Bill Maher is an Ignorant Asshole

Did anyone else see this shit? He attacked Obama's Surgeon General pick because she was overweight, said was she set a bad example. If by bad example you mean that the woman ran an health clinic for the poor which was destroyed in Katrina and she rebuilt afterwards. What the hell has he ever done for anyone?

sheesh. I like Bill myself!

Many times in fact, I've been really annoyed by him because he's smart enough not to have to go there.

I agree with him on his politics.

I don't particularly care for him as a human being.

I guess it's only fair that liberals have to have our token a** hole ...... and he's it!

Truth be told, though, I find both funnier than Lewis Black. Black means well, but that neurotic delivery of his combined with such mediocre material makes me want to run, not walk, to the remote and change the channel.

Saying something like that IS a good way to get a conversation going. If that's what he really believes, he's a jerk. But, I think he threw this out there, in large part, to facilitate discussion.

He still thinks that the main point of marriage is sex, which doesn't say much for the depth of his "emotional IQ". He seems to have genuine respect for the women on his various panels. It's just that as soon as sexuality enters the picture his brain shuts down. Many people have problems in this regard but most of us don't experience complete cerebral black-outs when we aren't newly in love.

I like the fact that Bill Maher trashes both parties when he thinks they're out of line, not just the party he currently prefers. I think most of us aren't critical enough of the party we support. I also agree with him about religion. The current polite belief that faith is on a par with scientific knowledge is sending America straight down the tubes.

so he at least accepts his personal limitations.
He also routinely has powerful, smart women on his show - and he usually cuts back on the misogyny when they are.
I think he's probably reasonably balanced, in a left falling off the chart way :)

But yeah I was more than a little offended by his comments, being rather large myself, but at the same time he does have a point, I suppose.

And... FYI.. it wasn't that she was large that he really tore into... it's that she was previously the dietary adviser to BURGER KING!

Usually not an asshole. We all are at times.

He's almost always an asshole, but he frequently shares my opinion, so I don't mind. I wish we had more assholes on our side. Didn't he advocate that himself a little while ago?

have medical problems that prevent some of it. I know my doctor prescribed some medicine for my OCD and I ended up gaining 25 lbs within a year. When I saw a picture of my back-side I made the decision to stop taking it! I began to make a serious effort to understand what "triggers" my OCD and try to avoid and change things. I still take some "meds" but have NEVER returned to the "nasty ones" that I REALLY hated!

One of my OCD things is weighing over 125 lbs., it freaks me out, but also gives me an incentive to watch what I eat!!! When I talked to my psychiatrist of 12 years about this, he laughed and told me not to weigh myself! I laughed out load... he KNOWS I mean it and he knows I've come a long way with my recovery!

But I have 4 sisters who "didn't" get the message... THEY are all overweight, tell me I'm obsessed about mine, tend to call me anorexic (not at all, I'm 5'3") and that THEY are quite happy with how much they weigh. I DON'T argue with them, but at least 3 of them are about 50 lbs overweight! They just eat too much, and a LOT OF JUNK! But we get along very well, I just wish they would make some effort to lose the extra pounds, because IT IS NOT genetic!

My father was only 5'7" and weighed about 140, 145, my mother was about 5'0" and weighed about 100 for most of their lives! My sisters are FAT! And NO, they don't blog, so I'm safe!

And lost maybe 10 or 15 pounds and were able to maintain that?

I remember him being rude to Studs Terkel because he was old and hard of hearing.

stinks.

shit sometimes and this is one of them..says way more about him than Dr Regina Benjamin, Surgeon General.

Isn't this the meme the corporatemediwhores are pushing?

anytime they mention her you can be sure they'll spend some time talking about her weight

soaking up way too much corporatewhoresn00ze.

Maher and Mann are friends? Holy shit.

He's said it in interviews on MSNBC and on his show several times in the past. I got turned off when he said they were good friends, bordering best.

A cold, elongated, grey corpse animated only by sanctimony.

You gotta post more often than that if you're going to say such hilarious things! :rofl: :applause:

Will we hate him, love him? Is he a genius? Is he an asshole? Freeper in disguise? Liberal messiah?

