Would You Call Bill Maher a Bigot?

[Bullet1987]

Bigot: Noun - a person who is utterly intolerant of any differing creed, belief, or opinion.

Let me start out by saying I like Bill Maher and agree with him on a number of issues. I like the people he has on his show like Jeremy Scahill, Michael Moore, etc. Many of these people are virtually ignored by the MSM (except for Moore). I like how he puts politicians and media personalities on the spot and doesn't feed them softballs and PR questions. One thing I can't stand about him is his anti-religious bigotry. It's not that he's an atheist, it's that he is literally a very radical atheist who has a very obtuse understanding about religion and what it's SUPPOSED to be. He generalizes like hell and clearly doesn't take the time to understand different cultures. His espousing of the myth of the dangerous Muslim is very reminiscient of Bible belt preachers who say the same exact thing. Only difference is Maher has a deep-seated hatred of all religions including Christianity, which isn't so much a difference but more a nuance in targets. Bill Maher's understanding of Islam is typical of a Westerner born and raised in a land where no one even talks to Muslims and only know of them through TV. Religion isn't bad, but it's easily corrupted. Dictators in the Middle East can use it to commit violence and injustice, but Maher doesn't acknowledge that MAAANY Muslims decry these acts and call them what they are. Has Bill Maher ever learned about the advances Muslims made in science and medicine and astronomy during the Middle Ages in places like Spain, Timbuktu, and Cairo? How all religious people co-existed in al-Andalus until the Spanish Inquisition?

What Maher says about religion, he could say about just about anything including Democratic governments. So, to close this OP up, I'll say we have to acknowledge who and what Bill Maher is. Some people like that about him, and if you do that's your business. But there's a problem when a guy like me who hasn't stepped in a church in YEARS is rubbed the wrong way by Maher's irrational hatred and lack of understanding. He's really no different from the radicals he hates so much.

[valerief]

1. Who cares? Religion is voodoo and has been used for centuries

to quell dissent. Who benefits from that? The elite.

[demwing]

125. I care. He's a bigot.

You can allow for differences of belief without being an ass. Well...most people can, but Maher doesn't seem similarly equipped.

[marmar]

2. "utterly intolerant of any differing creed, belief, or opinion"

Sounds like a lot of organized religions

[Bullet1987]

4. True. So like I said...there's very little difference between Maher and the people he hates

[Tommy_Carcetti]

Sure. And a douchebag as well.

Despite some attempts to brand him a representative of the left, I never liked Maher and found him to be a smarmy, smug, Coulter loving douche. He doesn't speak for me.

[CrawlingChaos]

114. Not just Coulter - he has a lot of right-wing friends

Very, very cozy with many of the worst of the worst. What's up with that?

[Enrique]

his documentary about religion was fairly open-minded

he's not right about everything, and he's not that deep, but I wouldn't call him a bigot. Insensitive maybe.

[Bullet1987]

8. Going by the dictionary definition...I politely disagree

[cleanhippie]

57. Can you expound on your answer?

I would like to know more on why you disagree with the above poster.

[comtec]

98. He hates and distrusts religion for the same reason I do, because he 's NOT ignorant of what it does

You might want to notice that on the tonight show he said he dislikes ALL religion because he thinks higher of humanity than bigots do.
He ALSO said that of COURSE they have every RIGHT to exist in this country.

he's honest, he dislikes religion because of it's history - which i completely agree with.

As a species we should be past the need for some hokey religion to keep us behaving "properly".

I also think religion has no place in the modern world, but if we have to tolerate it, then we should NOT tolerate violent, hateful beliefs.

I think he's a bit over the line condemning all of Islam, but he's also no wrong that the most violent, repressive, backwards regimes now a days ARE Muslim. that the CULTURE, not the religion, is what is intolerable (one place he's wrong, it's the culture not the religion).

It's easy to confuse the two. Religion from the culture AROUND that religion.

And before you start attacking me (I know too late) he, and I, are also for proper equality, not the close-enough we seem to have for . But one where people are paid based on how well they bull shit, not their gender or background. (this is why i'm always under paid, I can't BS to save my soul)

I want people to be treated fairly based on their character, not their genitals or appearance.

Generally I think everyone is an asshole till they prove otherwise ;)
it saves time.

