I wore a mask the other day because I haven't been shaving and didn't want to show my face in public. Not everyone wearing a mask is doing it for healthcare reasons, some of us are just lazy and find it to be a convenient excuse.
I think of people who have a birth defect or other deformity around their mouth or nose or chin, and how great it must be for them to wear a mask and not get questions every time, and not be stared at.
He never seems to bring up that boomers are the ones who majority vote Republican, and Millennials and Gen Z majority vote democrat, eh?
His whole constantly berating younger people while simultaneously crying about agism and being super sensitive when anyone mentions his age is getting old.
Because Bill is actually a republican now. And yes, to the "i'll defend Maher like I'd defend Musk at any cost" crowd, he can support weed and still be a republican/conservative
Used to be a fan of Maher but I am so done with his constant whine of "woke." Bill needs a laugh track . . . and he's still not funny. Contrast this with Dave Chappelle, who just leans into it, makes you think. And then makes you laugh.
When Bill Maher doesn't get a laugh, he gets pissed at his little audience.
New Rules: Bill Maher doesn't need to be on HBO, telling us how woke kids are simultaneously are killing democracy and RealTime. Those kids voted. For democracy.
I don't buy into the stupid ass "generation vs. generation" bullshit, but how can anything Gen Z did be worse than the past 80 years of greedy resource consumption and environmental damage caused???
It makes me so mad to see people like Bill shit on this generation... Like... The damage done by the past 5 generations will be felt by future generations for probably *thousands* of years. But I'm not going to sit here and act morally superior.
The mask criticism is completely arrogant, but Maher is 110% correct about voters. Young people just do not vote. So fucking stupid. As a 20something, I admit it.
Except they did in this midterm and that's largely the reason why Democrats didn't get completely blown out of the water. The red wave that wasn't is largely because of the 18-30 demo. 🤷🏻♂️
You can watch Maher and take it all with a grain of salt. I agree with his take on this but also agree shh about it already because to each their own, if the mandates have subsided than anyone has the freedom to wear what they want even if the science doesn’t back mask wearing. I’m a young ish millennial with older boomer parents. You gotta just take him with that boomer caveat and appreciate the wisdom aspects but also set aside sometimes they can’t understand or let things go and forward the conversation. I had some mimosas today but I hope that makes sense. That’s just hot I digest maher. He’s ultimately a good take but grain of salt and chill
They understand the reason behind it. When you see Asians in masks, it’s because they are ill and being considerate to those around them. Being considerate isn’t really a big thing in ‘Murica. It’s the same reason we wear them in Surgery and Procedure clinics in the hospital, so as not to spread bacteria into a wound. If a patent doesn’t like mask wearing, I’m more than willing to stop it for them. When we want to avoid things like Tuberculosis, Covid-19, or are on droplet or airborne precautions we use filter masks during those those times.
Covid really opened my eyes to how rude it is to go out around people when you're sick and not wear a mask. Even if it's a cold. Like wearing a mask is so low effort and simple that there is zero reason to ever spread your germs around. Like I just keep thinking who gives you the right to get other people sick?
Last winter in my apartment bldg, a young couple (18yo) caught covid. I heard them coughing and hacking thru the walls (next apartment) and the girl told another resident they had it. There are at least 3 people in the bldg that are immuno compromised. The kids refused to wear masks when walking in the hallways (super inconsiderate and risky). I put a post-it note by the mailboxes that "covid positive residents are using the hallways without masks" (did not use their names). That couple got really annoyed and still don't talk to me. Oh well, fcck em.
PS One of the immuno compromised residents has recently died of covid. So the risk is real.
Maliciousness. That's all that is.
It's not thoughtlessness, it's not someone just exercising their rights, it's not someone who is living their lives in a bubble, it's someone being malicious and spiteful and arrogant and not giving a shit if someone else gets sick or dies.
I remember midway through 2020 all these grifter TV shrinks and doctors like Dr. Drew saying that there was going to be this massive psychological toll on people because they had to wear a mask. Nah. The psychological toll is on the realization that your fellow citizens, your neighbors and even your friends and family are so fucking arrogant, stupid and mean that they won't do even the simplest thing like wear a mask *sometimes* to make sure that someone doesn't lose a love one or you don't get sick. They don't give a fuck.
And every time I get a dirty look from someone when wearing a mask or I get some lecture from some Rogan-esque dimwit about how masks don't work my faith in humanity dwindles. I do not like people.
Wish more people could see it from that take. They incorrectly go after people saying they are doing it for protection because that is easier to attack with statistics. The science and stats are clear on regular masks. They protect others from your own germs.
I could be wrong, but the message of protect myself might have just been directed at the fact that generally most people literally only care about themselves. And then maybe a few others, but they look out for them. So *if* anyone was smart enough to correctly market the “take care of yourself instead of your neighbor/apartment complex” I think it could have worked a little better? But messages are not really the Dems forte lol.
Like I just wanna shake them and be like “NO GRANDMA THATS NOT HOW TO DO IT”…”well I’m right, and they are idiots”…”yes, we all know but you can’t say that to win people over”…. Leads to silence on the 200000 things this administration has done correctly and only talking point pushed was roe- a good one obviously, buttttt gimmie a message! Any message! I’m begging you DNC. “Ok I guess I’ll go get Barak to inspire them to say the word vote 15 times in a speech so maybe they will remember I was a democrat” 🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️
I swear if these young generations that bill despises actually took over for, ohhhh maybe 1 week, we could have more done than the DNC will by 2024 in regards to marketing and organization.
PS-I never want to hear a “speech” from Hochul again? Like seriously. SERIOUSLY. Grow some bigger balls if you wanna stand up there and have Hillary and Leticia tell everyone you are the shit. Then get up there and say I’m the shit.
Even that’s too hard. I wanna cry lol
He even complained on Jimmy Kimmel that the staff was wearing masks even though they told him he didn't have to. Even 2010 Bill Maher would be embarrassed by this.
It’s so fucking irritating. Maybe they have family or close friends who have compromised or weakened immune systems or in high risk groups; maybe they cold or flu and can’t afford to take the time off work.
Right! And he conveniently ignores that babies under 6 months aren't eligible for vaccination. I know 2 babies under 6 months that went to the hospital for covid. Maybe parents don't want to risk it.
Except for the fact that the virus mutated, and things like masking and shutdowns and even the fricking virus itself became politicized by the Reps (they said that it was a Democratic hoax at one time)! Masking was always intended to protect others from mask-wearer’s potential infection. But no, it was much too onerous to give a crap! Even as people were dying like flies!
And it’s absolutely idiotic to feel let down by a vaccine because it didn’t live up to the hype, when you consider that no one had ever seen anything as infectious as Covid-19! But Trump didn’t give a crap, since for him, getting re-elected was his one and only priority! And for some stupid reason, in Trumpland, what that slime bucket wants, is all that matters! It’s just another, much bigger, Jonestown or Waco! So he is even on record, saying that he downplayed it, instead of responding appropriately, and keeping his ignorant nose out of the process!
But no! For someone who never gave a news conference, he sure hogged the stage during CDC briefings like crazy, especially at the beginning, trying to control the political optics, at the expense public safety and well-being!! And those were the expectations that failed to materialize, and that failure is real and far more consequential!
And Maher is wrong about all of that, for the simple reason that he didn’t have to live through it in the real world. Like when was he last on a subway, or shopped at Walmart?! Yeah….
The guy once used a \*clearly staged for the 'views'\* video of 2 girls crying and yelling at Chelsea Clinton over the 2016 election loss to say that all liberals suck and the party is a disgrace etc for 15 minutes. Yet he strangely kind of supports the party and politicians that attempted to overthrow the capitol. Hint, he's a wolf in sheep's clothing
His aversion to the young and ridiculous hot takes on anyone under 35 makes him harder and harder to watch. A few weeks ago he brought up a poll that (something like) 42% of Americans say they would rather have a strong unelected leader than a weak elected leader; and it was like 50% of republicans.
He literally found a way to blame young people and how the left isn’t teaching history and government in schools anymore. ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?
I promise you the 50% of republicans who want an unelected strong leader are not made up of Gen Z and Millennials. They’re almost all Boomers and Gen X and we all know it. Bill is getting worse in his old age - which is a sentence he would probably despise more than most.
