# Real Time with Bill Maher **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 10, 2023, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-time-with-bill-maher/991367 "2023-10-10T21:03:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 37
**Author:** ![Chisquirrel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6bbea6/32.png) [@Chisquirrel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chisquirrel)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2024, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-time-with-bill-maher/991367/721 "2024-10-15T16:50:33Z")
This entire exchange is a brilliant example of gaslighting. Maher didn’t say the things he explicitly said, Sherrerd didn’t say the things they explicitly said, everyone arguing against them definitely said things they didn’t actually say, and everyone is still treating it like a serious conversation. ---
**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:** [October 15, 2024, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-time-with-bill-maher/991367/722 "2024-10-15T17:12:02Z")
> [@Sherrerd](#): > > I would feel confident that anyone who reads through this thread would be taken aback by the viciousness of attacks on @wolfpup (who tends to admire Maher), which seem, to me at least, to be way out of proportion. Yeah, well, that’s sometimes the nature of the Pit, but I just want to clarify that I wouldn’t characterize myself as “admiring” Maher. He can be annoyingly smug, and he’s an idiot about vaccines and medical science in general. My position is that I’ve found _Real Time with Bill Maher_ to be interesting and informative in the more than 15 years that I’ve been regularly watching it, and those who studiously avoid it out of some idealistic principle are missing out on some intelligent conversations with many notable figures. ---
**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:** [October 15, 2024, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-time-with-bill-maher/991367/723 "2024-10-15T18:00:31Z")
Here’s a bit more of the Maher monologue, the one with the “keep marching for Hamas, kids” > [@Bill Maher](#): > > The same students who will tell you that “words are violence” and “silence is violence” were very supportive when Hamas terrorists went on a rape and murder rampage worthy of the vikings. They knew where to point the fingers – at the murdered – and then it was off to ethics class. Like I say, the sauron of straw men. And no I don’t agree that it’s just a matter of people talking past each other. ---
**Author:** ![Chisquirrel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6bbea6/32.png) [@Chisquirrel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chisquirrel)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2024, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-time-with-bill-maher/991367/724 "2024-10-15T18:05:08Z")
I was unclear - Maher absolutely said that shit. The gaslighting was Sherrerd insisting he didn’t, when he very explicitly did. It’s not talking past each other, it’s Sherrerd arguing in bad faith, and everyone else still engaging with them. ---
**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:** [October 15, 2024, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-time-with-bill-maher/991367/725 "2024-10-15T18:07:55Z")
Ah sorry, ironically I misunderstood you 😂 ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2024, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-time-with-bill-maher/991367/726 "2024-10-16T18:51:18Z")
> [@Chisquirrel](#): > > I was unclear - Maher absolutely said that shit. The gaslighting was Sherrerd insisting he didn’t, when he very explicitly did. > > It’s not talking past each other, it’s Sherrerd arguing in bad faith, and everyone else still engaging with them. Obviously I don’t agree with your opinion, much less with your slur (that I would deliberately argue in bad faith). This began with one person guessing, without having heard Maher’s piece on Chappell Roan, that > [@](#): > > I haven’t willingly watched Maher in ages and I feel like I already know exactly how that entire monologue would go. Smug jokes about Gen Z being entitled and lazy, condescending insults couched as “advice”, claims that in his day people worked hard and weren’t offended by everything, casual dismissal of racism and sexism as not being a big deal, at least one complaint about “cancel culture”, fifty attempts to hold for applause, closing with telling her she should be grateful for being famous and to shut up and look pretty. Having actually heard Maher’s piece myself, I said: > [@Sherrerd](#): > > You’re on-target with the pauses for applause. But not so much the rest, as (I’d say) the piece was more a criticism of Roan for championing Hamas than anything else. In other words, Maher’s topic was his distaste for religious fundamentalism (Islam in this case) rather than any generational resentment. To my amazement this was taken as a Highly Controversial view, not to mention worthy of accusations of “arguing in bad faith.” Since I don’t believe that anyone I respect would interpret this conversation in the same way you have, I’ll let it go. I will note that the conversation might well have gone differently if we weren’t three weeks out from the horrifyingly-momentous beginning of the _ **Right Versus the Constitution** _ era of US history. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2024, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-time-with-bill-maher/991367/727 "2024-10-17T02:15:10Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > My position is that I’ve found _Real Time with Bill Maher_ to be interesting and informative in the more than 15 years that I’ve been regularly watching it, and those who studiously avoid it out of some idealistic principle are missing out on some intelligent conversations with many notable figures. I disagree with you but still respect you because you don’t overlook when Maher is clearly in the wrong. You are entitled to your opinion and if you get entertainment from his show, more power to you. ---