[cleanhippie]

108. I think we are on the same wavelength.

I pretty much agree with you, so no attack coming from me! :)

I think he's a bit over the line condemning all of Islam, but he's also no wrong that the most violent, repressive, backwards regimes now a days ARE Muslim. that the CULTURE, not the religion, is what is intolerable (one place he's wrong, it's the culture not the religion).

While that may be true, don't you think christianity would be nearly the same in here if we lived under "biblical law" and the zealots were running the country like they are in the Middle East?

[Lance_Boyle]

127. It's *mostly* true, but there's an exception to every rule.

In this case that exception is North Korea.

Although Kim Jong L. Ron Hubbard over there has done a pretty good job at starring in his own cult.

[blondeatlast]

3. Yes--and not just about religion. He's smart, savvy--and contemptuous of

anyone who strays outside his world view. God forbid (oops, sorry! :evilgrin:)--this insulin-dependent diabetic takes insulin! In his view I'm a tool of big pharma.

I watch him, sometimes I appreciate hiom--but he's contemptuous and a tad bigoted, yes indeed.

[Maru Kitteh]

67. The day after he's dx'd with a chronic condition requiring meds, he'll be on them

There is NOTHING more important to Bill Maher than Bill Maher.

[Deep13]

88. Agree on the Big Pharma conspiracy claims.

He's completely wrong there. Still, it's not bigotry.

[dkf]

100. Exactly! It's the contempt of people who do not share your world view that

Is the epitome of intolerance.

This causes the polarization we see in our country today and it exists on both sides.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

5. Yes.

He's also an HIV/AIDS denialist.

He's really fucked in the ehad.

[blondeatlast]

7. Wow, that I didn't know.

I kinda stopped paying attention to him when he started his screeching about medicines. I've taken insulin most of my life and got really fucking tired of hearing him say all meds are a sham.

Uh, hello, Bill--I'm still alive at 45?!

[Deep13]

6. Not even remotely.

His criticism is entirely rational and based on a very clear understanding and that is what rubs you the wrong way.

[dkf]

9. Saying you can't stand his view makes you a bigot too.

Tolerance is a rare thing indeed.

[Bullet1987]

13. I can't stand his POV, but am not intolerant of it...there's a difference

It simply means I don't like it a whole lot and frankly thinks it's downright disrespectful to honest and good religious people in the world who try to really make a difference, but are never shown on TV. The problem with his POV is that he leaves no room for understanding a different opinion from his. That's very much how idealogues think.

[dkf]

26. Doesnt being tolerant mean you accept his as a valid point of view and don't give him grief about it...

If a person said they "can't stand black people" are they not bigots?

Someone once posted "i can't tolerate intolerance" and I had to laugh at that.

[RaleighNCDUer]

49. The religious CANNOT accept the atheist POV as valid under any circumstances.

And visa-versa.

The point is, bigotry is based in rejecting the 'person', not the beliefs.

To a religionist, saying "religion is bad" translates to "you are bad", when what it means is "you are wrong". Only when a person subsumes himself in his religion - the fundies of all stripes - does "religion is bad" actually equate with "you are bad", because those are the people who do bad things FOR their religion.

[Maru Kitteh]

68. I'm glad you speak for everyone and know everything about everyone. You sound just like

God.

I have many mutual friends who run the scale from Mass every Sunday Catholics to agnostics to atheists. We tolerate each other just fine thankyouverymuch.

Nobody accuses the other of being a bad person.

[RaleighNCDUer]

92. And when did I say atheists and religionists cannot tolerate each other?

You do see a dichotomy in Person A (Atheist) saying "there is no God - ain't no such critter" and Person B (Religionist) saying "There is a God - no doubt about it", and either of them saying to the other "but your point of view has validity - you might be right".

Gravity exits. It is not a 'point of view'. It is reality. Either there IS a god (which opens the door to MILLIONS of gods) or there is no god - not a one. One of those 'points of view' is reality, and completely excludes the other.

The fact that I am in the atheist camp does not mean that I cannot tolerate people in the religionist camp. What it does mean is that I cannot see their point of view as valid without negating my own - and visa versa.

And frankly, if somebody blows up a building because their god wants them to, they're a bad person. But you ignored my qualification of the bad person being a fundie who would do such a thing, and conflated all religionists with the fundies. Look over my post - I said all religionists are wrong, not all are bad, and then I specified what 'bad' was.