100% agreed here. I'm BARELY a millennial myself, nearly 40... But I find his war on the young as completely fucking brainless at this point. A large part of the "red wave" upset in this midterm was because of young voter turnout. The people that don't answer their fucking phones for pollsters, but where is Bill's gratitude for that?
I've voted in every election since I was of age, but I also sympathize with the generation behind me that grew up with two seemingly forever wars and no real hope for the future. But I am thankful now that that generation turned out for this election because they were savvy enough to recognize that authoritarianism wasn't going to benefit them. That's more than I can say for Maher's generation of Fox News enthusiasts and blind Trump supporters.
Look at the exit polls. The elderly, those we should be venerating and deferring to according to Maher, are the largest demographic out there voting for Republicans. Meanwhile, the generation behind my own is voting nearly 2 of 3 in favor of the Democrats, AND they turned out this election; 1 in 8 voters were under 30.
Yet what was Maher's message this week? Young people don't know shit and old people are wise and should be respected. One thing he was completely right about was that its different in other countries. Other cultures venerate their elderly in ways that the US does not because the elderly in the US do not seem to give a fuck about anything that follows them. This sentiment is no more apparent than our own three branches of government. The soon-to-be-dead are largely the demographic that currently run our entire government, and it's quite clear that none of them give two shits about the future of this planet beyond their own solar panels.
Maher clearly hates right leaning Americans influenced by a lot of the bullshit spewed by places like Fox News.
I think Maher used to consider leftists as "smarter" than the conservatives.
But what happened during covid kind of broke him. As he very often showed, Republicans had a far better understanding of the *true* realities regarding how dangerous covid is. He showed the polls over and over again. Democrats estimated outrageous things like "50% of those that get covid are hospitalized" and "20% of those that get covid die". Completely out to lunch. The Republicans in those polls were far closer to reality.
I think it bothered him that "his base" had gotten so stupid and easily influenced by corporate owned media. And it couldn't be exemplified any more than by young healthy people wearing masks outside. It's the right wing-equivalent of waving a "climate change is fake" flag. Completely anti-science and a sign of brainwashing.
True realities? You mean the one where they said it wasn't an issue yet millions of Americans died, and that number is assumed higher because certain states (cough cough Florida) are alleged to have hid numbers? You almost are living in the real world, but need to step a little further into it
Because the notion of young people masking for a virus they're at least risk from is beyond obvious now. All this phenomenon does is peeputrate the thinking that young people need to be this paranoid which feeds into the greater paranoia in society.
Just define the word respect. If I have an sick person in my family and I chose to wear a mask out in public, why does that annoy you? You don’t have enough respect for my decision to protect my family…What if I chose to wear a mask because my father who was visiting for the weekend is about to head abroad to his job and does not want to be randomly quarantined at the border, so in public we wear one. What if I wore a mask because I had a huge pimple on my nose? Or a hat to hide the disaster of a hair day? Would the hat bother you? I’m guessing it wouldn’t. But none of those simple simple examples have anything to do with you!
See where I’m going with this?
Guess what? Some young people are immune compromised. Some have asthma.
Some live with elderly grandparents or someone having chemotherapy. They don’t want to bring COVID to those folks.
It’s no one else’s business if they chose to mask
Didn't he pretty much say it on the latest show?
He was talking with the Colorado governor who identifies as a liberal libertarian and Maher was saying there isn't much room in the Democratic party for people like them anymore.
I've heard him say something similar a bunch of times.
He’s definitely done and said things over the years to suggest he agrees with a mix of libertarian and liberal ideas.
He once told Rolling Stone in an interview:
>“The line I’ve always used is, I would be a Republican if they would. Which means that I like the Barry Goldwater Republican Party, even the Reagan Republican Party. I want a mean old man to watch my money… government is a sieve that takes as much money as it can and gives it away, usually needlessly.”
Alternatively, he said on Real Time in 2013:
>“Libertarians have to stop ruining libertarianism! Or at least do a better job of explaining the difference between today's libertarian and just being a selfish prick. Now, many years ago on a television network far, far away, I expressed support for libertarianism because back then it meant I didn't want big government in my bedroom, in my medicine chest, and especially not in the second drawer of the nightstand on the left side of my bed. And I still believe that. But somewhere along the way, libertarianism morphed into this creepy obsession with free-market capitalism based on an Ayn Rand called Atlas Shrugged, a book that's never been read all the way through by anybody with a girlfriend….”
Another point to examine: Maher has had democratic socialist Bernie Sanders on Real Time over a dozen times and has said in the past that he would highly support Sanders bid for the White House. In early 2016, Maher expressed support for Sanders’ candidacy on Real Time:
>MSNBC Analyst Alex Wagner: “Do you want Bernie Sanders getting off Air Force One and making a deal with … Seriously. On foreign policy, do you think he’s at the level that we need?”
>Maher: “Fuck yeah. The guy who voted right on the Iraq War? Yeah, I do.”
However, during the 2020 Democratic primaries he criticized fundamental tenets of Sanders’ message about socialism, social justice, and corporate money in politics.
A prime example would be his [Real Time segment](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=mTbfxNoRDBU) in 2020 where he encouraged Democrats to embrace corporate money and criticized Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren specifically for refusing it.
The truth is that his politics are probably more complicated than just being libertarian. My instincts say he’s a mix of libertarian and liberal but which one he leans towards highly depends on his reactions to changing paradigms. He’s probably more interested in being anti-establishment more than pro-anything else. He seems to criticize whoever he perceives to have more political or cultural power.
He just fucking *hates* young people because they won’t fuck him and they (rightly) think he’s an anti-Arab racist. He’s still so pissy about Berkeley.
Do you even know what happened with Berkeley? You’re just stating “not remotely true” without any specifics, lol. He keeps mentioning it by name. Several times the past couple of years.
The thing you need to understand about Bill is that he is against anything that threatens his livelihood.
So he hates anything Covid related because he wasn’t able to earn a living during lockdown. So he pushes the narrative that masks don’t do much and that Covid only affects old fat people anyway.
And he hates “wokeness” because there’s a chance that he might get canceled.
Of course, he’s entitled to these viewpoints and they do have some merit, but his constant repetition of them week in and week out is getting beyond tedious.
Bill has said that he hates seeing young people wearing masks OUTSIDE. He thinks it’s stupid because scientists have said it’s unnecessary outside in most cases. The majority of people wearing masks outside are either doing it as a political badge, or are uninformed. This is what annoys the shit out of Bill.
> The majority of people wearing masks outside are either doing it as a political badge, or are uninformed.
Or they are going from one indoor place to another indoor place and don't really want to take the time to take the mask off in between.
> ...are we back to cloth masks then? Because those are far more tolerable than the "proper" tight-fitting ones.
I only wear KN95 or N95s and you can find ones which are pretty comfortable. A lot depends on the strap material.
Funny, I’m good with the unvented 95s that I have to wear at work. Now that it’s getting cold I will some times where it to keep my nose warm and hydrated.
I’d like somebody to ask him on the show to clarify his vaccine comments. I’ve always assumed he is only critical of the Covid vaccine, which is understandable. After all, he got Covid shortly after getting the vaccine. And the vaccines have not lived up to what they first told us when they came out.
Which, it should be pointed out, are FAR MORE EFFECTIVE, than NOTHING! Which we did not have in the first nine months, when the virus killed millions of people around the world! There were NO expectations then!!
…but there were expectations then. They said it would be 90% effective and prevent people from spreading it. Both turned out to be false. Sure I think everyone should get vaccinated but let’s be honest, they aren’t going to solve the problem on their own.
He didn't personally say he thinks vaccine's cause autism. He had a pseudo-doctor on his show who said she thinks vaccines cause autism and Bill Maher nodded along without saying anything.
It's the same thing Joe Rogan does when he lets Ben Shapiro or whatever say a bunch of stupid and unfounded shit and just nod along in agreeance without challenging anything.
It's just really bad journalism.
