# Bill Maher: "We SHOULD blame China." **URL:** \ **Category:** The Quarantine Zone\ **Tags:** covid-quarantine\ **Created:** [April 11, 2020, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-we-should-blame-china/851550 "2020-04-11T05:15:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**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:** [April 12, 2020, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-we-should-blame-china/851550/81 "2020-04-12T12:34:13Z")
> [@Banquet\_Bear](#): > > …wolfpup forgot to add that Bill Maher is a racist misogynistic bigot … Racist? Maher is an atheist who has been accused of being an Islamophobe because he considers Islam to be among the most fundamentalist of religions and the most common basis of theocracies. When the Sultan of Brunei declares that [gays will be stoned to death in the town square](https://www.npr.org/2019/05/06/720598000/brunei-wont-enforce-death-by-stoning-law-for-gay-sex-sultan-says) that is surely worthy of comment – and protests and boycotts. That is hardly racism. Misogynist? Around half of his usually-distinguished panelists are women; if not half, then certainly very many of them. Bigot? What would be your cite for that? The virus _ **did** _ come from China. It has nothing to do with Asian-Americans or with individual Chinese people but it does have to do with certain unhealthy customs and with government bungling, though the latter is certainly not unique to China. > [@Tamerlane](#): > > Might be worth noting that Trump has two himself. Unfortunately the Emmys have a “reality show” category, the most inane and mindless form of television in existence. Trump had two nominations in that category. Maher’s nominations were for being informative and funny. > [@GIGObuster](#): > > More on point, after looking at his argument then one considers the source, Maher also gets a ding for his misleading anti-vaccine positions and/or the way he gives a megaphone to anti-vaxxers. > > [Error | AAP](https://www.aap.org/en-us/aap-voices/Pages/Bill-Maher-Can-Do-Better-We-Need-Real-Talk-About-Vaccines.aspx) That was the show on Nov 1, 2019 where the introductory guest was Jay Gordon, who has been called an anti-vaxer but is more of a cautious skeptic. I would have to agree with your cited article, though – even though Maher tried to focus the discussion on the vast unknowns that still exist in medicine, there was too much fodder there for nutcases to use to reinforce their anti-vax sentiment. As with Yiannopoulos, I wish Maher would stop having guests like that, although nutcase guests are really rare, and Maher often challenges them, as when Rick Santorum was on [spreading disinformation about climate change](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=18679636&postcount=40). Santorum cited a denialist study about which Maher had no prior information, but took the time on the following show to provide a detailed scientific rebuttal, which I thought showed an admirable motivation to get the facts out and set the record straight. I think this has gotten way off topic and I’m done with it. Maher is not perfect; he’s sometimes divisive, controversial, and opinionated, and many people don’t like him. To each his own. I enjoy his style of humor. Obama thought enough of him to be a special guest on one show, as have countless leading public figures from both sides of the political spectrum. ---
**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2020, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-we-should-blame-china/851550/82 "2020-04-12T12:46:24Z")
> [@drad\_dog](#): > > It’s a loser move to blame China, and only reflects the guilt and incompetence among those who dismantled our pandemic response, just before a pandemic. > > What’s the Boy Scout motto anyway? No gays please? ---
**Author:** ![Banquet\_Bear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banquet_bear/32/373_2.png) [@Banquet\_Bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banquet_Bear)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2020, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-we-should-blame-china/851550/83 "2020-04-12T13:01:28Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > Racist? Maher is an atheist who has been accused of being an Islamophobe because he considers Islam to be among the most fundamentalist of religions and the most common basis of theocracies. When the Sultan of Brunei declares that [gays will be stoned to death in the town square](https://www.npr.org/2019/05/06/720598000/brunei-wont-enforce-death-by-stoning-law-for-gay-sex-sultan-says) that is surely worthy of comment – and protests and boycotts. That is hardly racism. …thanks for the reminder. Bill Maher is a racist, misogynist, a bigot \*\*and \*\*an Islamophobe. How could I have forgotten that one? > [@](#): > > Misogynist? Around half of his usually-distinguished panelists are women; if not half, then certainly very many of them. Surrounding yourself with a panel of “usually-distinguished panelists are women”, just like being nominated for an Emmy 41 times, is not a magical shield from misogyny. > [@](#): > > Bigot? What would be your cite for that? That Bill Maher is a