Defensive much?

[dkf]

99. Then isn't the action of calling someone a "bigot" a rejection of the person?

Or is calling someone a "bigot" an act of acceptance and tolerance?

[Deep13]

86. Right, you can tolerate what you can't stand.

Having examined the evidence and the arguments and come to the conclusion that there is no god, is he under some duty to pretend that's not what he thinks? And what makes opinions about god so special? If I can't stand the Glenn Beck point of view, does that make me a bigot? If I immediately dismiss creationists or flat-earthers, under your definition I become a bigot.

Maher thinks that the religious point of view is wrong as a point of fact. He has no duty to pretend he respects an opinion he disagrees with. He is under no duty to shut up about his opinion. And neither am I.

[burnsei sensei]

25. Tolerance is the exception, not the rule. nt

[cleanhippie]

58. Disagreement is not bigotry.

How do you figure it is?

[dkf]

102. I would say the difference is if there is contempt of a person because of their beliefs.

A difference of opinion is fine but a live and let live attitude is necessary to tolerance.

[cleanhippie]

109. How can one not be contemptuous if the belief leads to ignorance and hate?

[dkf]

116. Does contempt not also imply hate?

Frankly strong emotions on any side are apt to create contempt and intolerance of the others point of view.

[cleanhippie]

124. You got me there.

Yes, I admit it, I hate hate.

[demwing]

126. Calling someone a bigot does not make one a bigot.

thats a failed excuse for insulating bigotry

[Bitwit1234]

10. Wait a minute....everybody has a choice in being religious

or not. Aren't we all upset about the republicans not wanting the Muslims to practice theirs.

[Mass]

11. As are 57 % of Americans, considering this 2007 Pew Survey.

http://pewforum.org/Being-Good-for-Goodness-Sake.aspx



Not defending Maher here, as I dont like him. But is it possible he is just calling out the bigots in this country.

[Bullet1987]

18. You don't call out a bigot by being one yourself...that's not how it works

It didn't work for the Nation of Islam who thought they could fight hate with hate. Because all you do is simply turn away people from your cause who would otherwise agree with you.

[Mass]

22. I don't think he is a bigot as much as a big mouth. He would never discriminate people

on their beliefs, contrarily to real bigots.

[Bullet1987]

71. That's because Maher doesn't have the power to

He's a comedian turned HBO social commentator.

[Mass]

75. And you call him bigot because you dont like what he says. It tells me more about you than him.

[RaleighNCDUer]

95. Of course he has the power to discriminate. He could very easily

refuse to have anyone working on his show who is Catholic, or of any other religion. I sincerely doubt he does, but he has that power.

What do you think 'discrimination' is?

[Amaril]

87. I am so moving to Sweden! n/t

[Stuckinthebush]

12. He's not intolerant

He supports people in their exercise in celebrating of whatever myth they so choose. He simply calls it like he sees it.

[MattBaggins]

17. "He simply calls it like he sees it."

I've heard those words from every bigot I've ever met in my life.

[Mimosa]

35. ^ I agree ^ n/t

[blondeatlast]

44. Exactly. nt

[Stuckinthebush]

46. Oh, please.

So he has to celebrate the religions to not be a bigot? He calls it like he sees it means that he says exactly what he thinks. What he thinks is that people should be free to worship whatever and however they want as long as it doesn't interfere with the rights of other people. As it stands in the US today, religion is very much involved in interfering with the rights of other people. So he speaks up against that.

That's a bigot? He doesn't say that all christians, or muslims or jews, or wiccans should be incarcerated, shot, kicked out of the country, stopped from worshiping, or impeded in any way.

I will say that if your definition for bigot is so broad that it equates critically analyzing yours and others belief systems with hate then we all are bigots, no?

I agree with Maher that religion is dangerous and should be called out from time to time. I guess that makes me a bigot. So be it.

[kristopher]

60. +1

[Bullet1987]

73. Being a bigot doesn't mean you want to see people die

Look at the definition. It's not mine...it's from Dictionary.com.

[Stuckinthebush]

91. Define "utterly" and "intolerant"

The problem with this definition is that it requires more defining.

ut·ter·ly  –adverb
in an utter manner; completely; absolutely.

in·tol·er·ant –adjective
unable or unwilling to tolerate or endure (usually fol. by of).