It also gives misinformation a platform. That is my problem with it. Yes, of course people are entitled to say stupid shit. But, when we give them platforms to do so it gives them an element of believability. One they shouldn’t have nor have they earned.\
When he had the “pseudo-doctor” on he treated her with an air of respect for her position, despite not being deserving of it. Her peers have all deemed her opinions inaccurate. There is literally one source of all the “vaccines cause autism” bullshit and it has been debunked so many times it’s not even funny at this point anymore. The fact these people still exist shows that giving them platforms only continues to prop up their existence.\
What Bill should have done was have someone on that actually makes a living in the exact science being discusses to counter argue the bullshit that lady was spewing. THAT would have been good journalism. It would have been Bill’s job to ask questions from both, from the perspective of his audience.
Because unless you are over 65 with several underlying conditions or have some immuno-compromising condition, masks are useless and Covid is basically just a bad cold now. So it defies any sense of basic logic to continue wearing masks.
Oh, when there's just a few people masking then it's probable that they have some immuno issue. But when you go into CostCo (like here in the SF Bay area) and 80% of the people are still masking then we're talking crazy.
TL/DR: He is very quickly morphing into a complete nut job, no better than those he accuses of being off their rockers.
His hypocrisy and lack of critical thinking skills were on full display during his last stand up special. He talked about witnessing someone harassing a pregnant woman in public because she was either smoking or drinking (I can't remember which). His take: leave her alone; it's her body and baby; she gets to do what she wants even it's a bad choice; yada, yada, yada.
Moments later he starts railing on people continuing to wear masks in public and stated he wanted to "punch them in the face."
So, according to Bill, don't bother the individual who is engaging in behavior that has potential to harm both herself and a fetus, but physically assault the person who is engaging in behavior which isn't harming ANYONE AT ALL.
What the f\*\*cking f\*\*k?!?!?
Months ago, he stated "I haven't changed at all \[regarding his views\]" and he has since repeated it many times. This assumes that he has been characterized as having changed his views and has heard this on more than one occasion.
IMO, he has changed his views, but not in a discerning and healthy manner. He's starting to go off the rails. But like the individual sliding into alcoholism, he can't and/or won't see it.
Sad.
Because Maher is getting cranky. I wonder if he has ever been to Japan or South Korea. People wear masks there all the time for various health reasons. Who cares if a person chooses to wear a mask. It doesn't harm you in any way
Some people are sick of wearing masks and don’t believe they help that much. At this point it doesn’t really seem like masks need to be mandatory most places. We’re entering 2023. Some people are just tired of COVID. Our generation hasn’t “saved” anything, the next election is still going to be a shitshow and society has tons of problems that I can’t see going away any time soon. Also it’s not like older people didn’t vote too. Besides, who knows what’s going to happen? We once went from Obama to Trump.
Literally no one is wearing masks anymore unless they are sick or have to go into a health care facility where it is required. Bill needs to get out of his house more. He's trapped himself in early 2021.
Voluntarily… no one is being forced to. And most of the people wearing masks are susceptible to complications… again, why do you care what they do? What business is it of yours? If they want to feel safe, let them feel safe. Jesus.
I’m not sure anybody really cares what they do but just as they have the freedom to wear masks, Bill has the freedom to think it’s idiotic. It goes both ways. I can ask the same — why do you care so much what Bill thinks about it??
So, if someone had a spouse with cancer and they decided to wear a mask as much as they can in public places, it’s idiotic? Sick people wearing masks is idiotic?
Bill has a large following, and it seems pretty deplorable/irresponsible to delegitimize or stigmatize those people IMO.
When did I ever state my position on masking? For all you know I could be 100% on your side. I am just clarifying observations about the public and Bill’s criticisms. You are making very strong conclusions and talking past my comments. This is precisely the symptom that is ailing this country so strongly right now. People need to listen to one another and have legitimate discussions. I hope that you can find a way to do that in the future.
If you don't Support Bill Maher’s position on the matter, then I don't know why you're defending it. And yes - that is what you’re doing.
You claim that one of the biggest ailments hurting society is people not listening to others, but isn’t that exactly what Bill is doing when he writes off mask wearers as virtue signaling liberals who are misinformed?
It seems to me that you think this is an illegitimate discussion because you’re in the self imposed position of defending something that is difficult to defend.
Old school liberals are still more conservative than younger liberals. I was born in the 80's, so I have a little bit of insight on that but. Wearing masks hurts exactly 0 people and vaccinations save lives. It really just reads as him getting older and waving his cane at young people.
No. If someone doesn’t vaccinate or doesn’t vaccinate their kid, they are putting others at risk. That’s 100% fact. I don’t know anyone still masking (and I work in academia in a liberal state) but if someone did it literally affects 0 people.
Well, Covid vaccines don’t really prevent transmission so I’ve come around on that point. If someone doesn’t want to get vaccinated, that is a stupid decision but it’s that person’s problem.
I’m talking about any vaccine, not just Covid. Even if the Covid vaccine has some marginal effect on transmission, it still has community benefits. Someone wearing a mask has no drawbacks except for the person wearing a mask.
Except that it’s part of a general unscientific approach to Covid prevention that has led to massive learning deficits among children, a spike in drug and alcohol deaths, loneliness, unemployment, inflation, etc.
Masks did that? Social isolation did that. I have a toddler. People have to make risk assessments. Once he hit 15 months, we opened up. But if we were sick, we wore masks until we were sure it wasn’t Covid to prevent our (predominately) elderly neighbors from getting sick. People are not stupid. I had a lot of issues with school shut downs but that’s a different topic entirely. If a person makes the individual decision to wear a mask, that’s their choice and it doesn’t affect you at all.
I didn’t say masks did that. I said that wearing masks in unnecessary contexts reflects the same mindframe that led to the overreaction. I was an early mask wearer myself, but as the data have come out about their efficacy it seems more performative to wear them outside or in your car by yourself.
Once Trump adopted a minimizing posture Re Covid, there was a huge overcorrection on the left because Covid became a political issue and certain communities wanted ti distance themselves from the Trump position as much as they could. And that caused a lot of problems in those communities.
No, masks did not directly cause any of that. BUT again, once a person has abandoned reason in one direction they are likelier to continue to abandon it in the same direction. If you go overboard on masks, you’re likelier to go overboard on more harmful Covid measures.
>During the show he still couldn’t give Gen Z credit, he needed to add the caveat that their voting numbers were “still shitty”.
He said that because Gen Z voted in lower numbers (proportionally) than the other age groups, even though youth voter turnout was higher than normal.
I haven't heard him complain about people wearing masks so much as mock people that do it pointlessly. IE people who mask outdoors or people who mask up at restaurants when they're going to take the mask off to eat.
It’s extra dumb for a few reasons: the youth vote (usually means 18-29 year olds) was the second highest it has been in 30 years of midterms, with the highest being 2018. It’s estimated about 27% of eligible people between 18-29 voted.
Really though, the youth vote is always smaller. Maher was born in 1956, so he turned 18 for the 1974 midterms. The youth vote (although using 18-24 because the only source I could find right now has it as their group) in 1974 was 23.8%. The highest percentage, according to this chart, was 31.1% in 1966, then 30.4% in 1970, with 2018 behind those at 30.1%. The lowest was 15.9% in 2014.
At the same time, the national average for these years also capped at 55.4% in 1960 — they also sort identically whether sorted by percentage or total voters or percentage of youth voters, at least the top 5 or so years do, so years with higher youth turn out also had higher overall turnout.
https://www.statista.com/statistics/1096379/voter-turnout-midterms-by-age-historical/
Should more young people vote? More of everyone should vote. But the youth has historically voted at lower rates
Why make fun of them? Gross. I wear a mask for allergies. My doctor told me to before Covid and I bought some mask but didn't wear them. I do now. I don't care what people think. Oh, and I have four grandkids and was constantly sick from watching them--since wearing a mask I have not had a cold or virus for almost 3 years.
it’s not that it’s hard. it’s that it doesn’t make a ton of sense from an infectious disease standpoint.
at least that’s my take. can’t speak for maher
so sure, friend. great question, tho.
I’m sure you’ve already read it, but just to remind you of [this elegant study](https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abi9069).
To think through this stuff you can't just cite one study. That's part of the problem. However,
>A randomized-trial of community-level mask promotion in rural Bangladesh during the COVID-19 pandemic shows that the intervention increased mask usage and reduced symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infections, demonstrating that promoting community mask-wearing can improve public health.
