# Bill Maher stirs controversy with Tim Tebow tweet **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [December 28, 2011, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-stirs-controversy-with-tim-tebow-tweet/607655 "2011-12-28T19:28:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2011, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-stirs-controversy-with-tim-tebow-tweet/607655/41 "2011-12-29T00:19:07Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > I consider praying in public and gesturing upstairs every time he manages to keep from tripping over his own two feet to be condescending, insulting, demeaning to religion (Christianity in particular) and a cheap shot at all the “unsaved wretches” that aren’t basking in God’s glory like Tebow thinks he is. What, did Tebow give you a wedgie when you were in school? I think you are reading an _awful_ lot into that. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2011, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-stirs-controversy-with-tim-tebow-tweet/607655/42 "2011-12-29T00:27:57Z")
> [@Tengu](#): > > The description applies to _all 3 persons_ involved in this scrap. Agreed. **spooje** - Probably. Still annoying, whoever is doing it. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2011, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-stirs-controversy-with-tim-tebow-tweet/607655/43 "2011-12-29T00:33:22Z")
Here’s an idea, instead of mocking a sports guy who’s actually thus far a pretty good role model, maybe go after some of the thugs and other ne’er do wells infesting various leagues. Last I checked Tebow wasn’t off knocking up a different woman each week, snorting coke of hookers’ asses, or shooting anyone. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2011, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-stirs-controversy-with-tim-tebow-tweet/607655/44 "2011-12-29T00:42:55Z")
> [@TBG](#): > > Here’s an idea, instead of mocking a sports guy who’s actually thus far a pretty good role model, maybe go after some of the thugs and other ne’er do wells infesting various leagues. Last I checked Tebow wasn’t off knocking up a different woman each week, snorting coke of hookers’ asses, or shooting anyone. Yeah, I’d take a million Tebows over an asshole like Roethlisberger anyday. And I’m a Steelers fan. (Of course, we also have Polamalu, the AntiBen) I get tired of hearing about him in the news, yeah, but he seems like a nice guy. A little over-zealous on the religion, but that’s about it. Maher is a bitter assclown. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2011, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-stirs-controversy-with-tim-tebow-tweet/607655/45 "2011-12-29T00:50:48Z")
> [@howye](#): > > To be fair, this can be said of Maher’s comments almost all of the time. He wants to be funny and political. He only pulls off half the trick. John Stewart does the whole thing. Bingo IMO. My impression is this. Stewart is a liberal comedian driven by the absurdities of life and intellect. He’s probably made as much fun of Obama as he did of Bush. And when he has had folks on his show he obviously totally disagreed with there is generally a respectable dialog among the humor and cheepshots (that Stewart knows are just that). Maher? IMO he is driven by intellect and a hatred for what he disagrees with and that is what mostly drives his humor. Of course it could all be an act on his part. And this is all my impression and opinion so don’t expect any cites or anything. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2011, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-stirs-controversy-with-tim-tebow-tweet/607655/46 "2011-12-29T00:50:59Z")
> [@TBG](#): > > Here’s an idea, instead of mocking a sports guy who’s actually thus far a pretty good role model, maybe go after some of the thugs and other ne’er do wells infesting various leagues. “Go after?” We’re talking about a joke on Twitter here- not something that would require major effort, like helping Antonio Cromartie remember the names of all his children. I doubt Tebow is even aware of this unless some reporter has asked him about it by now. Anyway Maher was rather vocally anti-child the last I checked, so I’m going to guess he doesn’t care about the role model thing. ---
**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2011, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-stirs-controversy-with-tim-tebow-tweet/607655/47 "2011-12-29T01:03:45Z")
PEOPLE PEOPLE PEOPLE! Y’all are missing the joke - Maher’s tweet is not addressed to Tebow personally, it’s addressed to (as Maher sees them) all the rabid frothing Jesus freak “fans” who have over-idolized Tebow and his success because of his Christianity. He’s calling them out - not Tebow. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2011, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-stirs-controversy-with-tim-tebow-tweet/607655/48 "2011-12-29T01:41:25Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > [I made pretty much the same joke during the game.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=14599974#post14599974) Me too. . ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2011, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-stirs-controversy-with-tim-tebow-tweet/607655/49 "2011-12-29T02:28:22Z")