**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:** [October 17, 2024, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-time-with-bill-maher/991367/728 "2024-10-17T02:35:10Z")
One joke I liked from the last episode (paraphrasing): “To Marjorie Taylor Greene: if Democrats can supposedly control the weather, isn’t that a really good reason to vote for them?” ---
**Author:** ![Chisquirrel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6bbea6/32.png) [@Chisquirrel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chisquirrel)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2024, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-time-with-bill-maher/991367/729 "2024-10-17T04:32:06Z")
> [@Sherrerd](#): > > But not so much the rest, as (I’d say) the piece was more a criticism of Roan for championing Hamas than anything else. Except it was pointed out Roan NEVER CHAMPIONED HAMAS. Yet you continue to defend Maher making that exact assertion. And yes, “Keep marching for Hamas,” is explicitly saying Roan supports Hamas. Flat out, there’s no other intelligent way to read that. Same with “The same students…were very supportive when Hamas terrorists went on a rape and murder rampage worth of the vikings.” Of course, if you can find anything remotely close to ‘Israel is evil and its opponents are universally righteous’ from Roan’s statements, I’d appreciate it. You’ve pointed out that OMG you actually READ Maher’s piece! Did you ever actually read anything from Roan, or are you just regurgitating Maher’s blatantly false assertion? > [@Sherrerd](#): > > Since I don’t believe that anyone I respect would interpret this conversation in the same way you have, I’ll let it go. I wouldn’t want your respect, I’ve seen exactly what you defend. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2024, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-time-with-bill-maher/991367/730 "2024-10-17T19:59:32Z")
> [@Chisquirrel](#): > > You’ve pointed out that OMG you actually READ Maher’s piece Listened to. It’s a video, no transcript is evident. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2024, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-time-with-bill-maher/991367/731 "2024-10-19T19:31:24Z")
> [@Mijin](#): > > “To Marjorie Taylor Greene: if Democrats can supposedly control the weather, isn’t that a really good reason to vote for them?” Yeah, that actually got an audible chuckle from me. (Usually I don’t get more than smiles from the jokes on that show; Colbert’s writers are more likely to get out-loud laughs from me.) This week brought Mark Cuban, whose time is fairly valuable, so he doesn’t always sit down for the 30-minutes-plus it takes to be a panelist on Real Time. I’m not sure I agree with his assertion that Google can’t be regulated in any way because that would let China win the AI race. But he did have a lot of insights to offer. Maher made a decent point, I thought, with his take-down of the Trump-defender stand-by of accusing people of having Trump Derangement Syndrome. It truly is tired as well as stooopid. It’s as reasonable to be alarmed by the thought of another Trump Presidency, as it’s reasonable to be alarmed by the thought of being alone in a small room with a grizzly bear hopped up on cocaine. Maher actually had a Young Person on (David Hogg) which somewhat derailed his usual rant about ‘kids these days.’ Hogg comported himself well and undercut Maher’s stance on the young quite gracefully. > **[Bill Maher, Joe Scarborough Blast Trump Derangement Syndrome](https://www.mediaite.com/news/bill-maher-and-msnbcs-joe-scarborough-attack-trump-derangement-syndrome-its-not-deranged-to-fear-this/)** > > Bill Maher joined MSNBC's Joe Scarborough in attacking the concept of "Trump Derangement Syndrome," exclaiming "It's not deranged" to fear Trump. ---
**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:** [October 19, 2024, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-time-with-bill-maher/991367/732 "2024-10-19T19:43:29Z")
> [@Sherrerd](#): > > This week brought Mark Cuban, whose time is fairly valuable, so he doesn’t always sit down for the 30-minutes-plus it takes to be a panelist on Real Time. I’m not sure I agree with his assertion that Google can’t be regulated in any way because that would let China win the AI race. But he did have a lot of insights to offer. Yeah I’ve been a bit meh about Cuban’s recent appearances. I saw him at a rally talking about tariffs, and though I agreed with his position, he spoke for a long time and only really made one argument. I couldn’t help feeling that someone who was pro-tariff prior to hearing Cuban, would not have heard much reason to change their mind. Anyway, that’s a hijack of this thread. I’m going to see if there’s a tariff thread for a longer rant 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2024, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-time-with-bill-maher/991367/733 "2024-10-19T19:47:21Z")