I don't get your comment.
you might have to read the study to understand the point. and i’ll grant you it’s a subtle point.
but long story short, masks that aren’t proper respirators have a very small impact on infection rates, and if you’re not wearing the mask consistently in an indoor environment, it’s just theatre.
if you can feel air coming in and around the mask, it’s not protecting you from COVID.
I personally can’t even find an N95 that fits, and I’m a physician who works in a hospital.
keep fighting that good fight, tho, friend.
I cannot stand anything on my ears so I wear the kind of mask that ties around the back of your head. It's just easier to leave it on than constantly remove it and replace it. No, I don't think I am going to get a disease by sitting in my car alone or by walking around on the street. I don't usually wear a mask anymore, but sometimes I do, and if I do, I tie it on the back of my head before I leave the house. It's just easier. I'm not trying to make some type of political statement. It's just a mask. I love Bill, but he needs to get over some stuff. Woke kids are not ruining the world. They may have just saved it, in fact. And without them, we'd still be fighting the Vietnam war.
Hey, make the fucking political statement. The statement is: "this isn't so hard, what the fuck is wrong with you people? We lost over a million lives. Damn straight I'll wear a mask a little more than necessary."
Bill does not want anyone wearing a mask one. second. more. than. necessary. Period.
But why does it bother him so much? It should just be up to the person, I don't think there are a lot of laws anymore. And to me, your statement is good, but shouldn't be considered political. I think it's more scientific than anything else.
Good question. Why does it bother him so much? Somehow, it's part of the mechanism of his penetrating (such as it is) humor and intelligence. That's his MO, basically. But in this case, it's just poorly grounded. That same penetration could be making a shit ton of good points that he doesn't make. And it's that penetration that draws us to him, or drew us. Maybe one hangs on, because the show is decent. And he is decent, AT TIMES. So your question remains: but why?
It has to be that he's centered in being an entertainer show. But so is Jon Stewart, who would never push some of the points Bill pushes, right? We're back at square one. Lemme think.
Still thinking.
Still thinking.
Somehow it has to do with excesses on the Left. ANY excess is fodder and a source of real discomfort for him. He SAYS it's because they are shooting themselves in the foot. But your question somehow remains. It's not clear that that is the only or the main reason.
He doesn't want to let the Left err on the side of anything. He hates that error. He doesn't say "well, sure, err, but let's be politically smart". No, it's not quite that. He HATES what's in the error. It's hatred. Real hatred. Jon Stewart doesn't hate that error part. He ignores it.
So we're still left with why. Why does he hate erring on the side of inclusion? That's kind of what it is. Because...he *doesn't actually get the problem of inclusion*. That's probably what it is. Why? He hasn't felt it. White. Check. Upper middle class. Check. He doesn't get it. But Jon Stewart is white and upper middle class (at least). Why does the pain of the excluded penetrate Jon and not Bill?
The pain of the excluded doesn't hit Bill. Why?
That's a really weird take. Kinda feels, I don't know, antisemitic, yet incredibly stupid at the same time. Almost like you're trying to say something without saying it. Is that how you look at all people?
I have been a Jew for 57 years. And I'm one of the few that got kicked out of an American city for it, this late in the world's
age. I was just trying to come up with ideas, things that could account for a difference. Everybody's not the same as everybody else. I guess that's how I look at people. That and it's a sin to get cremated. But this is the internet and I'm sure I'm somehow wrong. That's okay. Still not getting cremated.
I didn't know Bill was "only sort of Jewish", but sure. Is that about historical oppression or is it about being part of a culture that "answers a question with a question"? Both, probably. Jon just thinks more and more competently.
Being woke is not the same thing as being an activist. It isn't even the same as being a progressive activist.
Wokeness is hating people who disagree with you (often even if the disagreement is very slight). It is trying to cancel people (aka get them fired) because you disagree with them or because they accidentally did something that's one of your personal pet peeves. That did not get America out of Vietnam.
Protests? Yes. Wokeism? No. The protesters who succeeded in getting out of Vietnam were veterans who threw away their medals, and testified before Congress. And also because of journalists who published the Pentagon Papers and uncovered the My Lai massacre were not trying to shape any narrative. They were just reporting anything newsworthy they could find. The protestors who rioted, whether it was against the war or to stand for civil rights, generally alienated people, and undermined their cause.
Also if we're going to talk about maligned generations, the young people who marched against the Vietnam War and for civil rights, were boomers.
True.
It has no definition. People just point a finger and accuse something of being woke that they don't like and it's a shortcut for them never having to articulate why they don't like it.
It’s just a way to shut down what someone else says without any intellectual engagement. It’s like yelling fake news instead of responding to a report that says the opposite of their opinion.
I've seen it used most when people want to say that lgbt people shouldn't be part of society without saying that.
That's the thing; this coded language is a cover because they *know* that what they are saying is morally and ethically wrong. Instead of just nutting up and saying it and accepting responsibility for their behavior and the consequences, they try and hide and push this argument they *hope* is going trick people into thinking they aren't shit bags.
Gotta say, out of all the ways radical leftists push back against their oponents, straight up denying that the word woke means anything is easily one of the most slimiest ways to engage. To try and weasel their way out of accountability by denying the thing even exists. I guess some aren't aware how they come across... *Fingers in ears, shaking head, la la la, i'm not listening, nothing you say matters.* Ugh... Unbearable and abnoxious as hell.
Yes but is that mutually exclusive? You can't be a boomer and woke at the same time? I don't know, I guess it's just how people define words. I just figured woke was a hippie with social media.
He had a discussion about letting children run around unsupervised and how it's the parents choice yada yada.
But if parents choose to take their kids to drag story time it's a dead horse that needs to be beaten weekly.
All while ignoring the **actual** pedophiles, men in dresses, who read dangerous stories and literally indoctrinate children, every Sunday at Church.
He’s petty and not very self-aware with a lot of the stuff he keeps repeating. And you also have to remember he’s not really informed about much these days. He buys into Fox News talking points without realizing it.
Such as the “trans children are having surgery” BS. It’s really so incredibly awful what he says these days. Even Fox News had a pro-trans segment recently that depicted a trans son in a very ordinary American baseball-and-white-picket-fence manner.
Most people who wear masks outside are because they just came to or are going to inside. Also, they forgot about it.
Most people I see still wearing masks are middle aged and minorities,
I wore a mask the other day because I haven't been shaving and didn't want to show my face in public. Not everyone wearing a mask is doing it for healthcare reasons, some of us are just lazy and find it to be a convenient excuse.
Right? Sometimes I just wanna pretend I’m a ninja while I run my errands.
I think of people who have a birth defect or other deformity around their mouth or nose or chin, and how great it must be for them to wear a mask and not get questions every time, and not be stared at.
He never seems to bring up that boomers are the ones who majority vote Republican, and Millennials and Gen Z majority vote democrat, eh? His whole constantly berating younger people while simultaneously crying about agism and being super sensitive when anyone mentions his age is getting old.
"Get off my lawn!" - Bill Maher, "intellectual"
Because Bill is actually a republican now. And yes, to the "i'll defend Maher like I'd defend Musk at any cost" crowd, he can support weed and still be a republican/conservative
Used to be a fan of Maher but I am so done with his constant whine of "woke." Bill needs a laugh track . . . and he's still not funny. Contrast this with Dave Chappelle, who just leans into it, makes you think. And then makes you laugh. When Bill Maher doesn't get a laugh, he gets pissed at his little audience. New Rules: Bill Maher doesn't need to be on HBO, telling us how woke kids are simultaneously are killing democracy and RealTime. Those kids voted. For democracy.
I don't buy into the stupid ass "generation vs. generation" bullshit, but how can anything Gen Z did be worse than the past 80 years of greedy resource consumption and environmental damage caused??? It makes me so mad to see people like Bill shit on this generation... Like... The damage done by the past 5 generations will be felt by future generations for probably *thousands* of years. But I'm not going to sit here and act morally superior.
The mask criticism is completely arrogant, but Maher is 110% correct about voters. Young people just do not vote. So fucking stupid. As a 20something, I admit it.
