November 17, 2011

Bill Maher goes on "The View," begins with a suck-up to women, and gets feminist chill from Elisabeth Hasselbeck.

HuffPo just calls this "incredibly awkward." But it's a fascinating deployment and deflection of feminism:



Maher waltzes onto "The View" and delivers a prepared line that is obviously structured to reach out to the female daytime-TV audience. Joy Behar prompts him to talk about Sandusky, and Maher begins:
You'd like this...
(Because you're a woman.)
... Any institution where there's no women around — like The Church, like football, like the Middle East, like fraternities — it just goes to hell. You do need women as a moderating influence.
You? There's a feminist faux pas right in the middle of his effort at feminism. The audience is female, and he's saying "you" to them, but they are not the "you." Worse than that, seemingly without realizing it, he's dishing out old-fashioned male chauvinism: Women exist to moderate men. Men are the primary force in the world, but too much of that roiling, spewing masculine energy, and there's trouble. Come in, ladies, ground us, soothe us, care for us, tone us down, so our intensity doesn't boil over into destruction.

But Maher assumed — "You'd like this" — that female TV audience would feel flattered and not notice the message of subordination. And he assumed they'd enjoy hearing an insult to men. Quite aside from whether women appreciate negative stereotypes about men, underneath the insult was great pride in male achievements. Some men go too far, but maleness is central, even as femaleness is needed for moderation.

Nevertheless, Maher intended to appeal to women, to embed himself in the context of feminist values. He failed, even before Hasselbeck lit into him, but he did not realize that. He was perched in the center of the curved turquoise sofa, pleased at having presented himself as an admirer of women.

Hasselbeck begins: "That sounded very supportive of women." That is, she could see what he was doing, trying to seem feminist, though she doesn't say that it really was supportive: it sounded supportive.
"And I just want to go back to a time that bothered me... not for my own personal reasons... Forgive this idiotic Republican for bringing this to your brilliant mind..."
Talk about a moderating influence! She's stirring things up.
"In February of last year, Lara Logan was in Egypt and she was brutally attack by a mob there. She came back and said: 'There were hands raping me over and over again, tearing my body in every direction, trying to tear off chunks of my skull. I was in no doubt in the process of dying.'

"Now, prior to her coming back, Bill, you on your show said: 'Now that Hosni Mubarak has released Lara Logan, he must put her intrepid hotness on a plane immediately. In exchange, we will send Elisabeth Hasselbeck.'"
Hasselbeck sums up: "That wasn't that funny."

I'm virtually positive that Maher wasn't ambushed here. I think it was planned that Hasselbeck would read that indignant bit — it's all on paper, with 2 verbatim quotes — and sum up with an attack on the comedian's funniness. She did not cut more deeply. She could have said: You made a joke out of rape and you specifically thought it was funny to say that I should be raped. Is rape funny when it happens to a woman whose ideas you object to? You stood there on TV and named me as a person you'd want to hand over to a mob to be raped to death? That's your show, Bill?!

But she had it on paper, and it had her ending with a simple that's not funny. There's a female stereotype for you! It's the punchline to the old how many feminists does it take to screw in a lightbulb? joke. The "ambush" was gentle, and Maher was prepared:
"We do a comedy show for an audience that's perhaps different than your audience. You are a public figure. It was not aimed at you personally, but when you are a public figure, you are out there and you're fodder for comedians to make comments on."
Asked "Do you draw the line ever?" he responds, elegantly, "I do draw the line, but I also live on the line." He's a male, bursting with creativity and cutting recklessly, unmoderated by females, late at night, on HBO. "You have to be out on the edge to know where that edge is."

Hasselbeck scoffs, "Thanks for being the hero." That is: You're bragging about yourself. She's playing that moderating role assigned to women, dragging him down to earth. She demands an apology. The others on the sofa frame her complaint as a personal affront, because she was named, not a more general attack on Maher for making a joke out throwing a woman to a brutal mob to be raped to death.

If you had it to do over again, would you used that joke, Hasselbeck asks, "if you're so supportive of women"?, and Maher deflects her glibly, but still without acknowledging the gravity of wishing rape on his political opponent. He says: "If I had a crystal ball and knew I was coming here and had to spend my whole segment talking about it, no, I wouldn't. It really wouldn't be worth it."

That is, he still likes his joke, but it's such a pain having to fritter away his book-pimping spot dealing with her that it's not worth it. He brushes her off: "Worse things have happened to people." Worse than hands raping me over and over again, tearing my body in every direction, trying to tear off chunks of my skull? Yeah, it is true. Worse things have happened to people. Thanks for the info, Bill. And here you are,  talking to the women daytime TV has been explaining feminist issues to for decades!

Barbara Walters butts in to talk about herself. "I went through years of Baba Wawa. I survived." What a survivor! The message from Walters — who promotes feminism on most occasions, I think — is that Hasselbeck shouldn't take herself so seriously. She needs to learn to take a joke. Gilda Radner's delightfully charming imitation of Walters's speech defect is pretty much the same as Maher snarking about throwing Hasselbeck into a gang rape. Yeah. It's all comedy!

Hasselbeck claims some dignity in the end. She clarifies that it's not about her personal feelings, that she's "speaking on behalf of women," and that accountability is important. It's what she teaches her kids. Yeah, she's a mom. She's nice. She's folded back into the group, properly in place as one of the women on the turquoise sofa, arrayed sweetly around the man... moderating him.

193 comments:

Anonymous said...

The thing that bugs me the most about Bill Maher the pose of edginess (all that "Politically Incorrect" BS), when in reality he has never in his life uttered a word that wasn't calculated to get applause from the audience in front him. He's a coward pretending to heroism.

Peano said...

You miss the central point, Althorse. This isn't about feminism. It's about conservatism. Hasselbeck is a conservative; therefore, all the politically correct canons of feminism are tossed overboard.

Sixty Bricks said...

Hasselbeck is mentally retarded isn't she? Maher should be more sensitive.

Scott M said...

The thing that bugs me the most about Bill Maher

The thing that bugs me the most about him probably also bugs Greg Proops. Mahar's stand-up was awful and his wry politicisms very pat and awfully delivered. Proops, cut from the same ideological cloth, was a much better comic and, frankly, holds forth better in serious discussion...but...HE didn't get a show on HBO.

Patrick said...

Timmaguire, I agree with you. Twice.

ndspinelli said...

Maher's a short, smug, asshole and about 10% as smart as he thinks he is.

Ralph L said...

"I went through years of Baba Wawa. I survived."
It enhanced her career more than the men she boinked.

MayBee said...

I hate the stupid idea that women are so pure and good. Women like to tell themselves that. "A woman would never have gotten us into war!". It's embarrassing.

I was embarrassed for the women of the view that none of them stood up for Elizabeth or against the rape joke. People in the audience actually laughed when Maher put Elizabeth down in a flaccid effort to make excuses for himself.

Unknown said...

Maybee--women would never take us to war.. I know you had your tongue in your cheek, but as I recall, Dame Thatcher, Indira Ghandi, and Golda Meir managed to do it quite well.

RichardS said...

The belief that women and men only differ in the structure of teir bodies may very well be anti-science.

Michael said...

Women and Blacks are supposed to be liberals. If you are not a liberal you cannot be a real woman or a real black.

And lefties do not give one shit about anything that could diminish their sanctimony.

Tim said...

Hmmm.

1. Bill Maher is an asshole. Always has been. His hard-left, anti-American politics only makes him an even bigger asshole than he'd be otherwise.