So the definition of bigot is a person who is absolutely unwilling to endure another person.

I don't think that Maher has shown that he is absolutely unwilling to endure a person because of their religion. He simply critically analyzes their beliefs.

[riderinthestorm]

55. "You're going to burn in hell"

I've heard those words from every Christian I've ever met as well. They are simply "calling it like they see it" too. Guess Christians are bigoted towards atheists?

Calling it like one sees it, when it's giving ones opinion about the nuances between mythologies (or lack thereof) isn't bigoted.

You just don't like that Maher is "mean" to you (a generic you), he doesn't suck up to the religious. Just because he's blunt doesn't make him a bigot. He's an equal opportunity religious basher - he doesn't single out one group over the other. If he did, that would make him a bigot.

[cleanhippie]

59. I would like to know how you define tolerance.

[LostinVA]

14. He is really sexist

[drmeow]

34. That was my immediate thought

Sometimes I like Bill Mahar, sometimes I don't.

Also - as much as I like Jon Stewart, he can have a really nasty sexist streak, too.

[LostinVA]

47. Keith is pretty bad, too

[drmeow]

64. I haven't seen enough Keith

to see that ... not that I've seen a lot of Mahar, either, which suggests that Mahar is, if not worse than Keith, perhaps more vocal than Keith or has more opportunities to express sexist sentiments than Keith.

I've noticed in general that among the left there remains an undercurrent of acceptance of some remarkable sexist attitudes and statements which does not exist for other 'isms' - sometimes we haven't come such a long way after all!

[dsc]

123. sadly I agree with you on both of these

Keith is really disappointing in that regard. One of the things which really bugged me during the primaries was the unvarnished sexism on MSNBC. Ironically Keith is really great for a straight guy on gay issues as is Maher but both are quite sexist. Usually that isn't the case. I have known very few pro gay, straight sexists.

[Mimosa]

36. ^ True, LostinVA ^

Maher seems stuck in the antiquated 'Playboy/Hugh Hefner attitude about women. It shows in the way he condescends towards women. But I haven't watched a complete show of his in years.

[stanwyck]

51. Yes. I agree with much of what he says. But, he really has a

problem with women. He believes, really, that we all hate each other and are consumed with jealousy. He has this moldy Rat Pack attitude towards women...like he just stepped off the Mad Men set.

[LostinVA]

54. That is an excellent way to put it

It fits him exactly:

"He has this moldy Rat Pack attitude towards women...like he just stepped off the Mad Men set."

[Hosnon]

76. Agreed. He has many ugly warts but I still love him. nt.

[Lilith Velkor]

78. Sure, but sexism is OK. Talking shit about religion is BIGOTED.

Do I really need a :sarcasm: here?

[riderinthestorm]

89. I know right? Tells me more about the OP than Maher - "religion" is the bigot tipping point ??! nt

[fishwax]

107. indeed n/t

[robcon]

15. He's a bigot.

Over the top attacks on people for other than their political beliefs.

[RaleighNCDUer]

50. You think religion is not a political belief? nt

[old mark]

16. Everyone has the right to their religious beliefs

no matter how laughable.

Freedom of religion does not mean we can have no opinions.

I don't like Maher very much, but I don't think he is a bigot, except possibly under the rather overexpanded definition that to form any opinion of another's religious views is bigotry...


mark

[Bullet1987]

20. It's not simply having an opinion...everyone has an opinion about religion

It's how you make your argument and the vitriol (or lack thereof) you use in defending it.

[KansasVoter]

32. And everyone has a right to tell them that they are idiots!

[tularetom]

19. He's slightly better than the religious nuts he ridicules

Only in the fact that he does not proselytize.

I kinda think that religion is a scam, but I get tired of hearing it all the time.

From anybody. Bill Maher or jesus freaks.

[Warpy]

21. Well, he's not afraid to call religion bunk because that's how he sees it

but he's less tolerant of all people who still feel a need for it than he could be.

Oh, don't get me wrong, the Dispensationalists, Christian Reconstructionists, and other flavors of rapture addled fundies deserve little but contempt, but his brush is rather a broad one for my taste, too.