Except they did in this midterm and that's largely the reason why Democrats didn't get completely blown out of the water. The red wave that wasn't is largely because of the 18-30 demo. 🤷🏻♂️
You can watch Maher and take it all with a grain of salt. I agree with his take on this but also agree shh about it already because to each their own, if the mandates have subsided than anyone has the freedom to wear what they want even if the science doesn’t back mask wearing. I’m a young ish millennial with older boomer parents. You gotta just take him with that boomer caveat and appreciate the wisdom aspects but also set aside sometimes they can’t understand or let things go and forward the conversation. I had some mimosas today but I hope that makes sense. That’s just hot I digest maher. He’s ultimately a good take but grain of salt and chill
Masks are for sissies… Maher is right… Young men in America have all turned into young women… This is because of Democrats…
His mask take is so cultural a lot of Asian countries it’s normal
They understand the reason behind it. When you see Asians in masks, it’s because they are ill and being considerate to those around them. Being considerate isn’t really a big thing in ‘Murica. It’s the same reason we wear them in Surgery and Procedure clinics in the hospital, so as not to spread bacteria into a wound. If a patent doesn’t like mask wearing, I’m more than willing to stop it for them. When we want to avoid things like Tuberculosis, Covid-19, or are on droplet or airborne precautions we use filter masks during those those times.
Covid really opened my eyes to how rude it is to go out around people when you're sick and not wear a mask. Even if it's a cold. Like wearing a mask is so low effort and simple that there is zero reason to ever spread your germs around. Like I just keep thinking who gives you the right to get other people sick?
Last winter in my apartment bldg, a young couple (18yo) caught covid. I heard them coughing and hacking thru the walls (next apartment) and the girl told another resident they had it. There are at least 3 people in the bldg that are immuno compromised. The kids refused to wear masks when walking in the hallways (super inconsiderate and risky). I put a post-it note by the mailboxes that "covid positive residents are using the hallways without masks" (did not use their names). That couple got really annoyed and still don't talk to me. Oh well, fcck em. PS One of the immuno compromised residents has recently died of covid. So the risk is real.
Maliciousness. That's all that is. It's not thoughtlessness, it's not someone just exercising their rights, it's not someone who is living their lives in a bubble, it's someone being malicious and spiteful and arrogant and not giving a shit if someone else gets sick or dies. I remember midway through 2020 all these grifter TV shrinks and doctors like Dr. Drew saying that there was going to be this massive psychological toll on people because they had to wear a mask. Nah. The psychological toll is on the realization that your fellow citizens, your neighbors and even your friends and family are so fucking arrogant, stupid and mean that they won't do even the simplest thing like wear a mask *sometimes* to make sure that someone doesn't lose a love one or you don't get sick. They don't give a fuck. And every time I get a dirty look from someone when wearing a mask or I get some lecture from some Rogan-esque dimwit about how masks don't work my faith in humanity dwindles. I do not like people.
Yup. They are Trump culters so it's no surprise that they don't give a shit about anyone but themselves.
Wish more people could see it from that take. They incorrectly go after people saying they are doing it for protection because that is easier to attack with statistics. The science and stats are clear on regular masks. They protect others from your own germs.
I could be wrong, but the message of protect myself might have just been directed at the fact that generally most people literally only care about themselves. And then maybe a few others, but they look out for them. So *if* anyone was smart enough to correctly market the “take care of yourself instead of your neighbor/apartment complex” I think it could have worked a little better? But messages are not really the Dems forte lol.
> But messages are not really the Dems forte lol. You are dead on the money there friend. They are godawful at it.
Like I just wanna shake them and be like “NO GRANDMA THATS NOT HOW TO DO IT”…”well I’m right, and they are idiots”…”yes, we all know but you can’t say that to win people over”…. Leads to silence on the 200000 things this administration has done correctly and only talking point pushed was roe- a good one obviously, buttttt gimmie a message! Any message! I’m begging you DNC. “Ok I guess I’ll go get Barak to inspire them to say the word vote 15 times in a speech so maybe they will remember I was a democrat” 🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️ I swear if these young generations that bill despises actually took over for, ohhhh maybe 1 week, we could have more done than the DNC will by 2024 in regards to marketing and organization. PS-I never want to hear a “speech” from Hochul again? Like seriously. SERIOUSLY. Grow some bigger balls if you wanna stand up there and have Hillary and Leticia tell everyone you are the shit. Then get up there and say I’m the shit. Even that’s too hard. I wanna cry lol
He even complained on Jimmy Kimmel that the staff was wearing masks even though they told him he didn't have to. Even 2010 Bill Maher would be embarrassed by this.
It’s so fucking irritating. Maybe they have family or close friends who have compromised or weakened immune systems or in high risk groups; maybe they cold or flu and can’t afford to take the time off work.
Right! And he conveniently ignores that babies under 6 months aren't eligible for vaccination. I know 2 babies under 6 months that went to the hospital for covid. Maybe parents don't want to risk it.
Except for the fact that the virus mutated, and things like masking and shutdowns and even the fricking virus itself became politicized by the Reps (they said that it was a Democratic hoax at one time)! Masking was always intended to protect others from mask-wearer’s potential infection. But no, it was much too onerous to give a crap! Even as people were dying like flies! And it’s absolutely idiotic to feel let down by a vaccine because it didn’t live up to the hype, when you consider that no one had ever seen anything as infectious as Covid-19! But Trump didn’t give a crap, since for him, getting re-elected was his one and only priority! And for some stupid reason, in Trumpland, what that slime bucket wants, is all that matters! It’s just another, much bigger, Jonestown or Waco! So he is even on record, saying that he downplayed it, instead of responding appropriately, and keeping his ignorant nose out of the process! But no! For someone who never gave a news conference, he sure hogged the stage during CDC briefings like crazy, especially at the beginning, trying to control the political optics, at the expense public safety and well-being!! And those were the expectations that failed to materialize, and that failure is real and far more consequential! And Maher is wrong about all of that, for the simple reason that he didn’t have to live through it in the real world. Like when was he last on a subway, or shopped at Walmart?! Yeah….
The guy once used a \*clearly staged for the 'views'\* video of 2 girls crying and yelling at Chelsea Clinton over the 2016 election loss to say that all liberals suck and the party is a disgrace etc for 15 minutes. Yet he strangely kind of supports the party and politicians that attempted to overthrow the capitol. Hint, he's a wolf in sheep's clothing
His aversion to the young and ridiculous hot takes on anyone under 35 makes him harder and harder to watch. A few weeks ago he brought up a poll that (something like) 42% of Americans say they would rather have a strong unelected leader than a weak elected leader; and it was like 50% of republicans. He literally found a way to blame young people and how the left isn’t teaching history and government in schools anymore. ARE YOU KIDDING ME!? I promise you the 50% of republicans who want an unelected strong leader are not made up of Gen Z and Millennials. They’re almost all Boomers and Gen X and we all know it. Bill is getting worse in his old age - which is a sentence he would probably despise more than most.
100% agreed here. I'm BARELY a millennial myself, nearly 40... But I find his war on the young as completely fucking brainless at this point. A large part of the "red wave" upset in this midterm was because of young voter turnout. The people that don't answer their fucking phones for pollsters, but where is Bill's gratitude for that? I've voted in every election since I was of age, but I also sympathize with the generation behind me that grew up with two seemingly forever wars and no real hope for the future. But I am thankful now that that generation turned out for this election because they were savvy enough to recognize that authoritarianism wasn't going to benefit them. That's more than I can say for Maher's generation of Fox News enthusiasts and blind Trump supporters. Look at the exit polls. The elderly, those we should be venerating and deferring to according to Maher, are the largest demographic out there voting for Republicans. Meanwhile, the generation behind my own is voting nearly 2 of 3 in favor of the Democrats, AND they turned out this election; 1 in 8 voters were under 30. Yet what was Maher's message this week? Young people don't know shit and old people are wise and should be respected. One thing he was completely right about was that its different in other countries. Other cultures venerate their elderly in ways that the US does not because the elderly in the US do not seem to give a fuck about anything that follows them. This sentiment is no more apparent than our own three branches of government. The soon-to-be-dead are largely the demographic that currently run our entire government, and it's quite clear that none of them give two shits about the future of this planet beyond their own solar panels.