2. This shows (as if it needs showing, but some people are so stupid it needs to be pounded into their heads over and over again) the hypocrisy of the all too sensitive, PC left. Terms like "equal rights" and "social justice" are just tools to leverage power: Clinton raping Broderick is dismissed; Clinton hitting on women is dismissed; Maher's wish that Hasselbeck be raped because she's a Republican is dismissed even by the other women (all leftists) on the show as a mere joke. Does one imagine for a moment that such a suggestion for Chelsea Clinton (or any other high-profile, semi-attractive or better young Democrat/leftist woman) would be tolerated as a joke for even a moment?

Of course not.

Otherwise, all the feminist twaddle is just crap - get over yourselves, people - let's start dealing with people as individuals, eh?

Unknown said...

Bill Maher and Jon Stewart are too sanctimonius assess--regretably, I fear, far too many of the younger generation think they are political powerhouses--this county is probably fucked.

Unknown said...

umm--too = two

Freeman Hunt said...

Everything about The View is anti-feminist, isn't it? It's every stereotype of women presented as a show. Hasselbeck is the best one on there, but I don't know why she's there. The show is terrible.

"Women are stupid."
"Women are irrational."
"Women are petty."
"Women hold grudges."
"Women are superficial."
"Women are annoying."

They're stereotypes, and they're constantly illustrated on that show. Horrible.

Tim said...

"...this county is probably fucked.

...this country is fucked.

Fixed.

Wish I could lol.

Bill said...

Elizabeth Hasselback is an idiot. It's difficult to take anything she says seriously.

I remember a few months ago when Whoopi Goldberg whooped her in an argument. She isn't the sharpest tool in the shed. She takes her job seriously? I mean, I guess, but it's the View. It's not like this is a credible show that people take seriously.

Unknown said...

not having a TV, this is the first time I have ever seen "the view."

It is amazing that the show could put so many idiots on as, what, panelists? I mean whoopi goldberg, barbara wa wa--come on.

I dont know who the hallelbeck person is, but from comments I assume she is the token conservative.

Who comes up with these shows--

Continues to affirm my decision of getting rid of my TV years ago.

Col Mustard said...

Mullah Maher has it right!

Nothing wrong with calling for gang-rape of idealogical opponents - especially when the rules say it's not even rape without the requisite number of male witnesses saying so.

The proper outcome is declaring the woman a slut and a danger to the morals of those who were powerless to not fuck her. It's a shame she survived, really. Now, Mullah Maher will have to go to the trouble of burying the bitch up to her neck and throwing rocks at her head until she's dead.

Scott M said...

but from comments I assume she is the token conservative

That would be the concise description, but you forgot perky.

Patrick said...

I think this is a good analysis of what happened on the show. "Feminism"
doesn't stand for much when political interests are at stake. As Prof. Althouse frequently points out, lots of women were willing to throw out their "feminist" values in order to support someone who used and benefited from some of the oldest, most misogynist tactics in his defense. On the View, Walters and Behar, who would not tolerate a rape joke of any leftist, were entirely willing to be lead down the line by a man, in order to please him. Feminist? Nah, that's like Victorian England. Maher, who I would guess describes himself as feminist, makes a joke about rape to score political points against a woman with whom he disagrees. Now, I like dark humor as much as the next guy, but I can't imagine him doing this with a female public figure on the left.

Sofa King said...

Host of one terrible show is guest on another terrible show, with terrible results. Can't they all just shut the hell up?

rhhardin said...

It's the "you men have to change" message.

The women would do something if they actually wanted to equal men in accomplishment. Which they don't.

It's women's send-man-on-quest instinct, abstracted from any particular man onto men in general, where it becomes feminism.

Marching is place is feminism's history.

Alternative: "If I can't dance, I don't want to be part of your revolution." Emma Goldman

Roger J. said...

apologies--the posts by "unknown" above are in fact mine: RogerJ

I dislike anonymous postings even more than Bill Maher and Jon Stewart

William said...

Think back to those days when all them darkies got lynched. Don't you wish we had a time machine so we could send Whoopi Goldberg there.....No, that's not funny. Try this: Think back to those days when all them darkies got lynched. Don't you wish we had a time machine so we could send Herman Cain there.....Now, that's funny, at least to Bill Maher's audience.

Roger J. said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
rhhardin said...

They're stereotypes, and they're constantly illustrated on that show. Horrible.

Women like it.

The show is a business. They sell women's eyes to advertisers.

It's a stereotype and something real.

Pam said...

Maher may be intelligent, and he always shows in his actions that he thinks he's the most brilliant man in the room. He is annoyingly condescending; sordid with those whom he disagrees. He is the epitome of the Tolerant Left .
Yet, the incongruity of his persona is lost on him. My late dad would have called him ofal.

JohnJ said...

The thing that bugs me most about Bill Maher is that I don't find him funny—at all. I suppose if I did, I'd somehow rationalize his poisonous shtick on politics, personalities and so on.

The other thing that bugs me about Bill Maher is his audience: WTF are they laughing at?

Roger J. said...

Pam: your late dad (and sorry) was too decent to say what he probably really meant. He was classy enough to use appropriate English in his condemnation.

Shouting Thomas said...

Maher's a short, smug, asshole and about 10% as smart as he thinks he is.

Shit, for once, I agree with spinelli, who is a short, smug asshole who's about 1% as smart as he thinks he is.

Takes one to know one.

Hell freezes over.

DADvocate said...

Hasselbeck is mentally retarded isn't she?

Funny (not) how so much liberal humor (not) is based on hatred. Maher's a prime example.

Roger J. said...

Comedy used to be really funny--look at Jack Benny clips, bob hope clips, and groucho marx (who walked a fine line)--todays comedy is trash--like how many times can you say fuck and have the audience laugh.

Roger J. said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Sorun said...

Possibly related in some way to the popularity of The View: "One in four American women take medication for a mental disorder."

DADvocate said...

Smug describes Maher better than any other single word. Next would be sociopath. The same kind of sociopathy found in the smug Obama, who's even less funny.

X said...

The other thing that bugs me about Bill Maher is his audience: WTF are they laughing at?

listen more closely. they rarely laugh. they applaud. because he doesn't say funny things, he says things they approve of. Jon Stewart, while partisan, can also be funny.

edutcher said...

Have to disagree that Maher wasn't ambushed. sounds like Ms Hasselbeck nailed his ass to the wall.

He had a stock comeback, the same kind a politician has, but she got him.

Bill said...

Elizabeth Hasselback is an idiot. It's difficult to take anything she says seriously.

From a fan of The View.

MadisonMan said...

Nothing kills a joke like having to explain it, especially if it's not funny to start with.

MayBee said...

Unknown- You are absolutely right. Sadly, there are women who publicly spout that bit about women not taking us to war. I have no idea why they say that, but they are quite convincing to themselves.

ricpic said...

Althouse's analysis of Maher's intended compliment confirms there's no right thing for a man to say to a feminist. And the issue isn't that Maher's a shit. The issue is that men exist to be whupped upside the head.

Bruce Hayden said...

Last week, I was signing up for cable, and one of the choices was HBO. I politely declined, stating that, yes, they have some good movies, but they also wasted a lot of slots with Maher. And, I wasn't going to support him, so no HBO.

I never quite understood why he thought that he was the least bit politically incorrect. Except maybe too far to the left even for a lot of leftists. But, this is just one more example of his lack of political incorrectness.

Roger J. said...

given my military background, I tend to favor people with whom I would like to be on my side in a firefight--the three i cited meet that criteria--yes, of course they were women. But they were also leaders of their country--and in that role they excelled.