However, mainstream Christians do need to butch up a little. The opinion that religion is bunk is equally valid to the opinion that it is not and my opinion has absolutely nothing to do with you nor yours to me.

[Bullet1987]

27. Well put

[SwampG8r]

23. yes he is a bigot

[KansasVoter]

30. LOL...GREAT EXPLANATION

[SwampG8r]

121. question asked

question answered

[burnsei sensei]

24. Umm, no. nt

[VMI Dem]

28. Maybe he just says that stuff to get higher ratings.

[KansasVoter]

29. So if someone believes in elfs I need to be understanding?

[Warren DeMontague]

38. Yes.

You are not allowed to challenge anyone's belief, in anything, as long as it's done under the rubric of "religion".

[KansasVoter]

43. LOL...that is great!

[hlthe2b]

31. He disdains all religion equally... but he supports the right

for the mosque (or any other religious building) if they are to be built, to be built near the WTC site. He said that on Leno.


That's a level or "intolerance" that I can deal with.

[CrawlingChaos]

115. He does NOT have equal disdain for all religions

Not even close.

Watch that Leno clip again. He goes on and on about how Muslims are, according to him, so much worse than other religious people. This guy has an agenda, and it's right in line with the right-wing scum faction of this country.

[izquierdista]

33. I would say yes

His real problem is that he thinks he is smart. He may have graduated from an Ivy League school, and that does give him the credentials to be smarter than many, many Americans, but he ain't that smart. He doesn't have a graduate degree, nor does his name appear on any original research papers (like say, Danica McKellar's name), nor is he an accomplished author, like say that towering intellect, Richard Nixon. He's just tells jokes, some of which he thought up himself. In that regard, I would rank him a notch below George Carlin, who wrote all of his own material.

His intolerance comes from knowing more than most, and believing that he can hold his own in a discussion with someone like Richard Dawkins. If the two of them were to come down on different sides of an issue, I would wager that Dawkins would have the most logical, well thought out argument. His absolute certainty in his opinions makes me think of what Bertrand Russel said: "The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt."

[Warren DeMontague]

40. I suspect Bill Maher would be the first to admit that Richard Dawkins is smarter than he is.

Many of the things Maher is "certain" about- that creationist idiots like Ken Ham and Sarah Palin are wrong, for instance- he has good reason for the certainty.

Ken Ham and Sarah Palin, however, are certainly dumber than Bill Maher. Also dumber than your average bag of rocks.

[Warren DeMontague]

37. What religion is "SUPPOSED" to be? According to whom?

It is what it is. The people whose faith drives them to violent intolerance, their religion is "supposed" to be exactly what it is.

As for Bill Maher being a "bigot"; there are plenty of people who are unhappy that Atheists are no longer willing to stay shut up about not believing. It's no more bigoted to say that it's silly to believe in invisible people in the sky than it is to say you believe in.. whatever.

If you think, for instance, "God is just pretend" is any more of a "bigoted" statement than "Jesus died for your sins", then yes, it is 'that he's an atheist', that's the problem you have.

[Bullet1987]

79. I've already stated that his being an atheist is not what bothers me

Religion is used to MEN to divide and conquer. That's not what Christianity or Islam is about. That's what I mean when I say "SUPPOSED" to be. Problem is that good people too often don't speak up. When Christians were using the Bible as an excuse to enslave Africans...where were the people who knew better? They had to have existed. Look up the myth of the Curse of Ham. This was a Bible passage taken completely out of context during slavery, but was used to defend the institution because religious people originally weren't comfortable with it and knew it was wrong. This is not what Christianity is SUPPOSED to be about and I wouldn't blame the religion for MAN'S wrongful interpretations. But that's exactly what Bill Maher LOVES to do when he bashes religion. Don't bash the religion, bash the ones who distort it and take it out of context.

[Warren DeMontague]

82. One, look up "No True Scotsman" fallacy. Your post is full of it.

Bill Maher's "bashing" of religion mostly consists of the same sort of "bashing" you would find vis a vis, say, the Easter Bunny- i.e., there is no rational physical evidentiary basis for the belief.

Beyond that, the political reaction to religion- all of it- in the public sphere is a natural outgrowth of what has taken place politically in this country since the days of Jerry Falwell. If you don't understand that, you haven't been paying attention.

