Unpopular, sure. But I don’t think people should be particularly proud of stubbornly and loudly proclaiming very stupid views that they hold.
Bill Maher is really like the Ann Coulter of the left - an unapologetically smug bastard who makes a living saying outrageous, sometimes hurtful, stuff and pissing people off.
With that said, I don’t plan on getting the vaccine. That has nothing to do with the anti-vaccination nutters. I’m just too lazy and cheap to get to the doctor’s office. But if I had a kid, I would most definitely want them to get one.
Always get the flu vaccine. Why? Because when I don’t, I get the flu every season since I was five and can pretty much write the next three weeks off in terms of fever, muscle aches, coughing, snot shooting out of my nose, sore throat, etc., etc., etc. Since starting the vaccine in 1990, I’ve been sick with the flu twice as opposed to spending a composite year of feeling crap without the shots. And more importantly, didn’t take the illness to work because I only have so many sick days to spare.
And yes, I am getting a flu shot this year.
This saddens me. I’ve been a fan of Maher’s for quite a while now. I really enjoy his views on atheism, and his treatment of 9/11 truthers has been superb. But his views on science have gotten increasingly loony over the last couple years. Last night’s anti-vaccination screed was completely beyond the pale. Absolutely unconscionable.
He also went on to recommend that pregnant women not get the swine flu vaccine. I wish Frist would have smacked him down a little harder on this particular point. Other than that though, I think he did a pretty good job of telling him how wrong he was. He continually told Maher that the science clearly says that he is wrong. Maher didn’t care. He knows better. What an asshole.
Maher has been spewing nonsense on health issues for years now, not just anti-vaccination claptrap. Here’s a selection of just a few of his dimwitted comments:
"1.“I’m not into western medicine. That to me is a complete scare tactic.”
2.“A flu shot is the worst thing you can do.”
3.“Well, I hate to tell you…but if you have a flu shot for more than five years in a ow, there’s ten times the likelihood that you’ll get Alzheimer’s disease.”
4.“A flu shot just compromises your immune system.”
Maher has also dismissed “Western medicine” as “poison”, denied the germ theory of medicine, claims that we are full of “toxins” and shown sympathy for HIV/AIDS denialists (people who argue that HIV doesn’t cause AIDS and denounce lifesaving anti-retroviral medications).
He’s an ass, and one in a position to cause harm.
Maher has gotten some love from atheists because of his anti-religion views, but the recognition he’s received is an embarassment to the atheist cause. Aren’t those guys supposed to honor rational thinking?
He is more like an opposite to Dennis Miller. Colter is not funny except when she presents ideas she is deadly serious about ,or at least pretends to be. But even Miller has become so nasty the humor is gone. Maher actually does political commentary. He is not a joke teller.
I do wish he would quit harping about food. It is true we are not getting any inspections and the food can not be traced back to its origin. There is a basis in fact to his rants.
The flu shots are different. I don’t usually bother with them ,but my wife gets them every year. She is so full of mercury the top of her head turns red when the temperature is over 90.
She’ll be coming down with autism any day now. :rolleyes:
I have to stop watching the show whenever he starts talking about food or anything related to it. Not because it annoys me, but because I get too embarrassed for him. Celebrities can opine about politics all they want (wish they wouldn’t), but when they start having opinions about science it’s time for them to go away.
I had to stop here. Bill Maher is the closest thing the left have to a Rush Limbaugh. Sorry, but if you think that Bill Maher is balanced politically then I just can’t go any further lest I choke to death from my own derisive laughter.
Maher is left-leaning, but not 100% liberal. He holds some conservative views, and unlike many pundits on both the left and the right, he respects many people who hold views other than his own, often invites them on his show, and has reasonable and respectful conversations, even while disagreeing with them.
When’s the last time Olbermann or Limbaugh did that?
(I’m a pinko-commie-liberal, and this is one of the main reasons I’ve stopped watching Olbermann regularly. His guests, without exception, are yes-men, there simply to agree with his editorializing. It’s tiresome and cowardly. Rachel has bigger balls. But I digress.)
Yeah he probably is one of the closest the left has to a Rush Limbaugh. Kinda sad really as one of the furthest left leaning personalities on the air he comes nowhere close to the level of lies hatred and bigotry spread by his opponents on the left. He has views and can back them up with information. Something Rush never bothers to do.
I read part of his interview in Playboy a few years ago. The only thing I can recall from it was coming away thinking: batshit crazy.
Last night, I completely tore apart a link a friend posted on Facebook. I wonder if she was inspired by Maher to post it. Can I blame him? Because I really like the friend.
Do NOT Let Your Child Get Flu Vaccine. With the extra tin-foil-hattery “This year it is more important that you protect your children and loved ones from the flu vaccines than influenza itself.”
That’s right, folks, the flu vaccine is more likely to injure or kill your child than the flu!
I went into full SDMB mode and posted the following as a comment:
One other friend posted a comment thanking me for the additional information. I wonder, though, if the original friend will ever speak to me again. 
More than what comes out of his mouth? I doubt it.
I’m going to get the vaccine soon, probably some time this week, hopefully.
I haven’t considered getting the vaccine since there was that shortage in 2004 and every year they run out of vaccines in my area. I’m in my twenties and hopefully will have another twenty years of pretty kickass health so would rather the limited supply of vaccines go to those with more vulnerable immune systems. Nothing to do with conspiracy theories.
I agree. To me, Maher is one of those comedians whose routine is just saying “Bush/Republicans are wrong” over and over again, which gets (mostly forced) laughs from angry liberals who want to all agree with each other. I hate Bush as much as the next sane person, but I find that humor unfunny, not at all clever, and repetitive. The Daily Show and Colbert are the only group I thought did anti-Bush humor well at all over that long fucking 8 years. I really enjoyed Mr. Show but don’t find Dave Cross to be a funny stand up comic for the same reason I dislike Maher. That’s just my personal taste.
Hell, Bill Maher was unfunny even before Bush was elected. During the Clinton years he was mildly sort of amusing at the best of times, which weren’t often.
Bill Maher is not doing stand up on his show. His opening and the New Rules ending are comedy. The rest of the show is political debate with many repubs and right wingers stating their views among a couple liberals. That is not meant to be funny. It has its moments though. Do not compare the show with stand up or sitcoms. That would be dishonest. It allows pols to be open , honest or crude if they choose.
He also does stand up. Judge that if you want to be snarky. He has a very successful stand up career.
So does Carrot Top.
If you think conservatives outnumber liberals on his show, you are mistaken. It’s usually several liberals and one conservative.
There are 3 guests every week. I said a couple liberals. A couple is 2.