Scott M said...

todays comedy is trash--like how many times can you say fuck and have the audience laugh.

Not true at all, Roger. If you want good comedy without fuck every three seconds, check out people like Paul F. Tompkins, Maria Bamford, or, a newcomer, Hannibal Burris. These are just a couple off the top of my head because I've been listening to their new stuff recently.

There are plenty of comics doing plenty of comedy that aren't in the Doug Stanhope vein where everything is controversial and every other word is fuck.

Comedy has actually taken quite a positive turn in the last couple of years, particularly for white comics unafraid to attack racial stereotypes from the opposite direction. Apparently, audiences wanted that. Who couldah thunk it?

Chip Ahoy said...

Comedy Central, your stoat got loose.

Roger J. said...

Scott M--thanks and I am glad comedy is turning back to funny--I was fortunate to hear Jerry Seinfeld do a gig at the Orphem in Memphis--went thru an hour and a half of really funny stuff and never uttered a profanity--glad to know the landscape might be changing--

Roger J. said...

two of the other comedians I thought were both funny and insightful were Bob and Ray--but that was a long time ago in a galaxy far away--and of course Tom Lehar

Pam said...

Roger... actually OFAL is about as wicked as it gets.

It is accepted as one of the primary causes of Mad Cow Disease.

Roger J. said...

Pam--thanks. would have loved the opportunity to share a beer with your late dad

Christopher in MA said...

"Elizabeth Hasselbeck is an idiot. It's difficult to take anything she says seriously."

So she deserves to be raped. Bitch had it coming, being a stupid Rethuglican, right, Bill?

Does anyone know (I can't be bothered to look it up) if Hasselbeck is married or has a boyfriend? Why haven't they beaten Maher into a coma?

The time was that a man would hunt down a slug like Maher and shove a Lousville Slugger so far up his colon he'd be spitting out slivers. But then again, there was a time when women believed themselves ladies and men gentlemen who should protect their honor.

JMS said...

Great analysis, Ann, you nailed it, thanks. I used to watch The View regularly in the early years, when Clinton was president. Back then it had Meredith Viera and that lawyer (before she became annoying). Based on her celebrity interviews, I had always thought Walters was a ditz, but I learned she was capable of insight. The conversation among the women then was lively and interesting. Then Bush was elected president and Viera left, and the whole show devolved into how-many-ways-can-we-call-Bush-an-idiot-today. Hasselbeck tried to be the voice of restraint, but she was green and uninformed and was always rolled by Behar. Walters decided what-the-hell and showed her true colors. I watched less and less, and then quit watching. Occasionally I'll turn it on to see if it's changed. I was hopeful when Goldberg came on, but unfortunately it's still just an hour of inane drivel.

Anonymous said...

Absolutely withering...

edutcher said...

Roger J. said...

two of the other comedians I thought were both funny and insightful were Bob and Ray--but that was a long time ago in a galaxy far away--and of course Tom Lehar

Man, that's the 50s. B & R weren't my dish of oolong, but my Dad loved them, especially the Piels beer commercials.

And do you mean Tom Lehrer?

Brian Brown said...

Bill said...
Elizabeth Hasselback is an idiot. It's difficult to take anything she says seriously.


It isn't like anyone is going to accuse you of being smart or informed any time soon.

Roger J. said...

ed, re tom L--yes, the harvard mathatics instructor--and I am a creater of the 50s--so I plead guilty to being an old fart

Roger J. said...

ed--its all I can do to remember any of this stuff, let alone spell names correctly!
cheers

damikesc said...

Chris, I'm fairly sure she is married to former QB Tim Hasselbeck.

Ann Althouse said...

"Elizabeth Hasselback is an idiot. It's difficult to take anything she says seriously."

Try to misspell as many words as possible when calling somebody else an idiot.

Alex said...

I remember a few months ago when Whoopi Goldberg whooped her in an argument.

Cite or GTFO.

Christopher in MA said...

Damikesc, thanks. I don't follow football, so his name means nothing to me.

My point stands, though. If some "comedian" made a "joke" about my wife being raped, he would never have the opportunity to speak a coherent sentence again after I'd finished with him.

Hoosier Daddy said...

"... Any institution where there's no women around — like The Church, like football, like the Middle East,..."

Did Joy and Whoopi get all indignant and storm off stage for Maher slamming Middle Easterners?

damikesc said...

Damikesc, thanks. I don't follow football, so his name means nothing to me.

As somebody who follows football... it doesn't mean a lot to me either. He wasn't very good.

In the end, there is a definite strain of liberals thinking that conservative women getting raped is FUNNY.

Palin got hit with these jokes a lot. Hasselbeck did. No doubt Bachmann did.

What is with the sexual violence the Left has?

I don't know of any conservatives who want to see, say, Pelosi get raped. Nobody I know would find it terribly funny to even joke about it.

damikesc said...

Did Joy and Whoopi get all indignant and storm off stage for Maher slamming Middle Easterners?

Given that Maher likely has fewer viewers than Behar's abortion of a show on HLN --- no benefit in them doing so.

But nice catch on that one.

Look at the bright side: Barbara Walters has done a magnificent job of taking her credibility from 20/20 and flushing it.

Kevin said...

Posts like this are why I come here every day.

Scott M said...

Given that Maher likely has fewer viewers than Behar's abortion of a show on HLN --- no benefit in them doing so.

The crucial question confronting our republic, though, is whether or not either of them has more viewers than Resist W. Much-Sharpton.

BillyTalley said...

I don't think it's necessarily feminist to be outraged about what is essentially a rapist's fantasy. First, he identified with the rapist mob by referring to Laura Logan's "hotness". Then he extended it with the imagery of the rape of Hasselbeck. Trading on conventional irony, he simultaneously condemns her to punishment and indulges in a fantasy of her rape.

It's like the way too many of us condone prison rape with a glee that savors another level of extra judicial punishment. This is wrong on a more fundamental level than feminism.

Amartel said...

Maher thinks he's better than any woman simply because he is a man. This irritates in the same way as a woman who carries on like she is better than any man simply because she is a woman. The traditional male superiority view would be less irritating if he was himself more traditionally manly and not a little smug prig coasting on the accomplishments of other, more manly, men. He's in the exact same business as the ladies (sometimes disparagingly referred to as "hens") on the View. (And the remark about having a different, somehow more cutting edge, audience is bullshit; obviously the View's audience clapped and laughed at his lame jokes just like the monkeys in the audience on his own show.) Maher's claim to "political incorrectness" has always started and ended with cheap shots at women generally instead of specifically. He gets away with it because the liberal media protects its own. Progressives talk the talk of equal rights, but do not deign to walk the walk.

Hoosier Daddy said...

"... What is with the sexual violence the Left has?.."

It's creepy. Sarah Bernhardt wanted Palin to get gangraped by some of her 'bruthas'.

Anonymous said...

Ted Nugent, while on stage holding up two assault rifles;

“Hey, Hillary, you might want to ride one of these into the sunset, you worthless bitch!”

Nugent is sexist, so is Maher. If you are a public figure you need to grow a thicker skin. I didn't see Hillary Clinton getting on TV and whining about Ted Nugent.

Scott M said...

I didn't see Hillary Clinton getting on TV and whining about Ted Nugent.

Not an apt comparison. If Hillary had a tv show of the same format as the View, and had invited Nugent on to it, what do you suppose the odds are that the situation you mentioned wouldn't come up?

damikesc said...