The importance we place on *entertainers* is astounding.

He's not under contract to spout progressive views, he's an entertainer. If you're easily offended you shouldn't be watching him. Yes, he's an asshole sometimes but he's certainly not ignorant, he's on top of issues as much as anybody...

He's kind of an ass. That's his thing. He's good at it.

He's got some style, and I like watching him.

But he's still an ass.

Excellent point!

A science teacher I had in high school walked into the room one day after we were all seated and wondering where he was. He wrote this guy's name on the chalkboard: Roy G. Biv... then he sat at his desk, and didn't say a word for about five minutes. By the end of that time we were DYING to find out who this guy was.

Well, needless to say it's how he led into his discussion of the colors of the spectrum. It's one thing I KNOW I'll remember until the day I die: The colors of the spectrum in order.

Funny related note: my daughter was about four years old when she pointed to the computer monitor and told me "daddy, those are the colors". My PC had the screensaver on that had the curved lines bouncing around the screen. It followed the spectrum pattern. I had never noticed before. When I asked her how she knew that, she told me her pre-school teacher told the class about some man named Roy.

Thanks for telling it. :thumbsup:

What's funny is I never actually considered what this name signified when I chose it. I've been "RoyGBiv" on various online forums since even before the days of The Well, which is to say a long time ago. I chose it when I was 14. It was my signature for my main screen name on a BBS I frequented. The BBS required a first and last name, but not your real name, so I chose the name Rainbow Warrior in honor of the Greenpeace ship that had at that time been recently sunk by the French government.

Everything I wrote was prefaced From: "Rainbow Warrior" and signed "RoyGBiv." RoyGBiv was a nickname for a nickname. :)

I was actually surprised it was available on DU when I showed up here.

Anyway ... just thought I'd share.

I just think him narcissistic, and uninteresting.

I would like him more if he'd cut the crap.

I agree with about 95% of what he says.

and he is a poor substitute for Stewart and Colbert, but its the only left overs in the house.

I got rid of HBO when the "Sopranos" finished their run and I don't miss Maher on bit. Once in a while he writes a good column for the LA Times I think it is, but other than that, pfft who gives a shit about him.

before and after one of his shows.

He has some nerve talking about any lady.

I am being kind to say that she was a "hooker."
He really needs to zip his lips.

I have a problem with the woman being a former consultant for Burger King. That to me says she thinks it's just dandy to eat that shit and drink corn syrup based liquids.

He spoke the truth about health care and the obesity problem we have in this country.

His entire allure to the Playboy chicks he chases is his money....
but I'm sure he knows that.

what Bill Maher, an admitted illegal drug user, says? And, if he is supposed to be a comedian, shouldn't he be, you know, funny?

Oh for fuck's sake

seriously? i'm not FOR drugs (have tried but didn't really feel like they added much, give me alcohol any day) but at least he's upfront about it, unlike the Right's lord and savior Limpballs.

not the funniest person in the world, but sometimes he can be fairly amusing.

Some people's kids.

I can't believe you're rejecting his opinions on this basis. Do you reject the opinions of people who drink and smoke cigarettes? If they legalized pot would you suddenly welcome Bill Maher back into the fold of thinking Americans? Or has he damned himself forever by... ... breaking the law?

If you really think those that use pot are any different than those that use booze, you are sadly mistaken.

Just like anyone else. To DU, you're either a Hero, or a Zero; it all depends on what you say on any given day.

Who knows... next Friday night it's entirely possible that some DUer will be singing his praise, and the post will get 60 recs.

us/them, black/white, good/evil.....no gray zones allowed. Pick and side and stop thinking seems to be the rule of thumb around here.

Do I have to add that I'm being facetious?

Occassionally, he's funny -- but it's usually is "New Rules" segment. His monologues are rarely funny. They're usually either just lame or insulting.

