NYT Grants Bill Maher Space for 'Stop Apologizing' Plea; Paper Still Ignoring Maher's Vile Insults of Sarah Palin
Comedian Bill Maher, host of HBO's panel show "Real Time," appeared in Thursday's New York Times, pleading for a cease-fire in the current culture wars over insensitivity: "Please Stop Apologizing."
It's quite a convenient argument for Maher, given that he's been under fire from conservatives lately for his vulgar and demeaning descriptions of Sarah Palin, delivered last year both on his HBO show and in his comedy act (and refused to apologize). Conservatives have argued there is a media double standard against conservative figures, noting that radio host Rush Limbaugh was excoriated for calling a Georgetown law student a "slut," but that Maher suffered no censure for his far more vile comments about Palin (you can read them in this Reality Check from Rich Noyes of the MRC).
What makes Maher's appearance in the Times galling is that the paper has yet to inform its own readers of Maher's previous comments, even though conservatives have spent weeks making them an issue. Not even a front-page Times story that included details of Maher's $1 million donation to a pro-Obama SuperPAC roused the Times to mentioning his attacks on Palin.
The only two mentions of the Maher-Palin controversy turned up by a nytimes.com search were in online columns from opinion writers, and Times academic blogger Stanley Fish actually defended the double standard. It goes without saying that the Times devoted saturation coverage to Limbaugh's comments about law student Sandra Fluke, for which he apologized.
Maher used Robert De Niro's joke about Michelle Obama at a presidential fundraiser (America is not “ready for a white first lady") as his springboard to argue against fake expressions of offense, and worked in a slam on Rush Limbaugh and his listeners as well. He did not mention Sarah Palin.
When did we get it in our heads that we have the right to never hear anything we don’t like? In the last year, we’ve been shocked and appalled by the unbelievable insensitivity of Nike shoes, the Fighting Sioux, Hank Williams Jr., Cee Lo Green, Ashton Kutcher, Tracy Morgan, Don Imus, Kirk Cameron, Gilbert Gottfried, the Super Bowl halftime show and the ESPN guys who used the wrong cliché for Jeremy Lin after everyone else used all the others. Who can keep up?
....
The answer to whenever another human being annoys you is not “make them go away forever.” We need to learn to coexist, and it’s actually pretty easy to do. For example, I find Rush Limbaugh obnoxious, but I’ve been able to coexist comfortably with him for 20 years by using this simple method: I never listen to his program. The only time I hear him is when I’m at a stoplight next to a pickup truck.
- Clay Waters's blog
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Comments
Hmmm... now i get it!
Submitted by retrocon on Thu, 03/22/2012 - 2:23pm.
The disorder called "liberalism" is about people who have or drive trucks, or truck like vehicles.
Greenies hate gas guzzling trucks and SUVs
Anti-freedom gun banners hate those darn trucks with their gun racks in the back windows
And now, liberal misogynists hate those Limbaugh loving truck drivers.
See, it isn't so much about ideology, it's some form of vehicular megalophobia.
Perhaps this gives us hope for a cure.
See how it works?
Submitted by OxyCon on Thu, 03/22/2012 - 2:22pm.
The Far-Left has been using the “feigned outrage” attack tactic for decades, but now that it FINALLY is being used against them…it’s time for EVERYBODY to stop!
I question...
Submitted by sherlock1 on Thu, 03/22/2012 - 2:28pm.
... the timing.
LOL
Submitted by fivestring_assassin on Thu, 03/22/2012 - 2:29pm.
The New York Times
I use it to clean up after my puppies
Maher is nervous about the PC police
Submitted by Galvanic on Thu, 03/22/2012 - 2:38pm.
His category of humor/commentary thrives on non-PC speech in both directions. The more scrutiny placed on entertainers regarding "hateful speech," the more likely he'll be out of a job on TV.
That -- and as noted -- he wants to call a halt to this nonsense before he has to make an apology.
Saw this
Submitted by bobsmom on Thu, 03/22/2012 - 2:41pm.
on another blog, and my response was to paraphrase Al Pacino in Scent of a Woman, "Bill, WE'RE JUST GETTING STARTED!" They all liked it when we just took the high road and suffered their insults in silence. But whoo hoo, start fighing back, and witness the running and screaming. Sad to admit, I like it.
How Obama wins the women's vote
Submitted by CO2Maker on Thu, 03/22/2012 - 2:41pm.
Imagine the scenario.
Michelle Obama is a guest on Bill Mohair's HBO program. Oh, can you imagine the promos for that?
She is introduced and takes her seat. The first thing she says to Mohair is, "Apologize to Sarah Palin for what you called her. Apologize to Michele Bachmann for what you called her. Apologize to women in general for your coarse behavior."
When Mohair finds his jaw on the floor and replaces it, he has two choices:
1. Decline her request
2. Accept it.
If he declines, she should just get up and walk off the set. I think in basketball, that's called being postered. Or if he accepts, she will have posted him up and then backed him down for a slam dunk (more basketball—March Madness season, I guess).