Nugent is sexist, so is Maher. If you are a public figure you need to grow a thicker skin. I didn't see Hillary Clinton getting on TV and whining about Ted Nugent.

Yes, because a juxtaposition of a rifle with a broomstick and somebody calling for somebody's rape are darned near the same thing.

It's like crime. There's no difference between Jefrey Dahmer and a jaywalker. They both committed crimes, right? The severity is immaterial, huh?

Hoosier Daddy said...

And Allie pulls out the tu quoque defense.

The point that's lost on her of course is O'Reilly was scolded by those harpies for pointing out 17 Muslims attacked us on 9/11 but lefty Maher wanted Hasselback to get gangraped and they were cool with dat.

Liberal hypocrisy at its finest.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

Broomstick, maybe .Phallus, maybe. It was a violent and sexist comment toward Hillary, but that's OK, because it's Hillary, right? I said both men were sexist. Poor little flower Elizabeth, mean manly Hillary.

damikesc said...

Broomstick, maybe .Phallus, maybe. It was a violent and sexist comment toward Hillary, but that's OK, because it's Hillary, right?

...can you point to the violence with telling her to ride a broomstick/rifle away? As compared, of course, to wanting somebody to get RAPED.

I'm intrigued.

Poor little flower Elizabeth, mean manly Hillary.

I'm amazed Hillary has held off saying she had to duck incoming fire from Nugent to date.

Anonymous said...

Dam,
Are you daft? Not violent, while holding up two assault rifles?

Roger Sweeny said...

Wow. That was really well-written. It reminded me of Mark Twain on Mormonism.

Anonymous said...

Ann said:

"She could have said: You made a joke out of rape and you specifically thought it was funny to say that I should be raped. Is rape funny when it happens to a woman whose ideas you object to? You stood there on TV and named me as a person you'd want to hand over to a mob to be raped to death? That's your show, Bill?!"

Lara Logan was released from detention by the Egyptian authorities on February 3. Maher made his joke about exchanging Hasselbeck with Logan during his program on February 4. Logan was sexually assaulted while covering the celebrations in Tahrir Square on February 11.

Maher wasn't joking about rape.

Bill said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
prairie wind said...

It's like the way too many of us condone prison rape with a glee that savors another level of extra judicial punishment. This is wrong on a more fundamental level than feminism.

I agree, Dennis. Excellent point. One that will be ignored because no one stands up for victims of prison rape.

William said...

Elizabeth just proved Maher's point by calling him to task for making such a poor joke. I think the larger point is not that men not only need women to soften their rough edges but that liberals need conservatives to disinfect their pathologies. If you're a liberal you live in a mockery free zone. There is much about Jon Corzine that deserves to be ridiculed and pilloried, but he has walked through several scandals without attracting the attention of any of the comedians. The guy with target on his back is Christie. An expanded waist line is some much funnier than the waste of shame that is Corzine's life......If Maher had a female writer, perhaps she'd have said ixnay on the rape jokes. If Maher had a conservative writer, perhaps he could poke a little fun at all these OWS types who campaigned for Corzine's re-election. If frogs had wings....

Ann Althouse said...

"Althouse's analysis of Maher's intended compliment confirms there's no right thing for a man to say to a feminist. And the issue isn't that Maher's a shit. The issue is that men exist to be whupped upside the head."

Why should there be a "right thing for a man to say"? How about thinking and being original and genuine and engaging in a real conversation with the person you're talking to? If you come out on the stage thinking you can say the "right thing" and win my favor and I can see what you're doing, you fail! I'm keeping my wits about me, not getting played, being perceptive, and thinking and speaking in real time. Hey, isn't that the name of Maher's show on HBO, "Real Time"? So cut the bullshit and exist in real time, respecting the human beings you're talking to or go away. That's my FEMINIST position. Okay?

pst314 said...

Dennis and Prairie Wind: I'll make an exception for jokes about Bill Maher in a Turkish prison. :-)

Hoosier Daddy said...

"... Poor little flower Elizabeth, mean manly Hillary...."

Good as description of Hillary as any other. Well done.

Ann Althouse said...

"Lara Logan was released from detention by the Egyptian authorities on February 3. Maher made his joke about exchanging Hasselbeck with Logan during his program on February 4. Logan was sexually assaulted while covering the celebrations in Tahrir Square on February 11. Maher wasn't joking about rape."

Interesting. Assuming that's the proper time line, why didn't he respond to Hasselbeck by saying that at the time of joke, the assault had not taken place?

Scott M said...

that's the proper time line, why didn't he respond to Hasselbeck by saying that at the time of joke, the assault had not taken place?

My question exactly. I'm not disputing the dates. I'm wondering why Bill wouldn't pounce on that as his fallback position.

damikesc said...

Are you daft? Not violent, while holding up two assault rifles?

So the act of simply holdng rifles is "violence" similar to hoping for a rape? I find Progressive mental gymnastics to define violence always fascinating.

In Progressiveland, juxtapositions are really calls for violence.

Maher wasn't joking about rape.

That Maher didn't make that point indicates that, yeah, he actually was.

Maher is actually pretty well known as a misogynist. It's not like this is a deeply held secret.

Ann Althouse said...

"My question exactly. I'm not disputing the dates. I'm wondering why Bill wouldn't pounce on that as his fallback position."

The obvious inference is that he wanted to press forward with his mirthmaking about rape and the picture of Elisabeth Hasselbeck getting killed by an Egyptian mob.

Hoosier Daddy said...

What Allie doesnt grasp is Maher went on the View as a defender of women and how wonderful and moderating they are in our society and then excused his rape fantasy as edgy comedy of a public figure.

Nuget didn't do that. I don't think Nuget is much of a feminist defending type of guy to the extent he thinks they can carry guns too.

Anonymous said...

Ann Althouse said...

"Interesting. Assuming that's the proper time line, why didn't he respond to Hasselbeck by saying that at the time of joke, the assault had not taken place?"

Ann, the timeline is correct. As far as his answer to Hasselbeck, who knows. You'll have to ask him. Maybe since he wasn't actually joking about sexual assault, he really didn't believe his joke about exchanging Hasselbeck for Logan was a big deal. As he said, he's a comedian and she is a public figure.

Alex said...

Ann, the timeline is correct. As far as his answer to Hasselbeck, who knows. You'll have to ask him. Maybe since he wasn't actually joking about sexual assault, he really didn't believe his joke about exchanging Hasselbeck for Logan was a big deal. As he said, he's a comedian and she is a public figure.

First of all I can't believe this dissembling on rape talk.

Second, it's ok to fantasy rape a conservative woman?

Hoosier Daddy said...

So then Maher wasn't suggesting rape, rather imprisonment of someone whose views they don't like.

How very Soviet.

Amazing the penchant for totalitarianism by the supposed liberty loving left.

Freeman Hunt said...

The minute some guy starts going on about how much he cares about women's issues, you can peg him for a smug misogynist.

mpc said...

According to the geniuses like Whoopi on "The View" it wasn't a "rape-rape" joke, so it's ok.

Anonymous said...

What Allie doesnt grasp is Maher went on the View as a defender of women and how wonderful and moderating they are in our society and then excused his rape fantasy as edgy comedy of a public figure.

Nuget didn't do that. I don't think Nuget is much of a feminist defending type of guy to the extent he thinks they can carry guns too.

11/17/11 1:36 PM
You are daft too, Maher a defender of women? Please. He doesn't apologize for his sexism toward women, he doesn't pretend to be a defender of women.

Bill said...

"The obvious inference is that he wanted to press forward with his mirthmaking about rape and the picture of Elisabeth Hasselbeck getting killed by an Egyptian mob."