He never says stupid things, but oftentimes he doesn't seem to really doesn't understand what he's ranting about. He thinks if "he" thinks something is wrong, we should just stop doing it. That's great in theory, but he's a smart man who should know that we have a CONGRESS that rarely agrees on anything and it is up to them to pass or repeal laws. Bill thinks the majority party can just order it done, and it is. You know, like Bush did. Except the Dems don't fall in line like the Republican Borg does. Bill can't be bothered with strategy or planning. He's like Bush in that way.

I'm not a big fan of organized religion, but even I am offended by his constant harping about other people's religious beliefs. It's a free country, Bill. If people want to be a member of an organized religious party, that's their business. Butt the fuck out.

I like Bill, but he can be really annoying and, frankly, offensive, the way he assumes that his opinion is the only right one and everyone else should just fall in line.

and he can very insightful at times, far too often he acts like a condescending prick.

perspective and still be an asshole at times..just like a lot of people.

We're allowed to say when we think he's being a jackass.

...unlike last week, where "He nails it!" wait 'till next week, when he'll say something you approve of. After all, he must agree with you on EVERYTHING, or he's an asshole.

Is he a truth-telling ass hole or an ignorant ass hole is the question.

I disagree that he's an asshole. It only takes one.

douchebag.

Guilt by association is always a questionable game.

While he often makes me cringe, he often nails it as well.

He's criticized Obama in a constructive fashion and I admire that.

People tend to be pretty loose when they're laughing and joking, and quite often that's when the truth is best revealed, intentionally or not. It's the comedic equivalent of plying someone with booze to get them talking. Because of that, his show and the Daily Show are usually far closer to the truth than what we'd hear from the guests in other formats. In that sense, both shows are very valuable.

And Religulous was one of the funniest movies I've seen in awhile. :)

...than half our political and media leaders.

And that other 1% he makes me wonder whatever the hell I saw in him. Overall, he's not a bad guy, just a little full of himself.

A fair amount of what he says goes well past comedy, and he's often serious rather than joking. Whether you find it offensive or not, the Surgeon General thing isn't comedy and couldn't possibly have been meant as such.

B-)

He's no Jon Stewart

But I didn't like Bill's show last night, NOT BECAUSE OF NEW RULES, but because of his guests, and Cross, that comedian wasn't funny at all!

It was a rather DULL show to me! Last week was superb!

That's what it's about, nothing to do with "health".

condescending "anyone who doesn't agree with me on everything is fucking retarded" delivery of his. Dennis Miller has the same thing.

This is just another example - he makes a living of judging and mocking others. No surprise coming from him, none at all.

All women exist only to pleasure him, didn't you know?

that is self-inflicted, much like smoking 4 packs of ciggies a day.

I agree with that statement, though I didn't see Maher's show.

He's right about morbid obesity, though. It is THE leading cause of one of the HUGEST medical conditions in the country now....diabetes. One of the reasons our health costs are out of control. And totally preventable.

We have the ONLY nation in the world where the majority of our children are OBESE.

Some people may not know that obesity is NOT the same thing as being merely overweight. And "morbid obesity" is a serious medical condition. With almost certainty, a morbidly obese person WILL get diabetes, and WILL die an early death, and WILL have high medical bills, and WILL get high blood pressure, and WILL get heart trouble. All of these conditions will be caused by the morbid obesity.

Morbid obesity is being more than 30% over the normal weight range (I think the # is 30%). Think about it. More than 30% OVER the TOP range of what normal could be considered for your gender and height and bone frame.

Our surgeon general WILL get diabetes, WILL get high blood pressure, WILL die younger than normal, WILL have high medical bills, WILL develop a heart condition. If she doesn't already have these things (I suspect she does.)

Oh...and she's also at high risk for having a stroke.

Look at this woman. She looks like a very healthy size 16 - 18 maximum. She looks like she excercises. Diabestes. Puhshaw. Die earlier. BS. She shines with vitality.

God, people are ignorant.

Stick your head in the sand all you want. But facts are facts.

Type 2 diabetes is one of the costliest and pervasive medical conditions in our country right now. It is caused by obesity and sedentary lifestyle. It is more prevalent in Af. Americans than whites.