I think that Maher is intelligent, insightful, and funny sometimes, just a whiny bitch at other times, and a narcissistic douchebag at all times. Say what you will though, he’s a genius at self promotion: he’s generating mega-buzz over essentially [the same joke Carlin made](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXV0VKX2m6Q) at least as far back as the '80s and that’s been made by countless comedians since then (I’ve heard Joe Rogan, George Wallace, Kathy Griffin, and others all make similar comments) just by attaching it to a particular high profile athlete. If they really wanted to piss off Bill Maher they’d take the [Andy Levy](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXV0VKX2m6Q) “who cares?” route. About Tim Tebow: I don’t watch football and wouldn’t know about his praying if it weren’t reported on all the time. Knowing about it, I couldn’t care less one way or the other- neither impresses nor offends me. One thing Maher’s not is shy about pointing out he doesn’t like Christianity so it’s hard to imagine him not making a comment on Tebow; you’d think the comments by Kurt Warner and Jake Plummer, which are far less crude or inflammatory, would get more press since they’re from Christian athletes. > [@](#): > > Kurt Warner: > > “You can’t help but cheer for a guy like that. But I’d tell him, ‘Put down the boldness in regards to the words, and keep living the way your living. Let your teammates do the talking for you. Let them cheer on your testimony.” In other words, walk the walk and it’ll do more than your public gestures of piety. Plummer’s a bit more pointed: > [@](#): > > Jake Plummer: > “I wish he’d just shut up after a game and go hug his teammates. I think that when he accepts the fact that we know that he loves Jesus Christ then I think I’ll like him a little better. I don’t hate him because of that, I just would rather not have to hear that every time he takes a good snap or makes a good handoff.” ---
**Author:** ![Rodgers01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b19c9b/32.png) [@Rodgers01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rodgers01)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2011, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-stirs-controversy-with-tim-tebow-tweet/607655/50 "2011-12-29T03:05:49Z")
Maybe I’m completely dense, but can someone please explain the joke/controversy to me? Maher wrote: "Wow, Jesus just fucked #TimTebow bad! And on Xmas Eve! Somewhere in hell Satan is tebowing, saying to Hitler “Hey, Buffalo’s killing them” Okay: so since Tebow always thanks Jesus when he wins, Maher says that Jesus has now made Tebow lose. An obvious and not particularly offensive joke - I can imagine a fifth grader making it. Then he adds a line about Satan and Hitler commenting on the game in hell and, apparently, approving of Jesus’ action. What’s the vile/dickish/low part of this? The mere idea of Jesus making Tebow lose? The idea of Jesus “fucking” Tebow? Do people somehow think Maher is equating Tebow with Hitler and Satan? What am I missing here?? As for Maher, I regularly listen to the podcast of his HBO show. He’s not a great comedian (he has the annoying habit of delivering an unfunny joke that bombs with the audience, but interpreting their silence as them either not getting it, or shying away from something controversial - no, Bill, they didn’t laugh because it wasn’t _funny_). But he strikes me as a good host and good moderator: he gets interesting guests, directs the conversation well, and has the integrity to make sure panelists with unpopular views are heard, and even calls out his audience when they are too unthinking in only applauding the most liberal (or loudest) person on the panel. His own views usually strike me as a bit over the top (i.e. “Religulous”), but I think he’s fundamentally fair and tries to keep himself and others honest. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2011, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-stirs-controversy-with-tim-tebow-tweet/607655/51 "2011-12-29T03:09:29Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > Cheapshot from a shameless publicity whore. Twitter makes everyone a shameless publicity whore. ---
**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:** [December 29, 2011, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-stirs-controversy-with-tim-tebow-tweet/607655/52 "2011-12-29T03:14:44Z")
> [@Rodgers01](#): > > Maybe I’m completely dense, but can someone please explain the joke/controversy to me? Maher wrote: > > "Wow, Jesus just fucked #TimTebow bad! And on Xmas Eve! Somewhere in hell Satan is tebowing, saying to Hitler “Hey, Buffalo’s killing them” > > Okay: so since Tebow always thanks Jesus when he wins, Maher says that Jesus has now made Tebow lose. An obvious and not particularly offensive joke - I can imagine a fifth grader making it. Then he adds a line about Satan and Hitler commenting on the game in hell and, apparently, approving of Jesus’ action. > > What’s the vile/dickish/low part of this? The mere idea of Jesus making Tebow lose? The idea of Jesus “fucking” Tebow? Do people somehow think Maher is equating Tebow with Hitler and Satan? What am I missing here? As Richard Dawkins pointed out in _The God Delusion_, for some reason it’s completely unacceptable to mock or scrutinize a religion. If you read the comments in this thread from people upset with Maher over his tweet, you’ll find that none of them offer any reason for why the comment upset them beyond the fact that he mocked the guy’s religiosity. Oh no, someone made a comment that points out how ridiculous he thinks another person’s belief in magic is; oh no the horror! ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2011, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-stirs-controversy-with-tim-tebow-tweet/607655/53 "2011-12-29T03:25:25Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > I think that Maher is intelligent, insightful, and funny sometimes, just a whiny bitch at other times, and a narcissistic douchebag at all times. Say what you will though, he’s a genius at self promotion: This is my view of Maher, who I liked many years ago when he was just a comedian. He fails at being a political commentator. ---