Not surprisingly, you'd love to believe that, wouldn't you? Of course, it's also just as possible that he didn't really care or simply forgot the dates. This happened over 9 months ago; it's not like it was recent.

The dates are absolutely correct, though. A quick factcheck shows that Hasselbeck (happy with the spelling?) tried to construe this as something it wasn't. I know she claims she takes her job seriously, but let's be realistic--this it The View. There's nothing serious about it.

Scott M said...

What Allie doesnt grasp is Maher went on the View as a defender of women and how wonderful and moderating they are in our society

While I live in "society" I can really only comment on the my own life and those around me. I have a real problem with women being considered "moderating" on men simply by the benefit of their fairer gender.

There has always been more drama, more conflict, more backstabbing et al when women are involved, almost always women vs women, in an office or small shop environment. Guys tend to deal with their issues and move on. Women tend to want to make a thousand cuts while tossing in salt and lemon juice as often as they can get away with it.

In such situations, I'd daresay the moderating influence has been from a man.

damikesc said...

He doesn't apologize for his sexism toward women, he doesn't pretend to be a defender of women.

He did that, specifically, on the View.

He did it badly --- but he does everything badly.

Scott M said...

So then Maher wasn't suggesting rape, rather imprisonment of someone whose views they don't like.

Go back the few days or weeks before he made the comment. Was Hasselbeck involved in a newsworthy exchange attacking one of Bill's sacred cows?

Freeman Hunt said...

"Well hello, little ladies."
"Cluck, cluck, cluck."
"It is so good to see you all."
"Bock, bock, bock."
"I just want you to know, you ladies are so important!"
"Begock! Cluck. Cluck."
"Men are such doofuses. Right, ladies?"
"Bock. Bock. Bock."
"Good thing ya'll are around to keep us in line. Am I right or am I right?"
"Cluck. Cluck. Cluck."

Freeman Hunt said...

I want someone to go on The View, give a monologue about how stupid it is while on the show, and when asked, "Well, why are you here then?" answer, "Because there's a clause in my book contract about promotion, and I'm contractually obligated to be here."

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Freeman Hunt said...

I opened a women's magazine in a waiting room not too long ago, and there was a puff piece in it about a woman I'd never heard of. There were several pictures of her with her dogs. The dogs were wearing necklaces.

Have you looked at a women's magazine lately? Look at one. Gaze upon the tedium that fills the pages. Awful.

Then you have Cosmo, which has turned into the "How to Make a Man Like Having Sex with You" magazine. There's some high aim. Who is that for? Are people really totally unaware of how to have enjoyable sex? I think that's unlikely.

Anonymous said...

He doesn't apologize for his sexism toward women, he doesn't pretend to be a defender of women.

He did that, specifically, on the View.

He did it badly --- but he does everything badly.

11/17/11 1:45 PM
He was kissing some ass, that is all. He continues to make sexist jokes, mostly directed at right wing women because he is liberal. He doesn't spare lefty women if it promises to get a laugh. He is sexist and he doesn't give a damn who he targets, I suspect Ted Nugent would never say a sexist thing toward a right wing woman.

Unknown said...

Freeman as usual nails it.

Say Ms Hunt--the little one must now be almost three- hope you are surviving motherhood :)

cheers

Roger J. said...

damn--again the "unknown" above is me, roger j

I hate ending up being anonymous because I am too stupid to log off another gmail account.

apologies

MadisonMan said...

Freeman, this link is for you.

I've always loved how the camera flips between the top shot of the ladies' hats to chickens.

damikesc said...

He was kissing some ass, that is all. He continues to make sexist jokes, mostly directed at right wing women because he is liberal. He doesn't spare lefty women if it promises to get a laugh.

Amazing that such a deft comedian can't find anything funny about a liberal woman ever...ain't it? You're telling me a remotely competent comedian can't generate some Maxine Waters jokes? Nothing about Napolitano? No humor at all in the poodle they have running the DNC?

He is sexist and he doesn't give a damn who he targets, I suspect Ted Nugent would never say a sexist thing toward a right wing woman.

So he's just like Bill Maher is what you're saying. Except he was good at what he did for a living.

damikesc said...

Have you looked at a women's magazine lately?

On purpose? Dear God no.

I've been wondering for years, though, who are these men whose sexual tastes cannot be deciphered by women. Men aren't exactly known for subtlety.

OSweet said...

"You have to be out on the edge to know where that edge is."
That is a great line, one that essentially absolves you of anything, and in the process implicitly elevates you to a noble, rarefied, courage-marked plane. That's what the Penn State coach-cum-pederast Sandusky, once he's on trial, should should say to the judge: that he was bravely experimenting with cross-generational male-bonding, to help all mankind, help them know where the edge is.

Anonymous said...

Amazing that such a deft comedian can't find anything funny about a liberal woman ever...ain't it? You're telling me a remotely competent comedian can't generate some Maxine Waters jokes? Nothing about Napolitano? No humor at all in the poodle they have running the DNC?

11/17/11 2:01 PM
What part of this did you not understand Dam?

I said;
He doesn't spare lefty women if it promises to get a laugh. He is sexist and he doesn't give a damn who he targets.

Christopher in MA said...

Reading over this thread, Dennis made the best point, I think. Rape - despite the odious Goldberg - is rape. A violent, hateful act. Prison rape or redneck rape (remember "Deliverance?") is a joke, because it's expected no man worthy of thename would allow himself to be in a situation where he could be raped; if he is, then it's his own fault and he deserves the punishment. Whereas, since a woman can, and many are, easily taken by force (the weaker sex, as it were), the idea / act of raping a woman is not much of a subject for a joke.

Interpolation - rape fantasies are something else altogether. Everyone fantasizes about something, but to fulfill those fantasies requires a willing partner; fantasizing about rape and then going to do it is not fulfilling the fantasy. It is a violent, criminal act.

What Allie has completely blown past in her rush tu quoque is that Maher shouldn't have been joking about rape, period. A gentleman does not make those sort of jokes about a lady.

I suspect Nugent was joking about riding a shotgun rather than a broomstick re: Hillary, but as a gun is such a phallic symbol, it was a bad thing for him to do.

"He doesn't spare lefty women if it promises to get a laugh."

I have nothing but time, Allie. Find me a moment where Maher made a loathsomely sexist / rapist joke about Chelsea and got no blowback from it. Or Maxine Waters. Or Nancy Pelosi. Or any other significant "lefty" woman.

I suspect that, rather like the thread where I asked you for a definition of "rich" versus "super rich," you'll do no such thing.

Anonymous said...

Alex said...

“First of all I can't believe this dissembling on rape talk. Second, it's ok to fantasy rape a conservative woman?”

First, I was responding to Ann’s comment that Hasselbeck could have said that Maher made a joke out of rape and that he specifically thought it was funny to say that she should be raped.

Maher wasn’t joking about rape. I don’t believe that he would have made any joke involving Logan, or Hasselbeck, if he had advanced knowledge that Logan was going to be sexually assaulted.

Second, no, rape of any person is not OK.

damikesc said...

He doesn't spare lefty women if it promises to get a laugh. He is sexist and he doesn't give a damn who he targets.

...except you can't name a single time he "targeted" a lefty woman.

Thus, your entire thesis is kinda DOA. But, I suppose, his idiot fans are as much to blame.

Alex said...

There are no lefty women to target since they're all brilliant geniuses or something. You see, conservative women are such flaming dunces that they MUST be attacked by lefty comedians 24/7 for the GOOD of the nation.