bigot? [Sure](https://theintercept.com/2014/10/08/bill-mahers-gross-liberal-bigotry/). > [@](#): > > The virus _ **did** _ come from China. It has nothing to do with Asian-Americans or with individual Chinese people but it does have to do with certain unhealthy customs and with government bungling, though the latter is certainly not unique to China. We are so far down the track from “blame China” right now we are in a different time zone. Its pointless virtue signalling. For Maher to come out with this rant now, as thousands of American die as a result of a pathetic response from the Federal government is nothing but a distraction. ---
**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:** [April 12, 2020, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-we-should-blame-china/851550/84 "2020-04-12T13:21:50Z")
> [@Banquet\_Bear](#): > > …thanks for the reminder. > > Bill Maher is a racist, misogynist, a bigot \*\*and \*\*an Islamophobe. How could I have forgotten that one? > > Surrounding yourself with a panel of “usually-distinguished panelists are women”, just like being nominated for an Emmy 41 times, is not a magical shield from misogyny. > > That Bill Maher is a bigot? [Sure](https://theintercept.com/2014/10/08/bill-mahers-gross-liberal-bigotry/). > > We are so far down the track from “blame China” right now we are in a different time zone. Its pointless virtue signalling. For Maher to come out with this rant now, as thousands of American die as a result of a pathetic response from the Federal government is nothing but a distraction. Maher is opinionated, controversial, sometimes a kook about his pet causes. But he’s not a bigot, racist, or misogynist, and an opinion article is not a cite, it’s just an opinion that is wrong. More to the point, what is this “virtue signaling” that you are accusing Maher of? Who is he signaling and what’s the frequency? ---
**Author:** ![eenerms](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/cdc98d/32.png) [@eenerms](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eenerms)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2020, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-we-should-blame-china/851550/85 "2020-04-12T13:23:46Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > Just like the Trump administration then. I could have predicted this post. ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2020, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-we-should-blame-china/851550/86 "2020-04-12T13:24:54Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > Maher is opinionated, controversial, sometimes a kook about his pet causes. But he’s not a bigot, racist, or misogynist, and an opinion article is not a cite, it’s just an opinion that is wrong. > > More to the point, what is this “virtue signaling” that you are accusing Maher of? Who is he signaling and what’s the frequency? 100% agree with you here. And why is BB not being called out for criticizing Mahers condemnation of the Sultan of Brunei? He is homophobic. Why is calling him out ‘Islamophobic’? ---
**Author:** ![Banquet\_Bear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banquet_bear/32/373_2.png) [@Banquet\_Bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banquet_Bear)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2020, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-we-should-blame-china/851550/87 "2020-04-12T13:35:55Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > Maher is opinionated, controversial, sometimes a kook about his pet causes. But he’s not a bigot, racist, or misogynist, and an opinion article is not a cite, it’s just an opinion that is wrong. …I’m not sure you quite understand how this whole “opinion thing” works. It is my opinion that Bill Maher is a bigot, racist, or misogynist and an Islamophobe. You are free to hold an opinion that differs from mine. > [@](#): > > More to the point, what is this “virtue signaling” that you are accusing Maher of? Who is he signaling and what’s the frequency? He is obviously signalling people like yourself, and people like the OP. As for the frequency: well you have to ask yourself that question because I certainly can’t pick it up. > [@madsircool](#): > > And why is BB not being called out for **criticizing Mahers condemnation of the Sultan of Brunei?** Why would people criticize me for something that obviously didn’t happen? ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2020, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-we-should-blame-china/851550/88 "2020-04-12T13:40:15Z")
> [@RioRico](#): > > Screw Maher. Screw Chinese officials, too. But mostly, screw senior US officials who in November were warned of a catastrophic pandemic and just fucked off. > … This is what Maher SHOULD have said. And he should have demanded accountability, instead of providing a diversion from America’s inept Federal “response”, for lack of a better term. ---