**Author:** ![newcomer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e5b9ba/32.png) [@newcomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/newcomer)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2011, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-stirs-controversy-with-tim-tebow-tweet/607655/54 "2011-12-29T03:35:23Z")
> [@Rodgers01](#): > > The idea of Jesus “fucking” Tebow? I think people actually do interpret quoted verb literally rather than figuratively and the image so construed is super-vile. Therefore, their outrage is justified. So, yeah, I can see how comedy escapes some if you have to explain the joke. ---
**Author:** ![newcomer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e5b9ba/32.png) [@newcomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/newcomer)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2011, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-stirs-controversy-with-tim-tebow-tweet/607655/55 "2011-12-29T03:53:26Z")
> [@samclem](#): > > This is my view of Maher, who I liked many years ago when he was just a comedian. He fails at being a political commentator. I know it should be a separate discussion but… here’s a clip from, I think last show of the season… for a political comment skip to 1:54 [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qj9G5dXG93s](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qj9G5dXG93s) (even though you might want to watch from begining to catch “waterslide” joke). If that is not the most piercing political comment available and, done with such a creative effort, then someone should educate me on who does it better today. ---
**Author:** ![Martin\_Hyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/47e85d/32.png) [@Martin\_Hyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martin_Hyde)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2011, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-stirs-controversy-with-tim-tebow-tweet/607655/56 "2011-12-29T06:15:46Z")
I dunno, I disagreed with Maher on a lot of stuff but usually thought he was intelligent and worth watching at one point. His views on vaccinations have sort of cracked open an ugly side of Maher, one which basically is the opposite of the “intellectual” side he’s always tried to present. He isn’t a complete anti-vaxer, but he has stated that he thinks most people shouldn’t get vaccines because you can’t trust the government with them. He’s also said the flu vaccine is dangerous because you are “sticking the disease in your arm” (in fact the flu vaccine is not dangerous and you are actually sticking the dead remnants of the disease in your arm.) He also “begrudgingly” accepts the germ theory of disease but thinks most disease in America is caused by bad diet. I think we all know a lot of chronic problems are caused by bad eating, but Maher literally thinks 90% of all cases of disease are caused by bad diet. I can guarantee you he has not done any research to back that up…that sort of comment is something you just spew out, it’s obviously not based on real information. Maher also thinks taking medication in general is usually a bad idea. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2011, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-stirs-controversy-with-tim-tebow-tweet/607655/57 "2011-12-29T06:31:14Z")
> [@newcomer](#): > > I think people actually do interpret quoted verb literally rather than figuratively and the image so construed is super-vile. Therefore, their outrage is justified. Really? The use of “fucked” to mean “betrayed” or “hurt” isn’t exactly obscure, and is probably at least as common a use of the word as using it to mean “sexual intercourse”, and the context of Tebow loosing a football game makes it pretty clear what Maher meant. I have trouble believing few if any people honestly took it to mean that Maher was suggesting that Jesus had sex with Tebow. ---
**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:** [December 29, 2011, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-stirs-controversy-with-tim-tebow-tweet/607655/58 "2011-12-29T06:41:12Z")
I hadn’t heard any of that before, **Martin** , probably because I don’t have a television and don’t bother watching Maher online. Since you didn’t provide any cites to back up your description of Maher’s position(s?) on vaccinations and medications in general, I went looking myself. What I found suggests a much more nuanced position than you credit him with. This is all taken from a fairly long piece he wrote for HuffPost: [ > [@](#): > > Vaccination is a nuanced subject, and I’ve never said all vaccines in all situations are bad. The point I am representing is: Is getting frequent vaccinations for any and all viruses consequence-free? > [@](#): > > But rather than responding to every absurd thing said, let me just tell you want I do think – because I will admit, I have gone off half cocked on this issue sometimes, and often only had time on my show to explain a fraction of what needed to be explained, and for that I am sorry. Some of it can’t be helped, some of that is the nature of the show we do: live, off the cuff, lots of interruptions. Some of it was just from me being overexcited about finally finding a health regimen that actually made me healthier and feel better. > [@](#): > > I’m just trying to represent an under-reported medical point of view in this country, I’m not telling a specific pregnant lady what to do. With unlimited air time, I would have, for example, added to my discussion with Dr. Bill Frist on October 2 that, yes, any flu or health challenge can be dangerous when you’re pregnant, and if your immune system is already compromised by, for example, eating a typical American diet, then a flu shot can make sense. But someone needs to be representing the point of view that says the preferred way to handle flus is to have