[krabigirl]

118. he is an agnostic. nt

[bluerum]

39. fail

[kirby]

41. He hosted a show called Politically Incorrect, for heavens sake! n/t

[kirby]

42. Good quote...

Religion, to me, is a bureaucracy between man and God that I don't need.
- Bill Maher

[RaleighNCDUer]

45. Religion isn't bad, but it's easily corrupted.

You are showing your own prejudice here.

Even the most benign religion is bad, being based on a lie. You can have all the same benign aspects of religious philosophy - love the stranger, be good to one another - without the superstition and without the coercion of religion. Add in the insanity of "my lie is better than yours" which is behind so many wars, and how can you say that "religion isn't bad"?

You do understand that atheism is not saying simply "I do not believe in God", the way another person might say "I do not believe in Republicans". It is not a "deep seated hatred of all religions" (borrowing phrases from Glen Beck?) but a refusal to accept the single, fundamental precept of ALL religions - that there IS a god - and therefore rejection of everything that follows that fundamental precept.

"He's really no different from the radicals he hates so much."

Is he calling for the murders of those who disagree with him? Is he calling for the burning of Bibles and Korans and Torahs? Is he advocating the destruction of the buildings that house those books?

Seriously, is he any more concerned about the "dangerous Muslim" than he is about the "dangerous Christian"?

There is no way any atheist can see any religion as anything other than a form of social control. What you are complaining about is the fact that he has the effrontery to acknowledge it.

[Warren DeMontague]

72. Have you heard of my band? It's called the "No True Scotsman Fallacy".

It's not, actually, but what a great name.

[Bullet1987]

80. It's a lie TO YOU! Not millions of other people around the world

By the way, Glenn Beck doesn't own the phrase "deep-seated hatred" lol. I believe Glenn Beck has a deep-seated hatred of Barack Obama and liberals in general. But again, you want to make this an attack on atheism and it's not. I believe people have the right to worship a God without being denigrated. THAT'S my problem with Maher...not that he disagrees with them. I think to build his argument, he looks for every negative story dealing with religion that he can find. I don't think he even wants to understand the opinion's of religious people, it's highly dogmatic.

[RaleighNCDUer]

96. Just because people believe a lie, it doesn't mean it is NOT a lie.

There have been tens of thousands of religions over tens of thousands of years of human history, only the past 8-10 thousand years of which we have record, and NONE had any proof of validity. Each subsequent incarnation of religion borrowed aspects of those that pre-existed them. Mormonism is based on Christianity which is based on Judaism which is based on a blend of Egyption and Babylonian religions and so on and so on, and stories in the 'correct' religion's bible are found on clay tables from Assyria which were preserved a thousand years before the world was created. The virgin mary is a direct descendant of Astarte and the Earth Mother. The sacrificed god of the Greeks predated Jesus by 1500 years.

The problem with the belief of religionists is that they know next to nothing about any religion other than their own, and damn little about their own- where it REALLY came from, what its historical precedents were, and the political situations that informed the preserving of its texts.

The problem with atheists is they happen to believe in one fewer gods than the religionists do.

[CrawlingChaos]

119. Yes, he IS more concerned about the "dangerous Muslim"

He says so all the time, in quite hyperbolic language I might add. Where did people get the idea that he's equally hard on all religions? Nothing could be further from the truth.

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

48. Must respect false religions

(all of them)

[blueworld]

52. Well, I agree with you, but I wondered if he wasn't exceptionally tired or something

No snark. He seemed to get off-topic frequently & IMO, he got really silly over the NYT putting their weekend edition to bed on Wednesday nites without his jokes! It wasn't even logical. He surely knows about newsprint & ads vs. internet. If the NYT kept a 24-hour staff up until Fridays to include his jokes the freakin' paper would cost 10 bucks & weigh 4 pounds more than it does now.

Well, anyway, I agree with you about his position on religion. Well said.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

53. At most, a crackpot. Not because of religion, but the vaccines paranoia.

Other that that, he's spot on.

I love the "New Rules".

[snooper2]

56. you can call me a bigot as well...

Science trumps stupidity


I agree with 99% of what Mr. Maher says

[Quantess]

61. I happen to agree with most of what Maher says.

Religious fundamentalism is a scourge on humanity.