**Author:** ![2ManyTacos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/2/3da27b/32.png) [@2ManyTacos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/2ManyTacos)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2020, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-we-should-blame-china/851550/89 "2020-04-12T14:02:34Z")
I mean, when it comes to blaming China, I think we can definitively blame them for two things here: (1) the filthy wet markets that continue to enable these illnesses to proliferate, and (2) the secrecy and bungled coverup of the Chinese government when this disaster first started. I am not really sure how anybody could really address the latter issue; changing that would probably have to come from the Chinese people themselves. But in terms of the former, I don’t see anything wrong with international actors exerting maximalist pressure on the regime to crackdown on the filthy wet markets and to permanently ban them. But labeling the pandemic as the “Chinese virus” isn’t helping anything, and it probably makes China _less_ likely to eliminate their wet markets. ---
**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:** [April 12, 2020, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-we-should-blame-china/851550/90 "2020-04-12T14:09:38Z")
> [@Banquet\_Bear](#): > > …I’m not sure you quite understand how this whole “opinion thing” works. It is my opinion that Bill Maher is a bigot, racist, or misogynist and an Islamophobe. You are free to hold an opinion that differs from mine. Thanks for your permission, but here’s the thing, you cited an opinion piece as if to say, ‘I’m right because other people agree with me’. State what you think all you like, but don’t cite if as if it’s incontrovertible. You make the same error as the claim made earlier that Maher is right because he’s been nominated 41 times as an entertainer. > [@Banquet\_Bear](#): > > He is obviously signalling people like yourself, and people like the OP. As for the frequency: well you have to ask yourself that question because I certainly can’t pick it up. I don’t think it means what you think it means. I agree with Maher, Hitchens, Harris and many other atheists. Are they signaling their virtues to me? Am I signaling my virtues by making that statement? Because if that’s what you think then you’ve made the definition of “virtue signaling” so broad that it is no longer meaningful. ---
**Author:** ![Banquet\_Bear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banquet_bear/32/373_2.png) [@Banquet\_Bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banquet_Bear)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2020, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-we-should-blame-china/851550/91 "2020-04-12T14:47:17Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > Thanks for your permission, but here’s the thing, you cited an opinion piece as if to say, ‘I’m right because other people agree with me’. State what you think all you like, but don’t cite if as if it’s incontrovertible. You make the same error as the claim made earlier that Maher is right because he’s been nominated 41 times as an entertainer. …I was asked for a cite that Maher was a bigot. The cite I provided had many examples of what many would describe as bigotry. I could provide many others if you like. Or you could just watch his show. The fact that it was an opinion piece is irrelevant. > [@](#): > > I don’t think it means what you think it means. I agree with Maher, Hitchens, Harris and many other atheists. Are they signaling their virtues to me? Am I signaling my virtues by making that statement? **Because if that’s what you think then you’ve made the definition of “virtue signaling” so broad that it is no longer meaningful.** LOL. My point _exactly_. Virtue signalling isn’t really a thing, its never actually been a thing. But if people like [Bill Maher](https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2019/09/28/bill_maher_self-loathing_white_shame_among_liberals_is_just_tedious_virtue_signaling.html) are going to pretend that it is then I’m more than happy to throw it back in his face. ---
**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:** [April 12, 2020, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-we-should-blame-china/851550/92 "2020-04-12T14:52:50Z")
Well, crap, I guess one more before I drop this tangent: > [@Banquet\_Bear](#): > > Bill Maher is a racist, misogynist, a bigot \*\*and \*\*an Islamophobe. Maybe if you keep repeating it over and over, it will somehow magically come true. > [@Banquet\_Bear](#): > > Surrounding yourself with a panel of “usually-distinguished panelists are women”, just like being nominated for an Emmy 41 times, is not a magical shield from misogyny. According to the Oxford dictionary, a misogynist is “a person who dislikes, despises, or is strongly prejudiced against women”. So Maher allegedly despises women yet constantly invites prominent, smart, and articulate women to his in-depth panel discussions. You have a strange definition of misogyny, one that is not shared by any dictionary or lexicologist. > [@Banquet\_Bear](#): > > That Bill Maher is a bigot? [Sure](https://theintercept.com/2014/10/08/bill-mahers-gross-liberal-bigotry/). So your cite for his alleged bigotry is an opinion piece in an edgy online publication? I like the promo piece at the end of the article: “… ask yourself: How likely is it that the story you just read would have been produced by a different news outlet if The Intercept