Shanna said...

"... What is with the sexual violence the Left has?.."
It's creepy.

It is creepy, especially the focus on rape. It’s really weird to think “I disagree with this person’s politics, I hope they get gang raped.” That isn’t a normal thought process and it shouldn’t be acceptable in polite society, even from supposed ‘comediennes’.

...can you point to the violence with telling her to ride a broomstick/rifle away? As compared, of course, to wanting somebody to get RAPED.

Seriously. Also, Ted Nugent says goofy stuff all the time and he doesn’t have a tv show. He doesn't act like he's the smartest guy in the room either, he just seems to want to be left alone in the wilderness. Ted Nugent loves his guns, but that doesn't mean he wants hillary to die.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

Christopher in MA, Maher is not a gentleman, nor does he pretend to be.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1952877/posts
Maher slams Hillary Clinton over her crying incident .

Here's one for starters, not as vile as a rape reference though. I never disagreed that his comment wasn't vile. My point is that Elizabeth needs to grow a thicker skin and not let comments from a famous sexist comedian get under her skin so badly.

GulfofMexico said...

Maher is a douche but as a stand-up comedian, he's no doubt put hecklers in their place before. I've seen enough live shows to know that hecklers are asking for trouble if they take on a real pro. Maher is a pro. And a douche.

Hasselbeck used a lefty tool to try and beat a lefty. Nice try, but if it doesn't work it's a big fail.

Alex said...

Allie - it's very simple. If Maher were a conservative comic making the same "joke" about a pretty young liberal TV host you'd be raging right now. You're a hypocrite like all libs.

OSweet said...

Re 'the edge,' knew I heard it from BM before:
"Professor you walk out on the edge there, I don't always agree with you but somebody's gotta walk out on the edge to know where it is."
-- Maher at the end of a reverent interview of Ward Churchill back in '05.
http://onegoodmovemedia.org/movies/ogm/wardchurchill.html
Of course, Maher only respects certain edges, viz. anti-American, anti-patriotic, anti-Christian. I.e. the politically-correct edges.

Alex said...

Hasselbeck used a lefty tool to try and beat a lefty. Nice try, but if it doesn't work it's a big fail.

Bullshit, she wasn't backed up by the other hosts. Essentially it's Maher + Walters + Whoopi + Behar all against Hasselbeck.

Scott M said...

. I've seen enough live shows to know that hecklers are asking for trouble if they take on a real pro. Maher is a pro.

Was a pro, at least in regards to stand up. The problem is that dealing with hecklers is a lot like working out. If you don't exercise that muscle, it will start to get flabby. I'm not sure Bill has to contend with enough hecklers anymore to keep a heckler six pack, so to speak.

GulfofMexico said...

Alex, I didn't say she wasn't backed by the other hosts; that's obvious.

She tried to shame him. It failed.

I wish she would have shoved it up his ass, but it didn't work out that way.

Alex said...

GOM - honestly I don't understand what masochistic impulse drives Hasselbeck to do that show every day. No amount of money is worth that.

OSweet said...

Re 'the edge,' here's Maher at the end of a rather reverent interview of Ward Churchill back in '05:

"Professor you walk out on the edge there, I don't always agree with you but somebody's gotta walk out on the edge to know where it is."

Of course, Maher only respects certain edges, viz. anti-American, anti-patriotic, anti-Christian. That is to say, the politically-correct edges.

Hoosier Daddy said...

"... You are daft too, Maher a defender of women? Please..."

I might be daft but apparently unlike yourself, I can read.

Then again its ironic the only female on the show that called him out was the conservative. You know, the one you called a delicate flower.

You know irony?

OSweet said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2011/09/24/jane_harman_calls_out_bill_mahers_sexism-comments.html

Liberal women have called out Bill Mayer on his sexism. Former Democratic Congresswoman Jane Harmon calls him on his sexist comments toward Megan Kelly.

OSweet said...

... Barbara Walters butts in to talk about herself ...
She butted in, moreso, to save Maher, as she sensed that he, a member of her tribe, was in peril, and that he needed time to collect his thoughts and respond to the enemy-woman as effectively and powerfully as possible.
Conversely, had Maher been of the enemy tribe and in the same predicament she would have stared daggers at him, contemptuously, trying to make him quiver and squirm.

Known Unknown said...

There has always been more drama, more conflict, more backstabbing et al when women are involved, almost always women vs women, in an office or small shop environment. Guys tend to deal with their issues and move on. Women tend to want to make a thousand cuts while tossing in salt and lemon juice as often as they can get away with it.

My wife was just complaining about some kind of this-and-that between women where she works.

I just looked at her and said "I'm glad I'm a man."

Hoosier Daddy said...

"... My point is that Elizabeth needs to grow a thicker skin and not let comments from a famous sexist comedian get under her skin so badly..."

Actually you make a good point. Maybe everyone should grow thicker skin and quit crying sexism, racism, homophobia, Islamophobia, bigotry and quit being perpetual victims over every real or perceived slight.

Naturally liberals couldn't do this since they've created a lucrative industry out of it but I challenge you, Allie, to bring this message to your fellow liberals and lay the foundation so one day you guys will mature.

NotWhoIUsedtoBe said...

care.exe not found. The file may be missing or corrupt.

Known Unknown said...

Liberal women have called out Bill Mayer on his sexism. Former Democratic Congresswoman Jane Harmon calls him on his sexist comments toward Megan Kelly.

But the comments are directed at Megyn Kelly, who is a renowned liberal, of course.

I think there's a point missing here in which Maher was willing to trade one woman (perhaps a liberal-leaning one) for Hasselbeck, the sole reason being Hasselbeck's political views.

It's permissible (and funny to boot!) to gang rape Hasselbeck because she's a conservative woman.

He could have picked anyone. Hell, he could have picked Whoopi Goldberg ... but would that be funny to him (them)?

Scott M said...

care.exe not found. The file may be missing or corrupt.

Nerd.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Alex said...

I believe the left engages in "Rape of Nanking" fantasies but this time the victims are conservatives in suburbs or something like that.

Anonymous said...

‘If you were on a sinking ship and yelled, “Women and children first!” how much feminist opposition do you think you’d get? . . . Women want to fight men for equal pay, but how often do they fight a man for the check? . . . And any man who questions a woman’s physical capabilities gets branded a sexist — but who do they call when there’s a spider to be killed? Convenient feminism — crackpot theory or dangerous lunacy?’
Bill Maher

Hmmm, seems he doesn't like Feminists of all political persuasions.

Known Unknown said...

Receptionist: How do you write women so well?

Melvin Udall: I think of a man, and I take away reason and accountability.

Hoosier Daddy said...

"... Nerd...."

That never gets old.

Hoosier Daddy said...

Allie don't you think it odd that only the female conservative called out Mahers sexism while the three liberal woman said nothing?

Anonymous said...

Liberal women have called out Bill Mayer on his sexism. Former Democratic Congresswoman Jane Harmon calls him on his sexist comments toward Megan Kelly.

But the comments are directed at Megyn Kelly, who is a renowned liberal, of course.

I think there's a point missing here in which Maher was willing to trade one woman (perhaps a liberal-leaning one) for Hasselbeck, the sole reason being Hasselbeck's political views.

11/17/11 3:02 PM

EMDavis, Megan Kelly is a liberal? Bullshit.

Anonymous said...

Allie don't you think it odd that only the female conservative called out Mahers sexism while the three liberal woman said nothing?

11/17/11 3:12 PM
YES, I do. I would've , as much as I dislike Elizabeth.

