lot of Americans think white terrorism against black people ended in 1863 and the rest was the inconvenience of separate water fountains. Hence the “too soon” jokes about slavery, as obvious a ststement of historical ignorance as you’re likely to find in the wild. > > America has never reckoned with this history. There is no remembrance museum. And so many forget. I would hope my sum total of posts here at the Dope would make it, if not obvious, then at least not surprising. ---
**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, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-drops-the-nigger-bomb/787991/72 "2017-06-03T19:12:04Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > I would hope my sum total of posts here at the Dope would make it, if not obvious, then at least not surprising. I didn’t mean you in particular. I took your “obviously” to mean “of course everyone knows this.” ---
**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 3, 2017, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-drops-the-nigger-bomb/787991/73 "2017-06-03T19:26:23Z")
[Bill Maher has apologized: > [@](#): > > Friday nights are always my worst night of sleep because I’m up reflecting on the things I should or shouldn’t have said on my live show. Last night was a particularly long night as I regret the word I used in the banter of a live moment. The word was offensive and I regret saying it and am very sorry. ]([https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/03/arts/television/bill-maher-n-word.html?\_r=0](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/03/arts/television/bill-maher-n-word.html?_r=0)) ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2017, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-drops-the-nigger-bomb/787991/74 "2017-06-03T19:27:08Z")
> [@Richard\_Parker](#): > > I didn’t mean you in particular. I took your “obviously” to mean “of course everyone knows this.” Oh I see. Yeah I could have been clearer. ---
**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 3, 2017, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-drops-the-nigger-bomb/787991/75 "2017-06-03T19:36:01Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > [This](http://www.tmz.com/2006/11/20/kramers-racist-tirade-caught-on-tape/) is what put Richards in the headlines. Read it. He went on an extended out-of-control racist tirade against a black man who had heckled him. Maher, who has long stood up for black people, made an innocent joke as cited in the OP. But according to you, Maher is “worse than Richards”! Yeah, that’s how ridiculous this stupid thing has become. There was nothing innocent about Maher’s joke. He used a word to deliberately cause offense to black people so that he would get in the news, without regard to the people involved. He enjoys offending people, and this time chose to try to offend black people. And, yes, apologizing and meaning it (as shown by not doing it again) makes things a whole lot better than if you don’t. That was the specific point I made. He could surprise me and apologize (and mean it), and then it wouldn’t be as bad. People need to get out of this idea that how racist you are has anything to do with whether slurs are offensive. The little kid who says “nigger” still gets told to stop, even if they don’t know what it means. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2017, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-drops-the-nigger-bomb/787991/76 "2017-06-03T19:42:34Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > “Makes light of slavery”? What, is it “too soon?” 😉 It’s specifically _because_ our country is super sensitive about racial matters that Bill said what he said. He’s a shock comedian. And he was saying what he said on a late-night HBO show. I’d think most people watching him wouldn’t be the ones who raised high hell. And anyways, why _cant_ he make light of slavery in a joke? He wasn’t just making light of slavery. He was making light of the fact that people still the word “nigger” in a non-ironic sense. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2017, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-drops-the-nigger-bomb/787991/77 "2017-06-03T19:46:45Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > He wasn’t just making light of slavery. He was making light of the fact that people still the word “nigger” in a non-ironic sense. I was responding to another poster who took umbrage at what they perceived as Maher making light of slavery. It was within that context that I posed my question. ---
**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 3, 2017, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-drops-the-nigger-bomb/787991/78 "2017-06-03T20:21:47Z")
> [@Reluctant\_A](#): > > Uh, you got any receipts on that? I mean, I stipulate that my Google-fu is weak, but when I do an internet search on “Bill Maher activism”, “Bill Maher advocacy”, “Bill Maher black activism” or “Bill Maher black advocacy”, the closest that I can find to any such thing is: > > [ol] > [li]Bill Maher campaigned for (and probably voted for) Barack Obama.