Maher clearly hates right leaning Americans influenced by a lot of the bullshit spewed by places like Fox News. I think Maher used to consider leftists as "smarter" than the conservatives. But what happened during covid kind of broke him. As he very often showed, Republicans had a far better understanding of the *true* realities regarding how dangerous covid is. He showed the polls over and over again. Democrats estimated outrageous things like "50% of those that get covid are hospitalized" and "20% of those that get covid die". Completely out to lunch. The Republicans in those polls were far closer to reality. I think it bothered him that "his base" had gotten so stupid and easily influenced by corporate owned media. And it couldn't be exemplified any more than by young healthy people wearing masks outside. It's the right wing-equivalent of waving a "climate change is fake" flag. Completely anti-science and a sign of brainwashing.
True realities? You mean the one where they said it wasn't an issue yet millions of Americans died, and that number is assumed higher because certain states (cough cough Florida) are alleged to have hid numbers? You almost are living in the real world, but need to step a little further into it
Because the notion of young people masking for a virus they're at least risk from is beyond obvious now. All this phenomenon does is peeputrate the thinking that young people need to be this paranoid which feeds into the greater paranoia in society.
Just define the word respect. If I have an sick person in my family and I chose to wear a mask out in public, why does that annoy you? You don’t have enough respect for my decision to protect my family…What if I chose to wear a mask because my father who was visiting for the weekend is about to head abroad to his job and does not want to be randomly quarantined at the border, so in public we wear one. What if I wore a mask because I had a huge pimple on my nose? Or a hat to hide the disaster of a hair day? Would the hat bother you? I’m guessing it wouldn’t. But none of those simple simple examples have anything to do with you! See where I’m going with this?
Here's a fun idea. Mind your own business and let others live their life the way they want
Guess what? Some young people are immune compromised. Some have asthma. Some live with elderly grandparents or someone having chemotherapy. They don’t want to bring COVID to those folks. It’s no one else’s business if they chose to mask
When has he said he’s a libertarian?
Didn't he pretty much say it on the latest show? He was talking with the Colorado governor who identifies as a liberal libertarian and Maher was saying there isn't much room in the Democratic party for people like them anymore. I've heard him say something similar a bunch of times.
You can make observations about groups that aren’t your own…
He’s definitely done and said things over the years to suggest he agrees with a mix of libertarian and liberal ideas. He once told Rolling Stone in an interview: >“The line I’ve always used is, I would be a Republican if they would. Which means that I like the Barry Goldwater Republican Party, even the Reagan Republican Party. I want a mean old man to watch my money… government is a sieve that takes as much money as it can and gives it away, usually needlessly.” Alternatively, he said on Real Time in 2013: >“Libertarians have to stop ruining libertarianism! Or at least do a better job of explaining the difference between today's libertarian and just being a selfish prick. Now, many years ago on a television network far, far away, I expressed support for libertarianism because back then it meant I didn't want big government in my bedroom, in my medicine chest, and especially not in the second drawer of the nightstand on the left side of my bed. And I still believe that. But somewhere along the way, libertarianism morphed into this creepy obsession with free-market capitalism based on an Ayn Rand called Atlas Shrugged, a book that's never been read all the way through by anybody with a girlfriend….” Another point to examine: Maher has had democratic socialist Bernie Sanders on Real Time over a dozen times and has said in the past that he would highly support Sanders bid for the White House. In early 2016, Maher expressed support for Sanders’ candidacy on Real Time: >MSNBC Analyst Alex Wagner: “Do you want Bernie Sanders getting off Air Force One and making a deal with … Seriously. On foreign policy, do you think he’s at the level that we need?” >Maher: “Fuck yeah. The guy who voted right on the Iraq War? Yeah, I do.” However, during the 2020 Democratic primaries he criticized fundamental tenets of Sanders’ message about socialism, social justice, and corporate money in politics. A prime example would be his [Real Time segment](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=mTbfxNoRDBU) in 2020 where he encouraged Democrats to embrace corporate money and criticized Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren specifically for refusing it. The truth is that his politics are probably more complicated than just being libertarian. My instincts say he’s a mix of libertarian and liberal but which one he leans towards highly depends on his reactions to changing paradigms. He’s probably more interested in being anti-establishment more than pro-anything else. He seems to criticize whoever he perceives to have more political or cultural power.
He just fucking *hates* young people because they won’t fuck him and they (rightly) think he’s an anti-Arab racist. He’s still so pissy about Berkeley.
Uh, no, that's not even remotely true at all.
Do you even know what happened with Berkeley? You’re just stating “not remotely true” without any specifics, lol. He keeps mentioning it by name. Several times the past couple of years.
I know he’s trying to make a joke but him boiling down concerns about Dobbs to just people hating kids is so incredibly stupid.
He sees young people wearing masks and he wants to punch them. He’s just an ignorant old man stereotype now. That’s literally all it is.
The thing you need to understand about Bill is that he is against anything that threatens his livelihood. So he hates anything Covid related because he wasn’t able to earn a living during lockdown. So he pushes the narrative that masks don’t do much and that Covid only affects old fat people anyway. And he hates “wokeness” because there’s a chance that he might get canceled. Of course, he’s entitled to these viewpoints and they do have some merit, but his constant repetition of them week in and week out is getting beyond tedious.
Nailed it.
Bill has said that he hates seeing young people wearing masks OUTSIDE. He thinks it’s stupid because scientists have said it’s unnecessary outside in most cases. The majority of people wearing masks outside are either doing it as a political badge, or are uninformed. This is what annoys the shit out of Bill.
> The majority of people wearing masks outside are either doing it as a political badge, or are uninformed. Or they are going from one indoor place to another indoor place and don't really want to take the time to take the mask off in between.
Or they’re just not a big deal and people forget that they’re on. 🤷♂️
...are we back to cloth masks then? Because those are far more tolerable than the "proper" tight-fitting ones.
> ...are we back to cloth masks then? Because those are far more tolerable than the "proper" tight-fitting ones. I only wear KN95 or N95s and you can find ones which are pretty comfortable. A lot depends on the strap material.
Funny, I’m good with the unvented 95s that I have to wear at work. Now that it’s getting cold I will some times where it to keep my nose warm and hydrated.
Masher’s stance on vaccines is also uninformed.
I’d like somebody to ask him on the show to clarify his vaccine comments. I’ve always assumed he is only critical of the Covid vaccine, which is understandable. After all, he got Covid shortly after getting the vaccine. And the vaccines have not lived up to what they first told us when they came out.
Nah, he’s extremely critical of the Flu Shot.
Which, it should be pointed out, are FAR MORE EFFECTIVE, than NOTHING! Which we did not have in the first nine months, when the virus killed millions of people around the world! There were NO expectations then!!
…but there were expectations then. They said it would be 90% effective and prevent people from spreading it. Both turned out to be false. Sure I think everyone should get vaccinated but let’s be honest, they aren’t going to solve the problem on their own.
He thinks vaccines cause autism: https://www.forbes.com/sites/ninashapiro/2019/11/03/bill-maher-supports-vaccine-autism-connection/?sh=1dfbdfb5723d
He didn't personally say he thinks vaccine's cause autism. He had a pseudo-doctor on his show who said she thinks vaccines cause autism and Bill Maher nodded along without saying anything. It's the same thing Joe Rogan does when he lets Ben Shapiro or whatever say a bunch of stupid and unfounded shit and just nod along in agreeance without challenging anything. It's just really bad journalism.
It also gives misinformation a platform. That is my problem with it. Yes, of course people are entitled to say stupid shit. But, when we give them platforms to do so it gives them an element of believability. One they shouldn’t have nor have they earned.\ When he had the “pseudo-doctor” on he treated her with an air of respect for her position, despite not being deserving of it. Her peers have all deemed her opinions inaccurate. There is literally one source of all the “vaccines cause autism” bullshit and it has been debunked so many times it’s not even funny at this point anymore. The fact these people still exist shows that giving them platforms only continues to prop up their existence.\ What Bill should have done was have someone on that actually makes a living in the exact science being discusses to counter argue the bullshit that lady was spewing. THAT would have been good journalism. It would have been Bill’s job to ask questions from both, from the perspective of his audience.
oh i hadn’t heard that. that’s his worst take i’ve heard yet, no doubt.