hadn’t done it?” If it was a responsible news outlet, probably not very likely. But as I said, Maher has many detractors. He also has many supporters: _Politically Incorrect_ won an array of awards, including an Emmy Award for Outstanding Technical Direction, two CableACE awards for Best Talk Show Series, and a Genesis Award for Best Television Talk Show. Maher earned numerous award nominations for his producing, writing, and hosting of Politically Incorrect, including ten Emmy nominations, two TV Guide nominations, and two Writers Guild nominations … On June 22, 2002, just six days after the cancellation of\* Politically Incorrect\*, Maher received the Los Angeles Press Club president’s award (for “championing free speech”) … _Real Time [with Bill Maher]_ has earned widespread praise. It has been nominated for more than ten Primetime Emmy Awards and six Writer’s Guild awards. In 2007, Maher and his co-producers were awarded the Television Producer of the Year Award in Variety Television by the Producers Guild of America. > **[Bill Maher](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Maher)** > > William Maher (/mɑːr/; born January 20, 1956) is an American comedian, writer, producer, political commentator, actor, and television host. He is known for the HBO political talk show Real Time with Bill Maher (2003–present) and the similar late-night show called Politically Incorrect (1993–2002), originally on Comedy Central and later on ABC. In 2022, Maher started the podcast Club Random. > Maher is known for his political satire and sociopolitical commentary. He targets many topics including... One more thing, about the controversial Milo Yiannopoulos interview, for which Maher was much criticized for inviting a true bigot and racist on his show for the one-on-one interview part. From the same source as above: In the days following the interview, Yiannopoulos had his invitation to speak before the 2017 Conservative Political Action Conference, as well as a book deal with Simon & Schuster, cancelled. Yiannopoulos subsequently resigned as an editor at Breitbart News. When asked whether Yiannopoulos’s interview on his show was among the causes of his resignation, Maher concurred, saying, “As I say, sunlight is the best disinfectant. You’re welcome.” ---
**Author:** ![Banquet\_Bear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banquet_bear/32/373_2.png) [@Banquet\_Bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banquet_Bear)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2020, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-we-should-blame-china/851550/93 "2020-04-12T15:24:12Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > Well, crap, I guess one more before I drop this tangent: > > Maybe if you keep repeating it over and over, it will somehow magically come true. …Bill Maher is a racist, misogynist, a bigot and an Islamophobe. Yep. Still true as far as I’m concerned. > [@](#): > > According to the Oxford dictionary, a misogynist is “a person who dislikes, despises, or is strongly prejudiced against women”. So Maher allegedly despises women yet constantly invites prominent, smart, and articulate women to his in-depth panel discussions. You have a strange definition of misogyny, one that is not shared by any dictionary or lexicologist. > [@The Daily Beast](#): > > According to Maher, Matthews “said some things that are kind of creepy to women,” continuing, “You know, I just, guys are married for a million years, they want to flirt for two seconds. He said to somebody, Laura Bassett, four years ago, she’s in makeup, he said, ‘Why haven’t I fallen in love with you yet?’ Yes, it is creepy. She said, ‘I was afraid to name him at the time out of fear of retaliation. I’m not afraid anymore.’ Thank you, Rosa Parks. I mean, Jesus fucking Christ! I guess my question is: Do you wonder how Democrats lose?” > > One of his roundtable guests, the \*\*anti-#MeToo writer Caitlin Flanagan \*\*of The Atlantic, proceeded to further mock Bassett, saying of her, “How fragile can one woman be?” and insinuating that she was only booked on Matthews’ show because “she probably looked good on camera.” > > With that, Maher chimed in: “Is she a compliment-victim or a compliment-survivor?” > **[Bill Maher Goes Full Sexist, Defends Chris Matthews and Mocks His Accuser:...](https://www.thedailybeast.com/bill-maher-defends-chris-matthews-and-mocks-his-sexual-harassment-accuser-thank-you-rosa-parks)** > > It was a truly ugly, outrageously sexist display from the “Real Time” host. His track record speaks for itself. The anti-#metoo campaigner just adds icing to the cake. > [@](#): > > So your cite for his alleged bigotry is an opinion piece in an edgy online publication? oooooooo. Eddggggy. > [@](#): > > I like the promo piece at the end of the article: “… ask yourself: How likely is it that the story you just read would have been produced by a different news outlet if The Intercept hadn’t done it?” If it was a responsible news outlet, probably not very likely. I think its absolutely fucking hilarious that you weren’t expecting an opinion piece as a cite for an opinion. I mean you do understand that we are talking about opinions right? And the Intercept