[/li][li]Bill Maher does not deny that anti-black racism exists.[/li][li]Bill Maher has sex with black women.[/li][/ol] > YMMV, but I don’t consider any of those things, or even the combination of those things to be examples of advocay for black people. I’m not even sure how low your bar has to be for anyone _ **to** _ consider those to be good examples of advocacy. I _did_ find examples of Maher _criticizing_ black activists for prioritizing black issues over straight-ticket party unity to defeat Trump, but I don’t think that I’d classify that as advocacy. > > Could you kindly direct me to something that I may be overlooking? One thing I can think of offhand is that Maher has been very vocal about all the police shootings of young black men; I’ve seen it on his show often – there’s a brief article [here](http://www.salon.com/2016/09/24/bill-maher-to-officer-in-tulsa-police-shooting-if-youre-that-nervous-you-cant-do-this-job/). Ironically, after his show on Friday, a prominent activist for Black Lives Matter named DeRay Mckesson demanded that HBO fire Maher for the comment we’re discussing! Nice going, Mckesson, forget about the cops shooting all your friends just for being black, and focus your energies on getting one of your strongest supporters fired. :rolleyes: > [@BigT](#): > > There was nothing innocent about Maher’s joke. He used a word to deliberately cause offense to black people so that he would get in the news, without regard to the people involved. He enjoys offending people, and this time chose to try to offend black people. It’s amazing how you can read his mind and know this. From my perspective, he heard a funny comment (“come work in the fields with us”) and his comedic mind came up with a funny rejoinder. As I said earlier, Malcolm X made the “house Negro / field Negro” association back in the 60s, and others have pointed out that it may go back earlier to _Gone With the Wind_. If he’s on a mission to offend black people, how come we don’t hear about it more often, like we do about his views on Islamist extremism? Did you read my link about Michael Richards, who you claim is worse? Now _ **there’s** _ a guy who was intent on offending black people! Are you really unable to see the difference? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2017, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-drops-the-nigger-bomb/787991/79 "2017-06-03T20:48:19Z")
It seems that, even here, people don’t really understand [the distinction between using a word and mentioning it](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Use%E2%80%93mention_distinction). Bill Maher used the word “nigger”. Nobody in this thread has, though, and if anyone had, I’d be moderating it. A number of people in this thread (including myself in this sentence) have mentioned the word “nigger”, which is acceptable. I think I would have preferred if the OP had left even the mention out of the subject line of the thread, but that’s not something I’m going to moderate over, because it is an accurate description of what Maher actually did. Now, then, back to the topic. As many have mentioned, Maher, like a number of comedians, has as his schtick that he goes right up to the line of what’s acceptable. It’s inherent in the nature of such comedy that sometimes, in an effort to get as close to that line as possible, you sometimes go over (after all, if you don’t occasionally go over, you’re not going as close as you can). He did so in this instance. Calling himself a “house slave” would have been (barely) acceptable (though certainly still in poor taste). Calling himself a “house nigger” was not. Does this take away all of Maher’s previous and future humor? No. Will this end his career? Probably not. But it does diminish him, by some nonzero amount. ---
**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 3, 2017, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-drops-the-nigger-bomb/787991/80 "2017-06-03T21:10:03Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > There was nothing innocent about Maher’s joke. He used a word to deliberately cause offense to black people so that he would get in the news, without regard to the people involved. He enjoys offending people, and this time chose to try to offend black people. > [@wolfpup](#): > > It’s amazing how you can read his mind and know this. My reaction, exactly. The show is live, and what he said was almost certainly not premeditated. > [@BigT](#): > > And, yes, apologizing and meaning it (as shown by not doing it again) makes things a whole lot better than if you don’t. That was the specific point I made. He could surprise me and apologize (and mean it), and then it wouldn’t be as bad. Look up 2 posts from yours. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-drops-the-nigger-bomb/787991.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-drops-the-nigger-bomb/787991.md?page=5)