Bill Maher on PC atheists.

[Brian37]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=JDFrNQAjDYA&app=desktop

[Solitary]

Excellent post! I have seen this already, glad I live in the United States, and why any religion should stay out of government and it's laws.

[Munch]

I don't know much about Bill Maher, being british, other then the drunken peasents keep using a sound file saying "Fuck you Bill Maher, Fuck you"

I think I read somewhere he claims to be an atheist, but is only doing so to be controversial?

[SGOS]

I don't know much about Bill Maher, being british, other then the drunken peasents keep using a sound file saying "Fuck you Bill Maher, Fuck you"

I think I read somewhere he claims to be an atheist, but is only doing so to be controversial?

Well, you never know with a guy who needs to pitch himself with a controversial image to further a career.  But I think he is genuinely an atheist.  Although, I don't think he's the best representative of atheism we've got.  He's highly popular, so I appreciate him being out in the open about his lack of belief.  At one time he was asked by Larry King if he believed in God, and he said no, he thought that was a bunch of malarkey.  So then Larry said, "So you are an atheist," and Maher replied, "Heavens no, I'm not one of those angry people.  I just don't believe there is a god."  Today, he seems to understand what atheism actually is.  Someone must have gotten to him.

My impression of him is he's edgy, but not all that well informed.  He probably reads the papers, but he strikes me as not really having a full grasp of issues.  He's just full of commentary, which he delivers with an air of confidence.  Don't get me wrong, I like watching him, but sometimes I wonder how smart he is.  Contrast him with George Carlin, who is edgy and wacky, almost to a point of slapstick, but behind it all, I get this suspicion that Carlin is actually a genius.  I don't get that feeling from Maher.

[Atheon]

I'm a PC atheist. I don't believe in Macs.

[Mister Agenda]

Just remember that Maher is a comedian first and a pundit distant second.

[SGOS]

Yeah, that's a good way to describe him.  I didn't want to sound like I was trashing the guy.  He does make me laugh.

[PickelledEggs]

I'm a PC atheist. I don't believe in Macs.

Same. It's just not worth the money

Sent from your mom

[Mike Cl]

Well, you never know with a guy who needs to pitch himself with a controversial image to further a career.  But I think he is genuinely an atheist.  Although, I don't think he's the best representative of atheism we've got.  He's highly popular, so I appreciate him being out in the open about his lack of belief.  At one time he was asked by Larry King if he believed in God, and he said no, he thought that was a bunch of malarkey.  So then Larry said, "So you are an atheist," and Maher replied, "Heavens no, I'm not one of those angry people.  I just don't believe there is a god."  Today, he seems to understand what atheism actually is.  Someone must have gotten to him.

My impression of him is he's edgy, but not all that well informed.  He probably reads the papers, but he strikes me as not really having a full grasp of issues.  He's just full of commentary, which he delivers with an air of confidence.  Don't get me wrong, I like watching him, but sometimes I wonder how smart he is.  Contrast him with George Carlin, who is edgy and wacky, almost to a point of slapstick, but behind it all, I get this suspicion that Carlin is actually a genius.  I don't get that feeling from Maher.

He may not be as knowledgeable Stewart or Colbert, but he no slouch.  And light years ahead of Oh'Really, Hanity, Limbuger, and what's that female skeletor's name--oh, yeah, Colter.  What is a real shame is that we have to listen to comedy shows to get  the real news.   

[williemack]

I must say, it takes balls for a conservative to go on his show.

[stromboli]

He may not be as knowledgeable Stewart or Colbert, but he no slouch.  And light years ahead of Oh'Really, Hanity, Limbuger, and what's that female skeletor's name--oh, yeah, Colter.  What is a real shame is that we have to listen to comedy shows to get  the real news.   

That's Coulter, with a "u". Not to be considered a relative of John Colter, a heroic mountain man/scout of yesteryear.

[Mike Cl]

That's Coulter, with a "u". Not to be considered a relative of John Colter, a heroic mountain man/scout of yesteryear.

Sorry, didn't mean to insult John Colter.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

That's Coulter, with a "u". Not to be considered a relative of John Colter, a heroic mountain man/scout of yesteryear.

John Colter of Mars?

[Jmpty]

http://www.salon.com/2014/09/30/reza_aslan_takes_down_bill_mahers_facile_arguments_on_islam_in_just_5_minutes/

[Hydra009]

http://www.salon.com/2014/09/30/reza_aslan_takes_down_bill_mahers_facile_arguments_on_islam_in_just_5_minutes/

He's technically correct about some stuff, mistaken about others, and definitely spin-doctoring.

FGM is almost entirely an African thing, though it does have a slight presence in the Middle East and Southeast Asia.  He's factually wrong about it being not being a problem in any non-African Muslim-majority state.

While it is true that some majority-Muslim states have had female heads of state, comparing dozens of muslim states to a single country is an unfair comparison.  If you compared muslim-majority states to Western states, you'll find quite a few female heads of state there as well.

He acknowledges but kinda glosses over just how bad women have it in the muslim world.  While Saudi Arabia and Iran are definitely among the worst offenders, this problem exists throughout the Middle East and Africa.  This is not a localized problem.  And while the West has its share of gender inequality, it has a vastly better track record.

I'd also really question his assertion that it's a free and open society for women in Bangladesh, Turkey, Malaysia, and Indonesia.

The anchor made an excellent point that these denials of otherwise basic liberties in many muslim states is considered to be normal rather than extreme and he begrudgingly agreed with that, even going so far to say that we should be outraged by beheadings in Saudi Arabia as well.  But that's precisely Bill Maher's point.  For someone calling this stuff facile and unsophisticated, it's amusing to see him agree with it.

And yeah, using 2 or 3 examples to justify a generalization is bad form, but it's not like Bill Maher couldn't have come up with a laundry list (and quickly exhaust his air time in the process)

I do sort of agree that Islam neither promotes violence or peace, that's it's ultimately the people who carry out violence who are to blame.  Though obviously, there's plenty of verses in the quran to justify violence, same as the Bible.

Then he goes a little bit into hysterics getting inexplicably offended over the anchor using the term "muslim countries" even though he used the term himself earlier.  Yes, we know that Malaysia =/= Iraq =/= Jordan =/= Afghanistan.  Duh.  But the anchor is right that Islam is the common thread between these countries - hence the term muslim countries.  And yes, one shouldn't take the most extreme cases as representative of the whole, but the point is that these countries have these sorts of problems, to one degree or another, that are practically unheard of in the West.

I'm not a fan of Bill Maher.  His anti-vaxxer statements really ticked me off precisely because these are exactly the sort of muddleheaded and ignorant remarks that he loves to lampoon.  But in this case at least, he does make a cogent point that all the spin-doctoring in the world doesn't refute.