BTW, Mohair and HBO would have to broadcast it. Otherwise, they'd be hard pressed to explain why not, and besides it would be on YouTube in a matter of minutes.
That would be good!
Submitted by retrocon on Thu, 03/22/2012 - 4:07pm.
The only problem i see?
MichelleO is as much of an Alinsky-ite as her hubby, so this would not be to her ideological advantage, and therefore, not something she would ever do.
But nice wishful thinking...
Maybe get Ann Coulter back on the show? Nah, nevermind. When she was on his show and was challenged (by him) to call out one instance of Maher being a misogynist, she could have said "You called Sarah Palin a c__t." Instead we got "You treat women differently than men."
Trying To Cool His Own A**
Submitted by rammingspeed on Thu, 03/22/2012 - 3:28pm.
The Times ignores Maher's name calling, but the PEOPLE don't. He's still on the hot seat, even though it's not so public. He wants the apologizing to stop in order to take the pressure off of himself, which is there. Make no mistake.
NYT.. "All The News That's Fit To Wipe My A$$ With..."
Submitted by Motormouth KOS on Thu, 03/22/2012 - 3:38pm.
Thanks to the NYT, we now have a platform for Bildo Maher and his oversized, underfilled head to try to start walking back the vile things he has said in the last 2-3 years.
On the one hand, I actually believe him. Because without the Conservatives in this country, he has no one to vilify. Who's he going to abuse? Mentally-deficient hags like Rosie O'Dumbass or Joyless Beyharps?
But it is also quite obvious that the pressure is mounting on HBO to either censure or dump this dolt. I have already canceled HBO and will never have it again. I wish I could lead a movement to create another 25, 000 subscribers to say bye-bye.
The Obamination... A crisis leading to a catastrophe..(please donate to MRC)
Hey, Libs!
Submitted by optimist on Thu, 03/22/2012 - 4:08pm.
You want this to stop? Then don't poke the bear again. Don't worry eventually the bear will go back to sleep after it has taught you a sufficient lesson.
Also, instead of trying to silence someone, which you will fail at almost 100% of the time, use the "offensive" words in a fund raising letter. Seriously, Obama needs the cash really badly.
EDIT: Oh, look. You liberal morons are poking the bear again: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/mar/22/radio-campaign-next-step-against-rush-limbaugh/. Seriously, you are the smartest people in the country and I am supposed to trust you with all of my money?
Kirk Cameron is thrown in with Cee Lo Green and Imus?
Submitted by SickofLibs on Thu, 03/22/2012 - 3:50pm.
WTF?
Hey Maher
Submitted by I hate marxists on Thu, 03/22/2012 - 4:20pm.
You're one of the ugliest people in the world proving that buffalo and wilderbeasts did have sex. and Sarah Fluke you are a slut
Hey Maher
Submitted by I hate marxists on Thu, 03/22/2012 - 4:19pm.
You're one of the ugliest people in the world proving that buffalo and wilderbeasts did have sex. and Sarah Fluke you are a slut
Liberals Started This War
Submitted by Free Stinker on Thu, 03/22/2012 - 4:40pm.
And now they don't like it because we are relentlessly counter-attacking.
This can all stop anytime they agree to surrender.
/// Sarah Palin Fan since July 11, 2007 /// خال
Maher and Palin insult
Submitted by Steve Cakouros on Thu, 03/22/2012 - 7:09pm.
Why Maher would hate a young girl so much that he would not follow his insult with an apology may indicate that he has a deep seated hatred of women.
Misogyny is complex. Complex or not I think I see the same thing in David Letterman. Womanizers like Letterman often hold women in contempt.
Rush was angry when he made his stupid remark. His anger was politically motivated. Maher is not angry at the Palin girl because of her politics. Maher is angry. What I mean is that anger explains him. It is what makes him tick. He reminds me of Gore Vidal who is not happy unless he is insulting someone.
Maher may be a very sick man. Like the farmer said, "Something ain't right."
Warning!
Submitted by HardRightTurn on Fri, 03/23/2012 - 12:01am.
Bill Maher is your brain on drugs. You are what your smoke. A dope.
To more fully comprehend the Left, one must read “Leftism As Psychopathy” by John Ray, M.A., Ph.D. Caution, it might scare you a little bit.
http://jonjayray.tripod.com/psycho.html
Why the NYtimes cannot write a story about Maher
Submitted by Fredy on Fri, 03/23/2012 - 1:01pm.
The NYt has 'All the news that is fit to print'.
Maher's comments are too vulgar to print, so they cannot ever have a story about them.
In fact, if I were to use Maher's comments in this blog, I would likely be banned.
On the other hand, I could use Rush's words, slut and prostitute, all day long wothout an issue.
Both Maher and the NYt, are desperate to make the two a moral equivelant.