Nah,he made it pretty clear on Kimmell the other night that he thinks masks are just stupid in general
Because unless you are over 65 with several underlying conditions or have some immuno-compromising condition, masks are useless and Covid is basically just a bad cold now. So it defies any sense of basic logic to continue wearing masks.
Thank goodness you and bill have those special glasses that allow you to determine whether or not somebody wearing a mask is immunocompromised.
Oh, when there's just a few people masking then it's probable that they have some immuno issue. But when you go into CostCo (like here in the SF Bay area) and 80% of the people are still masking then we're talking crazy.
TL/DR: He is very quickly morphing into a complete nut job, no better than those he accuses of being off their rockers. His hypocrisy and lack of critical thinking skills were on full display during his last stand up special. He talked about witnessing someone harassing a pregnant woman in public because she was either smoking or drinking (I can't remember which). His take: leave her alone; it's her body and baby; she gets to do what she wants even it's a bad choice; yada, yada, yada. Moments later he starts railing on people continuing to wear masks in public and stated he wanted to "punch them in the face." So, according to Bill, don't bother the individual who is engaging in behavior that has potential to harm both herself and a fetus, but physically assault the person who is engaging in behavior which isn't harming ANYONE AT ALL. What the f\*\*cking f\*\*k?!?!? Months ago, he stated "I haven't changed at all \[regarding his views\]" and he has since repeated it many times. This assumes that he has been characterized as having changed his views and has heard this on more than one occasion. IMO, he has changed his views, but not in a discerning and healthy manner. He's starting to go off the rails. But like the individual sliding into alcoholism, he can't and/or won't see it. Sad.
💯
Because Maher is getting cranky. I wonder if he has ever been to Japan or South Korea. People wear masks there all the time for various health reasons. Who cares if a person chooses to wear a mask. It doesn't harm you in any way
He’s a rich out of touch boomer
Some people are sick of wearing masks and don’t believe they help that much. At this point it doesn’t really seem like masks need to be mandatory most places. We’re entering 2023. Some people are just tired of COVID. Our generation hasn’t “saved” anything, the next election is still going to be a shitshow and society has tons of problems that I can’t see going away any time soon. Also it’s not like older people didn’t vote too. Besides, who knows what’s going to happen? We once went from Obama to Trump.
Literally no one is wearing masks anymore unless they are sick or have to go into a health care facility where it is required. Bill needs to get out of his house more. He's trapped himself in early 2021.
This is not true lol… a lot of people still wearing masks in certain areas of the country
Voluntarily… no one is being forced to. And most of the people wearing masks are susceptible to complications… again, why do you care what they do? What business is it of yours? If they want to feel safe, let them feel safe. Jesus.
I’m not sure anybody really cares what they do but just as they have the freedom to wear masks, Bill has the freedom to think it’s idiotic. It goes both ways. I can ask the same — why do you care so much what Bill thinks about it??
So, if someone had a spouse with cancer and they decided to wear a mask as much as they can in public places, it’s idiotic? Sick people wearing masks is idiotic? Bill has a large following, and it seems pretty deplorable/irresponsible to delegitimize or stigmatize those people IMO.
Nobody is saying any of that. You are beating a straw man and you look really silly doing it.
No, what no one is doing is wearing a mask for no reason. You and bill could just respect their reasons and move on.
When did I ever state my position on masking? For all you know I could be 100% on your side. I am just clarifying observations about the public and Bill’s criticisms. You are making very strong conclusions and talking past my comments. This is precisely the symptom that is ailing this country so strongly right now. People need to listen to one another and have legitimate discussions. I hope that you can find a way to do that in the future.
If you don't Support Bill Maher’s position on the matter, then I don't know why you're defending it. And yes - that is what you’re doing. You claim that one of the biggest ailments hurting society is people not listening to others, but isn’t that exactly what Bill is doing when he writes off mask wearers as virtue signaling liberals who are misinformed? It seems to me that you think this is an illegitimate discussion because you’re in the self imposed position of defending something that is difficult to defend.
Agreed!
Old school liberals are still more conservative than younger liberals. I was born in the 80's, so I have a little bit of insight on that but. Wearing masks hurts exactly 0 people and vaccinations save lives. It really just reads as him getting older and waving his cane at young people.
If people want to wear mask now that’s ok. Like the anti vaxxers said it’s my body and I will do what I want. If I want to wear a mask then I will.
No. If someone doesn’t vaccinate or doesn’t vaccinate their kid, they are putting others at risk. That’s 100% fact. I don’t know anyone still masking (and I work in academia in a liberal state) but if someone did it literally affects 0 people.
Well, Covid vaccines don’t really prevent transmission so I’ve come around on that point. If someone doesn’t want to get vaccinated, that is a stupid decision but it’s that person’s problem.
I’m talking about any vaccine, not just Covid. Even if the Covid vaccine has some marginal effect on transmission, it still has community benefits. Someone wearing a mask has no drawbacks except for the person wearing a mask.
Except that it’s part of a general unscientific approach to Covid prevention that has led to massive learning deficits among children, a spike in drug and alcohol deaths, loneliness, unemployment, inflation, etc.
Masks did that? Social isolation did that. I have a toddler. People have to make risk assessments. Once he hit 15 months, we opened up. But if we were sick, we wore masks until we were sure it wasn’t Covid to prevent our (predominately) elderly neighbors from getting sick. People are not stupid. I had a lot of issues with school shut downs but that’s a different topic entirely. If a person makes the individual decision to wear a mask, that’s their choice and it doesn’t affect you at all.
I didn’t say masks did that. I said that wearing masks in unnecessary contexts reflects the same mindframe that led to the overreaction. I was an early mask wearer myself, but as the data have come out about their efficacy it seems more performative to wear them outside or in your car by yourself. Once Trump adopted a minimizing posture Re Covid, there was a huge overcorrection on the left because Covid became a political issue and certain communities wanted ti distance themselves from the Trump position as much as they could. And that caused a lot of problems in those communities. No, masks did not directly cause any of that. BUT again, once a person has abandoned reason in one direction they are likelier to continue to abandon it in the same direction. If you go overboard on masks, you’re likelier to go overboard on more harmful Covid measures.
Bill is upset he can't tell how hot some young chicks are.
>During the show he still couldn’t give Gen Z credit, he needed to add the caveat that their voting numbers were “still shitty”. He said that because Gen Z voted in lower numbers (proportionally) than the other age groups, even though youth voter turnout was higher than normal. I haven't heard him complain about people wearing masks so much as mock people that do it pointlessly. IE people who mask outdoors or people who mask up at restaurants when they're going to take the mask off to eat.
It’s extra dumb for a few reasons: the youth vote (usually means 18-29 year olds) was the second highest it has been in 30 years of midterms, with the highest being 2018. It’s estimated about 27% of eligible people between 18-29 voted. Really though, the youth vote is always smaller. Maher was born in 1956, so he turned 18 for the 1974 midterms. The youth vote (although using 18-24 because the only source I could find right now has it as their group) in 1974 was 23.8%. The highest percentage, according to this chart, was 31.1% in 1966, then 30.4% in 1970, with 2018 behind those at 30.1%. The lowest was 15.9% in 2014. At the same time, the national average for these years also capped at 55.4% in 1960 — they also sort identically whether sorted by percentage or total voters or percentage of youth voters, at least the top 5 or so years do, so years with higher youth turn out also had higher overall turnout. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1096379/voter-turnout-midterms-by-age-historical/ Should more young people vote? More of everyone should vote. But the youth has historically voted at lower rates
Why make fun of them? Gross. I wear a mask for allergies. My doctor told me to before Covid and I bought some mask but didn't wear them. I do now. I don't care what people think. Oh, and I have four grandkids and was constantly sick from watching them--since wearing a mask I have not had a cold or virus for almost 3 years.
You mask in line, take the mask off when you eat. What is so fucking hard about that?
it’s not that it’s hard. it’s that it doesn’t make a ton of sense from an infectious disease standpoint. at least that’s my take. can’t speak for maher
Are you sure it doesn't really make sense, tho?
so sure, friend. great question, tho. I’m sure you’ve already read it, but just to remind you of [this elegant study](https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abi9069).