[TonyMontana]

62. No. Religion is irrational.

[riderinthestorm]

63. So now atheists get called "bigots" on DU?

Or just "radical atheists"? So anyone who has a "deep seated hatred of all religions" across the board because religions are and have been an incredibly destructive force for millennium (which is Maher's position), they're all bigots? People can't disagree with you that "religions aren't bad", or they are bigots? There's no "rational" reason to dislike religions? Really?

[Maru Kitteh]

65. YES.

[Touchdown]

66. Nope!

:hi:

[proud2BlibKansan]

69. No

But perhaps acting like one gets him the attention he is seeking.

[timtom]

70. Not "bigot," exactly...

and not exactly "asshole," though that comes a bit closer to the essence of Bill Maher. I guess he is, in my eyes, a failed, mediocre comic/actor with nothing much original going for him.

I am unable to watch him nowadays, regardless of how much someone were to pay me.

[Hosnon]

74. Probably. Maher is not PC and does not try to be PC. And in my opinion,

he's still a positive force on the left.

[Hello_Kitty]

97. "Not PC" means something to offend everyone

Except the straight white males who are the target audience.

[Hello_Kitty]

77. He's been a misogynist for years and you pick this issue to be offended.

Typical.

Yeah, when he bashes Muslims he's including men in that. And men are people so it's outrage.

[Lyric]

81. His views on religion don't bother me at all, but that man seriously hates women.

[AtomicKitten]

83. As a comedian some leeway is given. His delivery is similar to Daniel Tosh's.

The good thing about tee-vee box is that you can change the channel if you no likey the programming.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

84. Dunno about "bigot", but the smug is strong with that one.

much like Beck and Limbaugh

[Blue_In_AK]

85. No.

He is just a man of strong opinions. AND he's a comedian.

[EFerrari]

93. True but having said that, he should avoid the topics of women

or GLBT because he does cross the line often and seems utterly unaware of what he's doing. That's why comedians have handlers and sometimes, writing groups, to avoid doing that.

[Deep13]

90. Here's something I wrote a while ago on this point.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=214&topic_id=196408

[LaPera]

94. I agree with Maher religion is complete bullshit & don't call me a fucking bigot!!

Religion is nothing more than a thought, an idea of believing on faith which is complete bullshit to others more grounded people who don't have those magical, he's looking after us - because they can't face that they might be alone, thoughts and ideas...and then the people with those thoughts & ideas start calling their stupid nonsense, a "religion"....

They start demanding that it's real and pushing it in people's faces, calling the people names like bigots and evil - all the while they are manipulated & manipulating others with guilt & fear and pointing their fingers at those they say don't have "faith" - in what, their ridiculous controlling thoughts, ideas and bullshit?

I believe in spirituality not fucking religion....But you would never ever know the difference!

Get fucking real and stop polarizing people, stop proselytizing, stop accusing people, stop trying to diabolically control people and stop calling people names when you can be accused of being the exact same thing - Of being a fucking zealot, a religious "bigot"!!

[mmonk]

101. He would be if he only singled out one religion or two while liking or honoring one.

[Lucian]

103. What is irrational about hating religion?

What is irrational is religion. We're in the age of science. Religion has no part of it anymore. Religion, itself, does no good for anyone.

If you can't see that, then it's you who has a problem.

[cbdo2007]

104. Of course. I don't think I know anyone that wouldn't be called a Bigot by at least someone on DU.

[K8-EEE]

105. I am always so grateful to hear somebody else think what I think

No he's not a bigot, he's just arguing for rational thought instead of theism. He has a right to think the concept of God if frequently ridiculous. Have you ever seen "Holy Laughter" or "Tongue Talking?" Is it "bigotry" to think those people are just acting nuts? It's like once you put "God" in the equation, not criticism allowed but atheists, agnostics, pagans, etc. are constantly the butt of Fox News hit jobs and blamed for everything ie,, "if we only turned back to GOD!"

[TroglodyteScholar]

106. He's a bit aggressive about his beliefs...

I mostly agree with him, though.

I may be a bigot because,too, because I must admit to some degree of bias against the religiously-inclined. All that stick-shaking hokum helped humankind survive and do some amazing things in the past, but it seems pretty clear to me that the largest benefits of it have long disappeared. Now we just have a lot of folks believing in a different tooth fairies, all of which leave them turds instead of quarters.