is a respectable news outlet. I do have big problems with it: especially around Glenn Greenwald. But its not as if its the [only](https://tv.avclub.com/bill-maher-isn-t-just-politically-incorrect-he-s-politi-1798258263)[people](https://www.thedailybeast.com/bill-maher-and-bari-weiss-blame-palestinians-for-gaza-massacre)[calling](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/bill-maher-history-bigoted-comments_n_5932bcb5e4b02478cb9beaf6)[Maher](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2014/oct/06/bill-maher-islam-ben-affleck)[a](https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/may/26/us-liberal-islamophobia-rising-more-insidious) [bigot](https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/erik-wemple/wp/2017/07/07/bill-maher-proves-that-his-bigotry-doesnt-take-vacations/). > [@](#): > > But as I said, Maher has many detractors. He also has many supporters: > _Politically Incorrect_ won an array of awards, including an Emmy Award for Outstanding Technical Direction, two CableACE awards for Best Talk Show Series, and a Genesis Award for Best Television Talk Show. Maher earned numerous award nominations for his producing, writing, and hosting of Politically Incorrect, including ten Emmy nominations, two TV Guide nominations, and two Writers Guild nominations … On June 22, 2002, just six days after the cancellation of\* Politically Incorrect\*, Maher received the Los Angeles Press Club president’s award (for “championing free speech”) … _Real Time [with Bill Maher]_ has earned widespread praise. It has been nominated for more than ten Primetime Emmy Awards and six Writer’s Guild awards. In 2007, Maher and his co-producers were awarded the Television Producer of the Year Award in Variety Television by the Producers Guild of America. > [Bill Maher - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Maher) None of these things are a shield for his opinions. > [@](#): > > One more thing, about the controversial Milo Yiannopoulos interview, for which Maher was much criticized for inviting a true bigot and racist on his show for the one-on-one interview part. From the same source as above: > In the days following the interview, Yiannopoulos had his invitation to speak before the 2017 Conservative Political Action Conference, as well as a book deal with Simon & Schuster, cancelled. Yiannopoulos subsequently resigned as an editor at Breitbart News. When asked whether Yiannopoulos’s interview on his show was among the causes of his resignation, Maher concurred, saying, “As I say, sunlight is the best disinfectant. You’re welcome.” It wasn’t Maher’s interview that got his invitation cancelled or that got his book cancelled. It was because footage came out where he was [“discussing the merits of gay relationships between adults and boys as young as 13.”](https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-39037244) Maher can try to claim credit for that: but rather than give him credit lets just add disingenuous liar to the list of things Maher is guilty of instead. The real credit belongs to a [16-year-old high school student in Canada.](https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/2/24/14715774/milo-yiannopoulos-cpac-pedophile-video-canada?__c=1) ---
**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:** [April 12, 2020, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-we-should-blame-china/851550/94 "2020-04-12T15:26:15Z")
> [@Banquet\_Bear](#): > > …I was asked for a cite that Maher was a bigot. The cite I provided had many examples of what many would describe as bigotry. I could provide many others if you like. Or you could just watch his show. The fact that it was an opinion piece is irrelevant. I’ve watched his show. I don’t find him to be a bigot in any sense. We don’t need to agree about this. Let’s just drop it. > [@Banquet\_Bear](#): > > LOL. My point _exactly_. Virtue signalling isn’t really a thing, its never actually been a thing. But if people like [Bill Maher](https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2019/09/28/bill_maher_self-loathing_white_shame_among_liberals_is_just_tedious_virtue_signaling.html) are going to pretend that it is then I’m more than happy to throw it back in his face. The “white guilt” thing is actually I thing that I’ve seen on a message board that my wife used to follow. It’s not as big a thing as Maher makes it out to be but it’s a thing exactly as absurd as he describes it. That he gives it prominence is part of his schtick and it deserves to be called out because it’s actually cringe inducing and insulting to minorities for the reasons he correctly described. So yeah, real thing, but marginally worthy of mention, and fully deserving of ridicule. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2020, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-we-should-blame-china/851550/95 "2020-04-12T16:24:20Z")
> [@2ManyTacos](#): > > But labeling the pandemic as the “Chinese virus” isn’t helping anything, and it probably makes China _less_ likely to eliminate their wet markets. I don’t think any labeling of the virus - xenophobic or not - will have an affect on whether China eliminates its wet markets or not. The wet markets put China \*itself \*at risk, since they would cause China to be Ground Zero for another such viral outbreak. ---