Alex said...

YES, I do. I would've , as much as I dislike Elizabeth.

haha, yeah right. Easy to say in a hypothetical which will never occur.

Freeman Hunt said...

EMDavis, Megan Kelly is a liberal? Bullshit.

Therein lies the point.

Scott M said...

Easy to say in a hypothetical which will never occur.

Most of the shit we talk about day in and day out are hypotheticals that will never happen. Every once and a while it doesn't hurt to give someone the benefit of the doubt.

Hoosier Daddy said...

Well its obvious you dislike her Allie. While condemning Maher's sexism you yourself refer to Elizabeth as a poor little flower. One might construe that as sexist.

Greg said...

Although I'm not a fan of Maher, he needs to be defended here. In order for comedians to be funny, they need to push the envelope. That is the beauty of comedy. Many of the greatest bits are "offensive." Bernie Mac joked about beating children. Chris Rock mocks prison rape. Just because we may not agree with Maher's political positioning, or his irritating personality, we shouldn't ask him to apologize for doing his job - trying to make people laugh.

Anonymous said...

I would've also told Elizabeth to consider the source and blow it off.

I said way back on this thread, Hillary Clinton didn't go whining about what Ted Nugent said about her , while brandishing assault weapons.

Alex said...

Greg - no Maher is trying to make liberals laugh at the idea of raping conservative women.

Alex said...

Allie - Ted Nugent is anobody. Bill Maher is considering a huge popular icon in America, whether you like it or not. It matters what he says.

Freeman Hunt said...

Can we expect Maher to drop the pseudo-intellectual posturing now that he's appeared on The View?

Freeman Hunt said...

MadisonMan, that was great, by the way.

Ralph L said...

Who comes up with these shows--(?)
Conceived, owned, and operated by Miss WaWa herself.

GulfofMexico said...

As long as we are speaking of hypotheticals, I'll go out on a limb and state that even if one or two of the other hosts sided with Hasselbeck, Maher would have neutralized them anyway.

Nate Whilk said...

When "Politically Incorrect" was still on Comedy Central (and for a while when he went to ABC), Maher at least tried to honestly present the politically incorrect point of view.

Anonymous said...

EMDavis, Megan Kelly is a liberal? Bullshit.

Therein lies the point.

11/17/11 3:19 PM
Yes the point being that Megan Kelly is a CONSERVATIVE, a liberal woman, Jane Harmon, defended her against Bill Maher's sexist comments. So the idea that all liberals are hypocritical in that they wouldn't condemn sexist remarks from either source,liberal or conservative, simply is not true.

Ralph L said...

In order for comedians to be funny, they need to push the envelope
No, just original. But they all want to be Lenny Bruce, or to just get noticed.

Daniel Tosh (Tosh.O) skewers PC a lot, but he still has to bash Palin to keep his bona fides.

Scott M said...

When "Politically Incorrect" was still on Comedy Central (and for a while when he went to ABC), Maher at least tried to honestly present the politically incorrect point of view.

I think Penn & Teller are far better at Bill Maher's job than he is.

prairie wind said...

Instead of considering what Hasselbeck was saying, Walters saw only the danger presented: the show might suddenly have substance that she didn't control. She reacted to that by minimizing Hasselbeck's position...and Hasselbeck caved soon after.

I'm so glad to see clips from the View. Reminds me of why I don't watch TV.

By the way, I think Barbara has the beginnings of a bald spot up top. That has to be difficult to deal with for her.

Scott M said...

but he still has to bash Palin to keep his bona fides

Tosh is a genius. Having listened to some of his off-stage interviews and such, I'm still not quite sure where his politics are...he may indeed not care much either way. I honestly think this is one of those guys that just cares about what's funny to him or not. The various segments of Tosh.0 are proof of that.

As for Palin, I think he goes after whoever is primarily in the news at the moment. He's been viscous with Obama and then has a look on his face like he's daring the crowd to boo him.

I used to think Christopher Titus was like that and maybe for a while he was. I still think he's more of a pragmatist than anything, but in the last year or so he's been coming down more on the moonbat side of things.

Freeman Hunt said...

Yes the point being that Megan Kelly is a CONSERVATIVE, a liberal woman, Jane Harmon, defended her against Bill Maher's sexist comments.

Yes, so it was yet another example of Maher going after a conservative woman.

Scott M said...

vicious, even.

Anonymous said...

Freeman said;
Yes the point being that Megan Kelly is a CONSERVATIVE, a liberal woman, Jane Harmon, defended her against Bill Maher's sexist comments.

Yes, so it was yet another example of Maher going after a conservative woman.

11/17/11 3:38 PM
I never denied he doesn't go after Conservative women more than liberal women. He is a liberal sexist comedian, so it's not surprising he goes after conservative women more.

Revenant said...

the pose of edginess (all that "Politically Incorrect" BS)

It was always funny when one of his guests actually SAID something politically incorrect. The look of sheer panic on Maher's face was priceless.

My favorite was when Ray Bradbury was a guest and replied to Maher's "we can all agree that sexual harassment is bad" but saying "I don't. I think sexual harassment is great." Maher was rendered speechless.

Anonymous said...

Alex said;
Allie - Ted Nugent is anobody. Bill Maher is considering a huge popular icon in America, whether you like it or not. It matters what he says.

11/17/11 3:24 PM
So are you excusing Rush Limbaugh, the "comedian"? What about his sexist remarks toward liberal women? He is more than a popular icon, he is the "leader" of the Republican Party.

LordSomber said...

Listening to Maher is like getting lectured to by a 17-year-old.

Toad Trend said...

"I'm so glad to see clips from the View. Reminds me of why I don't watch TV."

OMG truer words never spoken... I am surprised that Hasselbeck is still putting up with the nonsense on that show. From 'rape rape' to the idiocy of the self-fellating Bill Maher (he is 'funny' only to adolescents) and the 'poster girl' for PMS, Joy Behar.

Kudos to Hasselbeck for standing up and 'reigning in' the petulant Maher.

Jack said...

I saw that video as well before reading these comments by Ann and was struck by how the team tried to quash her comments.

Ann, this is the most lucid expression of how sexism gets accepted by the masses and it was particularly heartening to read someone eviscerate this smug idiot.
Thanks.

Shanna said...

Tosh is a genius.

I love Tosh O. There are actually some funny standup routines on Netflix.

I saw one with the guy on Parks and Rec (Aziz something) where he was talking about messing with his little cousin on facebook that cracked me up. It's not all trashy or political non funny crap.

RebeccaH said...

I loathe Bill Maher for his pandering to the worst instincts in people, if for nothing else.

Big Mike said...

Just put Bill Maher down as yet another man who doesn't understand women.

Which is about 100% of the male population.

Beldar said...

Bill Maher is not even worth being labeled as scum. He's the greasy residue left on a sidewalk after scum has evaporated.

(And I just got the cosmically perfect WV for any comment about Bill Maher: "lying.")

TeamOSweet said...

Maher's smart, though, in the sense that he portrays himself as the sexy-radical-progressive-iconoclast, as the perpetually cool, slick-haired, game-pushing, bachelor-playboy. Albeit short. If he were the exact same person and held the exact same views but identified as a conservative, instead of a progressive, he'd be portrayed by the conventional-wisdom media, considering his age, as a pathetic, lecherous cad.

Big Mike said...

BTW, there's a lengthy, obsequious, article about Maher in the latest Newsweek, which keeps coming unbidden to my house. His rants reflect a person who certainly hasn't thought deeply about the issues.