[DailyGrind51]

110. Both Ayn Rand and Jozef Stalin were "enlightened" athiests, I suppose?

The Soviet dictator said, "You know, they are fooling us, there is no God... all this talk about God is sheer nonsense." - E. Yaroslavsky, Landmarks in the Life of Stalin


Ayn Rand: Qua religion, no - in the sense of blind belief, belief unsupported by, or contrary to, the facts of reality and the conclusions of reason. Faith, as such, is extremely detrimental to human life: it is the negation of reason. But you must remember that religion is an early form of philosophy, that the first attempts to explain the universe, to give a coherent frame of reference to man's life and a code of moral values, were made by religion, before men graduated or developed enough to have philosophy. And, as philosophies, some religions have very valuable moral points. They may have a good influence or proper principles to inculcate, but in a very contradictory context and, on a very - how should I say it? - dangerous or malevolent base: on the ground of faith.

[Township75]

111. Yes, he is a bigot. And he is a self absorbed asshole desparate for attention.

He will spout off on anything that gets him an audience.

People should remember he was talking about how great the first elections were in Iraq and that liberals are going to have to do some soul searching on this because it is all thanks to Bush.

But of course all of that talk stopped when he got a new show on HBO.

[TNLib]

112. I never got the sense he was intolerant against muslims

He just really dislikes fundamentalist whether they are christian, muslim or whatever religion. He's an atheist and has no use for religion. But to say he is a bigot I don't think that is fair.

[CrawlingChaos]

113. Without a doubt, YES

Racist, bigoted and sexist.

His depicts Muslims as almost sub-human; it's really disgusting. He's essentially doing the same thing Newt Gingrich is doing with his "America at Risk" hate-fest, if you've seen the trailer for that atrocity.

He does NOT criticize all religions equally! I keep hearing people say that and it's just not true. He ALWAYS singles out Muslims as being more of a menace, more violent (bullshit), living in the stone age, etc. What a steaming load of hateful BS.

He's also horrendously sexist, and when he starts in with the selective outrage about women in Burquas, it's so disingenuous, I want to puke. I know an orthodox Jewish woman who has to wear a wig in public because only her husband is allowed to see her hair. And she has to wear long sleeves and high collars in the worst Summer heat. There are oppressive extremists in every religion, but Bill wants you to believe they all pale in comparison to Muslims.

And speaking of Jews, does anyone think you could make the same remarks about Jews that Maher makes about Muslims without being called anti-semitic? And believe me, he'll never do that. I've seen Maher defend the brutality of Israel, and been shocked by it. He barely ever touches on Judaism in his rants, and even when he does, it's completely toothless criticism.

[krabigirl]

117. Nope, just a comedian. nt

[iris27]

120. He is absolutely an anti-woman bigot.

I know that's not the bigotry you're talking about specifically, but it's true.

[HEyHEY]

122. I think his opinion is that it's a bunch of crap so why give it respect?

[BoneDaddy]

128. Then we are all bigots

Because your definition pretty much applies to every human I know.

Especially on DU, where people are incredibly intolerant of alot.

[CrawlingChaos]

129. Another voice on this subject

I happened upon this article that appeared in CounterPunch in 2007, and thought it should be added to this discussion.

It's called: "Why is Anti-Muslim Bigotry Tolerated?
Bill Maher's 'Towel-Headed Hos'", by Remi Kanazi

http://www.counterpunch.org/kanazi04212007.html


Excerpt:

"To see how anti-Arab/anti-Muslim bigotry is accepted and applauded in America, one has to look no further than HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher, hosted by "left-wing" comedian and political commentator Bill Maher. "Liberal" pundits like Maher pass off their anti-Arab/anti-Muslim rhetoric as an innocent invocation of Samuel P. Huntington's "The Clash of Civilizations." Yet, Maher's vitriolic diatribes are no different than one saying, "black people are ruthless, welfare grubbing criminals." Nonetheless, to a "liberal," the previous comment is racist and wrong, because black people, unlike the days of slavery, are now "like us," meaning white Anglo-American society, whereas Arabs and Muslims (as if they are a unitary, monolithic people), can still be labeled wholly as "backwards, ruthless, Jew-hating animals."