Last June, I posted about longtime leftist comedian Bill Maher suddenly sounding reasonable in relation to today's loony left. He stated his objections to Critical Race Theory and challenged its bogus allegations. On numerous other issues, including pandemic policies such as lockdowns and school closures, Maher has clashed with conventional liberal narratives. He defended Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and criticized former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, which takes lots of courage since leftists can come at you like a rabid dog if you dare disagree with their views.
Well, I am going to give kudos once again to Mr. Maher, who seems to be making more sense and gaining wisdom as time goes by. Recently, Maher pointed out that, while he believes it's totally reasonable to hate Donald Trump, it is utterly unreasonable and a huge mistake to feel contempt and loathing for all of Trump's supporters. "That's half the country," he said. He acknowledged that late-night comedians are overwhelmingly liberal, and stated a superiority complex is liberals' "Achilles Heel."
"You can’t set yourself up as some sort of superior moral paragon, because this is your political belief, and somebody else has another one,” he said in an interview with the news organization AL.com. “There are obviously areas where, yes, if somebody’s advocating cannibalism, I think you can claim the moral high ground if you’re anti. I feel like that’s the Achilles heel of the left right now. They identify issues mostly by what they can feel superior to another person for.”
Maher stated political correctness is the enemy of comedy, and he maintains there are liberals who are not extreme "woke" liberals. (I'm not so certain I agree, but who's to say.)
Maher still has plenty of flaws, granted. He still refers to Jan. 6 as an "insurrection," often is condescending toward conservatives and people of faith, and he maintains the left's rigid, reflexive hatred of Trump.
But he's showing he's not a total left-wing cyborg by acknowledging that his side of the divide has its own major flaws. (I'd have to agree with him on separating a politician or political party from individuals. I have relatives, coworkers and neighbors whom I know are Democrats and Biden supporters, but I still get along with them -- in large part because we just don't talk politics, but also because we acknowledge each other's positive traits and actually have politics-free conversations.
Now, it's quite possible Maher made his statements sheerly to protect his bottom line. After all, there are conservatives who pay to see his performances, and why should he alienate them if he wants to maximize his earnings? Recall Michael Jordan's response when a fellow liberal inquired as to why Jordan didn't take a more vocal stance on social justice issues. He said something to the effect of, "Hey, conservatives buy tennis shoes, too." Indeed.
So who knows what, exactly, is going through Maher's head. But it's a start anyway. In our present sad state, we'll take whatever we can get.
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