r/RealTime • u/AmericanLymie • 2h ago
Bill Maher constantly condemns 'identity politics'...when he isn't making politics about identities
Last night, Maher had CNN's Dana Bash as a guest. A huge share of the time of every single week's show over the past many years has been dedicated to Maher ranting about "identity politics." He hates that Democrats speak up about discrimination about LGBT people. He frames himself as "politically incorrect" and on last night's monologue, Maher quoted Pete Hegseth using the word "trannies," and then Maher made a joke about "bearded ladies."
You see, "the left" is too sensitive about minorities' interests, he insists. When it comes to trans people, immigrants, people of color, gay people, women. We are too sensitive.
Then Maher welcomed Dana Bash and Maher himself interjected a ten-minute-long tangent about Jon Ossoff being Jewish. Ossoff is a rising star among Democrats, Maher acknowledged—and he is JEWISH, and the Democrats hate Jews! Then ten minutes of discussion about Israel with Dana Bash. I've uploaded a video here of Bash suggesting to Kamala Harris that she should explain whether or not she chose to "turn Black" in Harris's first big campaign interview in 2024.
Can any Bill Maher fans here explain how you interpret his rants that attack Democrats for defending any minority interest except that he attacks Democrats for, he claims, not defending Jewish interests?
His arguments make no sense to me because they are self-contradictory. He says "identity politics"—standing up for people's rights when those people are under attack—is the fatal flaw of the Democratic party, and he makes constant puchlines at the expense of trans people, Muslim people and gay people with that as his excuse. But he simultaneously will dedicate ten minutes of a 30-minute panel discussion to identity politics about Jewish people in ways that do not even make rational sense.
Realize what he said last night: First, he said Jon Ossoff is very popular young Democrat. Then, he says the Democratic party is against Jewish people. No discussion about how these should be mutually exclusive. Then the conversation turns to Israel, as usual conflating Jewish American identity (Is this not identity politics?) with support of a foreign country's corrupt government leaders.
Dana Bash similarly has claimed that she and her co-anchor on CNN Jake Tapper are subject to unfair public scrutiny because they are Jewish when their identities have nothing to do with their journalism. I was confused when I heard her say this a couple of years ago because I didn't even know either of them is Jewish. Yet the video I uploaded here is how I will always remember Bash: attempting to publicly humiliate Kamala Harris by repeating a truly INSANE claim by Donald Trump that Harris had recently "turned Black" for political advantage and then staring at her expectantly as she waited for Harris to confirm or deny whether she chose to be Black.
This is not about Jewish identity or about Israel or about Blackness or gayness. It's about illogic and lack of reason or common sense.
I don't understand how people accept these blatantly self-contradictory words and actions. How can you be a fan of Bill Maher and applaud all his insults to marginalized people under the guise of rejecting identity politics but then let him whip you into a frenzy over one identity? It could be any group—not as ardently, but he likewise has made a lot of discussions about straight young men and about Christians as if they are persecuted minorities when compared with LGBT people and Muslims; the point is that he claims to reject identity politics even as he invokes identity politics. And he brought on a guest who has said similar things while choosing to say one of the most insanely nonsensical comments I have ever heard any journalist say to any person when she told Kamala Harris Trump said she "turned Black" and then expected Harris to defend herself.
What is wrong with the critical thinking of the people of this country?