She carries her weight in her midsection. Look that up, and you will see all the problems that will lead to.

She likely has a medical condition already, since all sorts of things start happening after 50. Chickens come home to roost. A matter of plumpness, and of obesity, becomes a big problem after age 50. The body can only fight off the results of bad habits for so long.

That doesn't make her a bad person. She clearly has a food or lifestyle problem, though, and that sends the wrong message to a country trying to deal with an obesity epidemic.

What if she chain smoked or had a prescription drug addiction? All those addictions are similar.

I come from a family most of whose members are morbidly obese. I know a thing or two about this condition. My mid-fifties obese, sedentary, smoking sister had a massive stroke several years ago and will be in a nursing home the rest of her life. My obese brother (he just looks like a big hefty fella...but he carries his weight around his midsection) has diabetes and no telling what else. Both of them will die young, of course.

There is a reason you don't see obese old people. It's because they died before they got old.

I had a great aunt who was obese pretty much all of her life until her mid 70s, when she got thinner. She lived to be 90.

and is setting a bad example. Her weight will probably lead to health problems in the future. Bill Mahr made a good point that I agree with.

:eyes:

and the problem is that because he espouses a few liberal ideas on occasion, people here want to elevate him to sage status.

He says that bush and Clinton are the same thing. His idea of success is laying women at Hef's house who wouldn't touch him if he weren't on tv.

He's just this guy who got an undeserved rep for insight for all it's worth. He's our Dennis Miller. Shallow and self-absorbed.

if it's a gal he doesn't perceive as fuckable he sees no use for them

I don't like the "bad example" thing used against overweight people when it comes to most jobs. Maybe if her job included a lot of physical activity, like firefighting or catching criminals, he would have a case about the weight. Surgeon General is basically a desk job.

never mentioning the 9/11 stuff, calling Obama a wussy`.

Comedy is mean sometimes.

Dammit. I'd recommend this a hundred times if I could. Maher is such an asshole, I've vowed never to watch him ever again. Even in highly recommended video clips here on DU.

That obesity causes as much strain on the health of Americans as smoking, alcohol and probably more than illegal drugs, and he wants accountability for what he feels are strictly lifestyle choices of poor diet and/or lack of exercise. He feels the obese in this country literally aren't pulling their weight, and that contributing products should be taxed as other sin products, like alcohol and tobacco.

He's very anti HFCS as well, and I think he realizes how hard it is to get real food in this country. But he also seems to contend that as grownups, we all should be able to figure it out and maintain an "average" weight.

I can see how his thinking would apply double to a Surgeon General appointee, as one of their main jobs is to promote healthy life choices, and her weight may contradict that message, and that her consulting with Burger King may be a conflict of interest. I'd like to think that her consulting with BK was to help them add healthier menu items and/or reduce the harmful effects of current menu items. But I don't see much happening at BK.

Anybody who enjoys this coward's "entertainment" is an asshole, too.

Bill can grate at times but he isn't someone in the or in comparison to the rest of the media that I'd call ignorant. Maher is fairly sharp even if he can be a hamfisted douchebag from time to time.

;)

If you're a liberal and find Bill Maher offensive, the very idea of comedy probably isn't for you.

You say he's an asshole, I say he doesn't lack the appropriate venom to be able opine on absurd current events in a way that has genuine cathartic value.

asshole because he was rude to Studs Terkel because he had no patience for an older wiser man.

Comedy is subjective. Sometimes I think maher is funny, sometimes I don't. Some people like irony, some like slapstick, some like puns. It's snobbish to say only your opinion of comedy is the proper one.

We all have opinions that's why it's fun to post on DU.

Ok, I get it.:eyes:

You can save yourself $12 a month by not having HBO... and save us your ridiculous fake outrage threads.

he brings on guests that mainstream media won't and bonus: he lets them say what other networks don't want.

i think judging the surgeon general pick by her weight to be really poor judgement, but not sexist, because i think his point would have applied to a male candidate as well.

i'm pretty sure.

but sometimes he can be an entertaining ignorant asshole. Only sometimes.