a strong immune system to begin with, and getting lots of vaccines might not be the best way to accomplish that over the long haul. > [@](#): > > Is it worth it to get vaccines for every bug that goes around? Injecting something into my bloodstream? I’d like to reserve that for emergencies. This is the flu, and there’s always a flu. I’ve said it before, America is a panicky country. It’s like we look for things to panic about.The reports from Australia, where they’re over their flu season, is that its not a terribly virulent flu. The worldwide numbers support that. But you’d never get that impression from the media in this country. > [@](#): > > Is it conspiracy theory to believe that American medicine too much treats symptoms and not root causes of disease? I always ask my friends when they go to the doctor for something, “Did your doctor ask you what you eat?” The answer is almost always ‘no,’ and a lot can be cured with diet and a healthier lifestyle. (And a lot can’t. I also understand the role of genetics and generations of artificial selection). But Americans don’t want to hear that, so doctors don’t push it. It’s easier and more profitable to write a prescription for Lipitor. They’re not bad people, and at the end of the day, you can’t make someone eat right. ]([Vaccination: A Conversation Worth Having | HuffPost Life](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bill-maher/vaccination-a-conversatio_b_358578.html)) I’m not saying I agree with him on any or all of this, but his position seems to be that [ul]1) the vast majority of Americans prolly don’t eat properly, and this can have an effect on a person’s health[/ul] [ul]2) do we properly understand what role, if any, vaccinations play in the evolution of diseases?[/ul] [ul]3) do people need, from a purely practical standpoint, to avail themselves of every vaccination that medical science has come up with?[/ul] IMO he comes across as having the opinion that putting fewer things in your body is prolly best, and he seems to have that opinion **because that’s what is working well for his own health**. Sometimes that could be a bothersome way to arrive at an opinion, but in Maher’s case I’ll give him a pass since he has always seemed able and willing to listen to evidence and make intellectual decisions based on what he learns and knows. I don’t find him making a case for being anti-vax, so much as being skeptical that vaccinations (and medications) are the be-all-and-end-all of health care. ---
**Author:** ![newcomer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e5b9ba/32.png) [@newcomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/newcomer)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2011, 6:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-stirs-controversy-with-tim-tebow-tweet/607655/59 "2011-12-29T06:55:50Z")
> [@Simplicio](#): > > Really? The use of “fucked” to mean “betrayed” or “hurt” isn’t exactly obscure, and is probably at least as common a use of the word as using it to mean “sexual intercourse”, and the context of Tebow loosing a football game makes it pretty clear what Maher meant. > > I have trouble believing few if any people honestly took it to mean that Maher was suggesting that Jesus had sex with Tebow. Don’t get me wrong, I agree with you. I was just trying to figure out Eric Bolling’s tweet as per OP. He sounded pretty upset and I dont think it’s b/c of Satan/Hitler reference - that’s relatively mild. Plus, Eric probably didnt even get the joke. Maybe I’m wrong… ---
**Author:** ![Martin\_Hyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/47e85d/32.png) [@Martin\_Hyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martin_Hyde)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2011, 7:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-stirs-controversy-with-tim-tebow-tweet/607655/60 "2011-12-29T07:25:49Z")
I’d probably suggest you actually watch his interview with Bill Frist, where Maher comes off like a complete idiot who thinks he knows more about medicine than a trained doctor putting aside Frist’s politics, he’s a legitimate physician who went to medical school and has actually practiced medicine. What are Maher’s credentials at all? “Smart sounding guy who has a talk show for the past 15 years” doesn’t give him license to spout off stuff that no mainstream doctor would agree with and then act like “hey it’s just a nuanced position most people aren’t very familiar with.” [Bill Frist interview](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tB5DLf1Qt78) Bill Maher, “Why would you be the ones to let the government stick a disease in your arm?” I don’t know what Bill Maher later clarified because he’s a TV personality and I don’t make it my business to follow up through exhaustive internet research what Maher later said in a different forum. But as a television personality Maher knows that how he presents himself on his show is how he is going to be remembered. Then Maher goes on to quote some guy who says that no flu vaccine has _ever_ worked. He didn’t just go off half-cocked, and to be honest even his clarifications that you’ve linked to aren’t really relevant to what he said. He explicitly rejects vaccines as an effective tool for managing societal health care. When Frist points out that the flu vaccine can’t cause the infection, Maher quotes Jonas Salk and talks about live virus vaccination–Maher didn’t even know that modern flu vaccines are killed virus, not living virus vaccines. Maher actually went through some prep work for that interview and it’s obvious he doesn’t have a clue what he talked about. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-stirs-controversy-with-tim-tebow-tweet/607655.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-stirs-controversy-with-tim-tebow-tweet/607655.md?page=4)