In particular, I like to think that the Founding Fathers would have been pleased to see the Tea Party exercising their First Amendment right "peaceably to assemble" and it's the liberals of the 21st century, borrowing 50 cents of every dollar the federal government spends, who would receive the Founding Fathers scorn.

cassandra lite said...

Maher shaves his pubes to make his dick look bigger. How's that for living on the edge, Mr. Public Person?

Amartel said...

Ted Nugent is a man. He's a rock star who hunts animals and lives off the land. His sexism is authentic to who he is.

Bill Maher is a monkey. He has a tv talk show on which he pretends to be anti-establishment but is not. His sexism is a defensive crouch, adopted to promote his brand and cover his own inadequacy.

cassandra lite said...

When he says, "You'll like this," it's because the females in his echo chamber always pretend to like it when he pretends to flatter them with what he thinks they like, which is to put men down at the expense of women.

jamboree said...

Maher is an insufferable ass. I never watch him nor click on anything with him in it if it can at all be avoided.

The Crack Emcee said...

The thing that bugs me the most about Bill Maher the pose of edginess (all that "Politically Incorrect" BS), when in reality he has never in his life uttered a word that wasn't calculated to get applause from the audience in front him. He's a coward pretending to heroism.

I will never be Bill Mahar. I am a man.

Without feminism's special pleading, and the asinine rules and laws to support it, men ARE the center of everything.

Men are now living in an alternate universe of bullshit.

As Camille P[aglia famously said, if women ruled the world, we'd still be living in grass shacks.

Our present condition is as good an example of that maxim as I can find. We've become a pathetic people under feminism, with women as worthless as the men feminism produced, and Western society and culture reduced to irrelevancy.

Whoever said "a woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle" should have immediately gotten her ass kicked by a man - ruthlessly - as a statement on her true worth in the real world.

In the real world, women ain't shit - and they know it. Men, whether stronger or weaker, have to live with the knowledge of who we are in the world. Women only pretend, and - like Europe being smug about "soft power" when we saved their ass by kicking it - seem to think either no one understands the truth or will openly say it. Those days are numbered.

When was the last time you saw a woman put her life on the line for anything? Truly fight - physically, not with guns - for anyone or anything? What was the last truly bright idea presented by a woman? I'll wait.

Getting lectured to by people who are mostly manipulative, and otherwise taking up space, gets old. Any woman who really believed in Grrl Power would demand we get rid of the BS of feminism so they can prove they can hang with any man. Otherwise it's all talk. And empty talk at that.

We don't need women to moderate us, we need them to get real.

I know women who are respectable, as one would respect a man, but, today, they are so rare they might as well be unicorns.

SukieTawdry said...

MayBee said...I was embarrassed for the women of the view that none of them stood up for Elizabeth or against the rape joke.

Maybe they understood like Whoopie that it was only a joke about rape, not a joke-joke about rape-rape.

B said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
B said...

Allie said...My point is that Elizabeth needs to grow a thicker skin and not let comments from a famous sexist comedian get under her skin so badly.

Is that right? Some comedian posits that she be subjected to gang rape for a laugh from the audience, and she should grow a thicker skin?

And BTW: since he never brought up the timeline or disputed the subject under discussion, it was rape being discussed.

Tell you what, Apple Bottom, you hypocrite. You've brought up your daughter many times on this site. You go into a towering protective snit twisting whatever someone says when questioning your rationale for bringing your daughter up as something 'beneath your contempt' I believe were your words.

So let's posit a comedian of conservative bent, say Dennis Miller, makes a joke about the Afghani navy, Taliban seamen (semen) and female navy medics tied to the ground.

Let's further posit that your skin is thick enough to get over the implication without taking offense.

Right.

Synova said...

"Any woman who really believed in Grrl Power would demand we get rid of the BS of feminism so they can prove they can hang with any man. Otherwise it's all talk. And empty talk at that.

We don't need women to moderate us, we need them to get real.
"

I think I agree with this, but then I find most "female" stuff insipid.

To address the two sort of separate but related points... I think that the BS isn't just about changing the playing field so that women dominate. Not JUST that. I think it's about redefining virtue a particular way in an even larger context. We're encouraged to value passivity. In some ways it is very odd. It's sort of a twisted humility. Don't think too much of yourself, while thinking everything you do is wonderful. Have a trophy for participating, thank you! Don't shine too bright, while you're at it. But absolutely women get this message *too*. Don't be too proud, don't build anything too large, don't dream too big: look at the minutia, the details, the small picture, the most important thing you can do is care and then whine if your contribution is dismissed by some hater.

We aren't supposed to moderate men. What a horrible idea. What about inspire, lift up and support? And you know, the guys can do the same. Just now, certainly, our society seems to be very much into suppressing men, so I'm fine with talking about it in terms of men, but I think it's all of us. Let's all be proud and dream large dreams and find some hubris in order to defy the gods.

lowercase said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Synova said...

"I know women who are respectable, as one would respect a man, but, today, they are so rare they might as well be unicorns."

Respect isn't something we're told to value or try to gain from others. Honor is a dirty word, too.

Maybe it's the idea that we think too much of ourselves then, if we care about gaining respect or we care about honor.

Anonymous said...

B said;
Allie said...My point is that Elizabeth needs to grow a thicker skin and not let comments from a famous sexist comedian get under her skin so badly.

Is that right? Some comedian posits that she be subjected to gang rape for a laugh from the audience, and she should grow a thicker skin?

And BTW: since he never brought up the timeline or disputed the subject under discussion, it was rape being discussed.

Tell you what, Apple Bottom, you hypocrite. You've brought up your daughter many times on this site. You go into a towering protective snit twisting whatever someone says when questioning your rationale for bringing your daughter up as something 'beneath your contempt' I believe were your words.

So let's posit a comedian of conservative bent, say Dennis Miller, makes a joke about the Afghani navy, Taliban seamen (semen) and female navy medics tied to the ground.

Let's further posit that your skin is thick enough to get over the implication without taking offense.

Right.

11/17/11 7:57 PM
In response to your comment here, I'm going to do exactly what I said Elizabeth should've done, which is, consider the source, and blow it off. 'Nuff said.

Synova said...

Also... men should be hairy.

Synova said...

We shouldn't be moderated. We should be glorious.

Ritmo Re-Animated said...

Hey Dummy!

The joke was made before the attack on Logan occurred.

Now devote more paragraphs of stupidity to trying to say something worthwhile about this non-event in the long history of ignorance.

Ritmo Re-Animated said...

The thing that bugs me the most about Bill Maher the pose of edginess (all that "Politically Incorrect" BS), when in reality he has never in his life uttered a word that wasn't calculated to get applause from the audience in front him. He's a coward pretending to heroism.

Lol. The conservative mind interprets satirical humor as an exercise in conformity.

That would explain a lot.

Ritmo Re-Animated said...

Links, links

Ritmo Re-Animated said...

Interesting. Assuming that's the proper time line, why didn't he respond to Hasselbeck by saying that at the time of joke, the assault had not taken place?

Probably because he had been spending the better part of the year interviewing hundreds of interesting guests and writing hundreds of new jokes, and not mapping out a defense strategy in anticipation of yet another ignorant conservative choosing to quietly nurse a grudge and feign a grievance out of thin air in defiance of the facts.

I mean, if he had to do that, he would never sleep! Or eat! And neither would any of us! Conservatives are always coming up with some kind of fact-free, ignorant fantasy to feel aggrieved about.

It reflects well on Maher that he assumed she might have had a point. It's just too bad he forgot that she wasn't likely to have her facts, though.