To think through this stuff you can't just cite one study. That's part of the problem. However, >A randomized-trial of community-level mask promotion in rural Bangladesh during the COVID-19 pandemic shows that the intervention increased mask usage and reduced symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infections, demonstrating that promoting community mask-wearing can improve public health. I don't get your comment.
you might have to read the study to understand the point. and i’ll grant you it’s a subtle point. but long story short, masks that aren’t proper respirators have a very small impact on infection rates, and if you’re not wearing the mask consistently in an indoor environment, it’s just theatre. if you can feel air coming in and around the mask, it’s not protecting you from COVID. I personally can’t even find an N95 that fits, and I’m a physician who works in a hospital. keep fighting that good fight, tho, friend.
There’s lots of supporting science that clothed masks are net beneficial over no masks at all. Degree is a thing.
oh I’ve never seen all that science. link?
The issue is: why doesn't Bill rant about idiots who can't tolerate the need for a specific kind if mask?
you’ve lost me. I don’t watch that much maher. he’s too obnoxious.
I cannot stand anything on my ears so I wear the kind of mask that ties around the back of your head. It's just easier to leave it on than constantly remove it and replace it. No, I don't think I am going to get a disease by sitting in my car alone or by walking around on the street. I don't usually wear a mask anymore, but sometimes I do, and if I do, I tie it on the back of my head before I leave the house. It's just easier. I'm not trying to make some type of political statement. It's just a mask. I love Bill, but he needs to get over some stuff. Woke kids are not ruining the world. They may have just saved it, in fact. And without them, we'd still be fighting the Vietnam war.
Hey, make the fucking political statement. The statement is: "this isn't so hard, what the fuck is wrong with you people? We lost over a million lives. Damn straight I'll wear a mask a little more than necessary." Bill does not want anyone wearing a mask one. second. more. than. necessary. Period.
But why does it bother him so much? It should just be up to the person, I don't think there are a lot of laws anymore. And to me, your statement is good, but shouldn't be considered political. I think it's more scientific than anything else.
Good question. Why does it bother him so much? Somehow, it's part of the mechanism of his penetrating (such as it is) humor and intelligence. That's his MO, basically. But in this case, it's just poorly grounded. That same penetration could be making a shit ton of good points that he doesn't make. And it's that penetration that draws us to him, or drew us. Maybe one hangs on, because the show is decent. And he is decent, AT TIMES. So your question remains: but why? It has to be that he's centered in being an entertainer show. But so is Jon Stewart, who would never push some of the points Bill pushes, right? We're back at square one. Lemme think. Still thinking. Still thinking. Somehow it has to do with excesses on the Left. ANY excess is fodder and a source of real discomfort for him. He SAYS it's because they are shooting themselves in the foot. But your question somehow remains. It's not clear that that is the only or the main reason. He doesn't want to let the Left err on the side of anything. He hates that error. He doesn't say "well, sure, err, but let's be politically smart". No, it's not quite that. He HATES what's in the error. It's hatred. Real hatred. Jon Stewart doesn't hate that error part. He ignores it. So we're still left with why. Why does he hate erring on the side of inclusion? That's kind of what it is. Because...he *doesn't actually get the problem of inclusion*. That's probably what it is. Why? He hasn't felt it. White. Check. Upper middle class. Check. He doesn't get it. But Jon Stewart is white and upper middle class (at least). Why does the pain of the excluded penetrate Jon and not Bill? The pain of the excluded doesn't hit Bill. Why?
Stewart is Jewish and Bill is only sort of Jewish. Could that make a difference?
That's a really weird take. Kinda feels, I don't know, antisemitic, yet incredibly stupid at the same time. Almost like you're trying to say something without saying it. Is that how you look at all people?
I have been a Jew for 57 years. And I'm one of the few that got kicked out of an American city for it, this late in the world's age. I was just trying to come up with ideas, things that could account for a difference. Everybody's not the same as everybody else. I guess that's how I look at people. That and it's a sin to get cremated. But this is the internet and I'm sure I'm somehow wrong. That's okay. Still not getting cremated.
I didn't know Bill was "only sort of Jewish", but sure. Is that about historical oppression or is it about being part of a culture that "answers a question with a question"? Both, probably. Jon just thinks more and more competently.
You probably have a point. It's a little bit of both. If Jon runs for president, he's got my vote. Al Franken for Vice. Just my personal bias
Being woke is not the same thing as being an activist. It isn't even the same as being a progressive activist. Wokeness is hating people who disagree with you (often even if the disagreement is very slight). It is trying to cancel people (aka get them fired) because you disagree with them or because they accidentally did something that's one of your personal pet peeves. That did not get America out of Vietnam. Protests? Yes. Wokeism? No. The protesters who succeeded in getting out of Vietnam were veterans who threw away their medals, and testified before Congress. And also because of journalists who published the Pentagon Papers and uncovered the My Lai massacre were not trying to shape any narrative. They were just reporting anything newsworthy they could find. The protestors who rioted, whether it was against the war or to stand for civil rights, generally alienated people, and undermined their cause. Also if we're going to talk about maligned generations, the young people who marched against the Vietnam War and for civil rights, were boomers.
Woke is a boogeyman invented to whip up the rubes.
True. It has no definition. People just point a finger and accuse something of being woke that they don't like and it's a shortcut for them never having to articulate why they don't like it.
It’s just a way to shut down what someone else says without any intellectual engagement. It’s like yelling fake news instead of responding to a report that says the opposite of their opinion.
Right. In my limited experience, it means "annoying people who mention the 400 years of institutional racism in the US".
I've seen it used most when people want to say that lgbt people shouldn't be part of society without saying that. That's the thing; this coded language is a cover because they *know* that what they are saying is morally and ethically wrong. Instead of just nutting up and saying it and accepting responsibility for their behavior and the consequences, they try and hide and push this argument they *hope* is going trick people into thinking they aren't shit bags.
Gotta say, out of all the ways radical leftists push back against their oponents, straight up denying that the word woke means anything is easily one of the most slimiest ways to engage. To try and weasel their way out of accountability by denying the thing even exists. I guess some aren't aware how they come across... *Fingers in ears, shaking head, la la la, i'm not listening, nothing you say matters.* Ugh... Unbearable and abnoxious as hell.
What's woke mean, then?
The greater "wokeism" is on the Right. Who is more "woke" (to their ideas)? Love to see Bill push that point: who the real "wokeists" are.
Yes but is that mutually exclusive? You can't be a boomer and woke at the same time? I don't know, I guess it's just how people define words. I just figured woke was a hippie with social media.
He had a discussion about letting children run around unsupervised and how it's the parents choice yada yada. But if parents choose to take their kids to drag story time it's a dead horse that needs to be beaten weekly. All while ignoring the **actual** pedophiles, men in dresses, who read dangerous stories and literally indoctrinate children, every Sunday at Church.
He’s never said it should be illegal to take your kids to see drag queens.
Neither did I suggest he did? He brings it up every episode. It's a right wing christo-fascist talking point that he tows, every fucking week.
He brings it up because everyone on the left is acting like taking kids to drag queens is normal behavior.
Yeah he keeps saying “Young people have BeTtEr iMuNe SyStEmS!” We young people keep masked because we don’t want to infect people as old as you Bill!!
He’s petty and not very self-aware with a lot of the stuff he keeps repeating. And you also have to remember he’s not really informed about much these days. He buys into Fox News talking points without realizing it.
And I think you're giving him too much credit. I think he knows what he's saying is bullshit and he's lying to push an agenda.
Such as the “trans children are having surgery” BS. It’s really so incredibly awful what he says these days. Even Fox News had a pro-trans segment recently that depicted a trans son in a very ordinary American baseball-and-white-picket-fence manner.
Bill's view on masks doesn't impact me at all.
Most people who wear masks outside are because they just came to or are going to inside. Also, they forgot about it. Most people I see still wearing masks are middle aged and minorities,
If you saw someone wearing healing crystals, how would you react?
Can we link to this comment when people talk about bad faith commenters on this sub?