> [@Mijin](#): > > I couldn’t help feeling that someone who was pro-tariff prior to hearing Cuban, would not have heard much reason to change their mind. … Yeah, he’s not The Great Persuader, though obviously he does have other assets. (Before Harris picked Walz I’d been promoting the idea of her choosing Cuban—partly because I’d have loved the idea of a REAL business success taking down faker Trump. But it wouldn’t have been a good choice, I have to admit.) ---
**Author:** ![Chingon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chingon/32/17645_2.png) [@Chingon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chingon)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2024, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-time-with-bill-maher/991367/734 "2024-10-19T19:48:54Z")
Thank God she didn’t. That’s about the stupidest idea I’ve heard in a while. ---
**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:** [January 14, 2025, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-time-with-bill-maher/991367/735 "2025-01-14T03:40:21Z")
Just two quick updates. HBO recently aired a Maher special called _Is Anyone Else Seeing This?_. I’ve frankly been disappointed by some of Maher’s recent standups, finding them rather dark and cynical, but this one was different. It had genuinely funny bits in which Maher tries to explain himself, that he’s not “anti-left” but anti “extremist-woke”. Even granting that he’s prone to hyperbole, I think he makes a good case. For someone who’s done some disappointing standups in recent years, this is something of a redemption. He also argues – perhaps too optimistically – that the Orange Fuck is just about as likely to sit around on his fat ass eating hamberders as he is to cause havoc in the world, but I guess we’ll soon see. It’s a special worth watching, is my only point. Those so allergic to Maher that they couldn’t stand it are excused. Also, the first show of the 23rd season of _Real Time_ airs this Friday. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2025, 10:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-time-with-bill-maher/991367/736 "2025-01-14T10:50:03Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > It’s a special worth watching, is my only point. If you’re a regular viewer of Real Time, you can skip the special and not miss much; it’s mostly a retelling of jokes and material he’s previously shared on RT. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2025, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-time-with-bill-maher/991367/737 "2025-01-14T14:10:09Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > It had genuinely funny bits in which Maher tries to explain himself, that he’s not “anti-left” but anti “extremist-woke”. That all hinges on his definition of “extremist woke” and “left”. Some people seem to think being anti-rape is extremist woke. ---
**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:** [January 14, 2025, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-time-with-bill-maher/991367/738 "2025-01-14T15:35:13Z")
Yep I’ll take a look at the special later, but if “anti woke” is the key theme then my expectations are very low. Here in the UK, before woke there was “political correctness”. It was, and is, almost always bollocks; heavily exaggerated anecdotes at best, more often outright lies. But it remains incredibly powerful – it persuades the public to vote against their own interests and be intolerant to the most vulnerable people. ---
**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:** [January 14, 2025, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-time-with-bill-maher/991367/739 "2025-01-14T16:05:59Z")
> [@Mijin](#): > > Yep I’ll take a look at the special later, but if “anti woke” is the key theme then my expectations are very low. > > Here in the UK, before woke there was “political correctness” … I wouldn’t say it’s the key theme, but it’s Maher, so it’s there. He does a fair share of Republican-bashing, too (“They think climate change is a hoax but the weather girl’s tits are real” and “they’re always blaming the under-privileged when they should be blaming the over-privileged, and then they added to that shitty mix tape – they don’t believe in democracy any more; elections only count when we win”. But yeah, he’s bugged by the “over-sensitivity” of the left. And he has some good points. He is bugged by students demonstrating in support of Hamas and Hezbollah, **[and he’s not the only one](https://www.adl.org/resources/article/intimidation-harassment-and-support-hamas-mark-widespread-anti-israel-student)**. ---
**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:** [January 14, 2025, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-time-with-bill-maher/991367/740 "2025-01-14T16:23:51Z")
Yeah that’s the kind of thing I mean though. I have joined protests for Palestine myself. I genuinely haven’t seen any antisemitism, it’s probable that some bad faith actors have joined at least some of the marches, but this seems a very convenient excuse used in US media (and here in the UK, to a lesser extent) to dismiss the actual reasons for these protests. Also…whether you agree with the protests or not, it’s frankly insane to give this as an example of oversensitivity. Innocent Israelis have been killed, and innocent Palestinians are being killed, the latter in their thousands. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-time-with-bill-maher/991367.md?page=36) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-time-with-bill-maher/991367.md?page=38)