**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:** [April 12, 2020, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-we-should-blame-china/851550/96 "2020-04-12T16:58:55Z")
> [@Banquet\_Bear](#): > > None of these things are a shield for his opinions. You totally miss my point. Bill Maher is often deliberately provocative – that’s his schtick – but only very rarely does he seriously say something that I disagree with. I can live with that. I find that the good (the informative discussions and the often-insightful creative humor) outweighs the bad by a factor of 1000 to 1. You, OTOH, have a string of invectives describing him that seems to get longer each time you mention it, implying that he’s completely uninformed and all manner of other horrible things and is not worth listening to. I’m just saying that some very respected high-profile critics disagree with you, as do I. I watch very little TV but _Real Time_ is one of my favorite shows, along with John Oliver’s show. You’re entitled to have a different opinion but I find it completely unpersuasive. ---
**Author:** ![RioRico](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f04885/32.png) [@RioRico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RioRico)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2020, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-we-should-blame-china/851550/97 "2020-04-12T17:27:00Z")
> [@2ManyTacos](#): > > I mean, when it comes to blaming China, I think we can definitively blame them for two things here: (1) the filthy wet markets that continue to enable these illnesses to proliferate, and (2) the secrecy and bungled coverup of the Chinese government when this disaster first started. Chinese governments on several levels reacted badly. The US government at the federal level reacted badly. We in the US can’t modify Chinese governments, only our own. > [@](#): > > But labeling the pandemic as the “Chinese virus” isn’t helping anything, and it probably makes China _less_ likely to eliminate their wet markets. Quite. Casting blame is handy PR but otherwise not much for problem solution. US federal leadership sees this as a PR problem, not a medical crisis. And Asian-blaming HAS resulted in violence and discrimination against those thought to be East Asian. Words have effects. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2020, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-we-should-blame-china/851550/98 "2020-04-12T17:35:51Z")
I am very very sorry for starting the inane Bill Maher hijack. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2020, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-we-should-blame-china/851550/99 "2020-04-12T19:13:56Z")
Maher went off the rails decades ago. The only real target for blame lies much closer to home. ---
**Author:** ![Jragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jragon)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2020, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-we-should-blame-china/851550/100 "2020-04-12T22:49:48Z")
> [@Banquet\_Bear](#): > > …Bill Maher is a racist, misogynist, a bigot and an Islamophobe. You forgot [intensely, virulently transphobic.](https://www.thedailybeast.com/bill-mahers-transphobia-problem) > [@wolfpup](#): > > According to the Oxford dictionary, a misogynist is “a person who dislikes, despises, or is strongly prejudiced against women”. So Maher allegedly despises women yet constantly invites prominent, smart, and articulate women to his in-depth panel discussions. You have a strange definition of misogyny, one that is not shared by any dictionary or lexicologist. Hmm, if we’re playing the dictionary game let me raise you the Merriam-Webster usage note on “[racism](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/racism)”. > [@](#): > > Dictionaries are often treated as the final arbiter in arguments over a word’s meaning, but they are not always well suited for settling disputes. The lexicographer’s role is to explain how words are (or have been) actually used, not how some may feel that they should be used, and they say nothing about the intrinsic nature of the thing named by a word, much less the significance it may have for individuals. When discussing concepts like racism, therefore, it is prudent to recognize that quoting from a dictionary is unlikely to either mollify or persuade the person with whom one is arguing. Anyway “Chinese Virus” or “Wuhan fever” or whatever you wanna use is utterly pointless. Coronavirus has a common name, widely understood, correct or not. Using “Chinese virus” is just a sinophobic dogwhistle. Also [wet market doesn’t mean what you think it means](https://youtu.be/whbyuy2nHBg). Your local Trader Joe’s is a wet market, and most do not engage in live animal trading. And honestly a lot of US farmer’s markets are of similar levels of cleanliness and animal density, there’s just fewer of them in less constant operation. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-we-should-blame-china/851550.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-we-should-blame-china/851550.md?page=6)