Bill Maher heckled by Real Time audience member

[Rhiannon12866]

Run time: 01:34 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLV6-LqU4Sc   Posted on YouTube: February 19, 2011 By YouTube Member: mattyohe Views on YouTube: 364   Posted on DU: February 19, 2011 By DU Member: Rhiannon12866 Views on DU: 5379

 
For those who missed it...

[DutchLiberal]

1. It's not popular to say among the left, but Bill is right on this issue...

I can't believe Tavis Smiley and the other guests argued that 'we' (= the West) treat women just as badly as they do in Islamic/Arab countries.

Women don't have any rights in a lot of Middle Eastern countries. No right to vote, no right to dress the way they want, sometimes not even the right to go out by themselves. In some countries, they're forced to wear headscarves or burquas. To say 'we' are equal to 'them' is ludicrous.

[Tripod]

20. That's a crazy accusation!

[Hissyspit]

28. Prof. Juan Cole's Response to Bill Maher:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x462096

5. Dear right wing blogosphere and also Bill Maher: You can’t generalize about women’s position in Muslim countries based on a reprehensible mob attack on CBS reporter Lara Logan.

Generalizing about a whole group of people based on a single incident is called “bigotry.” It is also a logical fallacy (for wingnuts challenged by six syllables in a row, that means, ‘when your brain doesn’t work right’) known as the ‘Hasty Generalization.’ Nobody seems to note that allegedly helpless Egyptian women were the ones who saved Logan, or that Anderson Cooper was also attacked.

- snip -

Note to Muslim-hater Bill Maher, who should know better: It is not true that women cannot vote in 20 Muslim countries, and please stop generalizing about 1.5 billion Muslims based on the 22 million people in Wahhabi Saudi Arabia, the only place where women cannot drive and where men can vote (in municipal elections) but women cannot. It would be like generalizing from the Amish in Pennsylvania to all people of Christian heritage and wondering what is with Christianity and its fascination with horses and buggies.

- snip -

2. Looking to the Tunisian and Egyptian futures, it is not true, as dreary anti-Muslim Israeli propagandist Barry Rubin alleged, that Muslim fundamentalist parties always win free and fair elections in Muslim-majority countries.

This frankly stupid allegation is disproved by the Pakistan elections of 2008, the Albanian elections of 2009, the Kurdistan elections in post-2003 Iraq, and all of the Indonesian elections.

[DutchLiberal]

32. I'm sad whenever leftwingers defend the suppression of Middle Eastern women...

Like you and this professor Cole do. (Who is this man, by the way, and why is his opinion relevant?)

Women are not allowed to go out without a headscarve in Iran. Women are not allowed to go out without a male family member in Saudi-Arabia. Women are forced to wear a burqua in Afghanistan. Women are being stoned to death for being gang-raped in Pakistan.

No amount of politically correct bullshit or character assassination ("right-wing blogosphere") can cover up those sad facts. You're not providing any service to those women by denying this is reality in the Middle East.

[Grassy Knoll]

2. Wow, I did miss it, and thanks.....

Any idea what the guy was yelling ?

[Rhiannon12866]

4. The discussion is on this thread:

Which is where I found the video. I missed it, too... :hi:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=439&topic_id=452828&mesg_id=452828

[Warpy]

13. He's a batshit crazy 9/11 truther.

He's an example of why some of the very legitimate questions aren't getting answered. Wrong place, wrong time, most of the screaming was pretty incoherent.

[sasha031]

3. I love Bill Maher

but he does have a tendency to knock Moslem's, I don't know why . Tavis Smiley had some excellent points about keeping our own house in order. It was a good show last night, with the exception of that right winger form CNBC.
I couldn't make out what the guy was saying but obviously he was upset.

[theaocp]

7. He said something about

what Hellfire missiles do to Muslim women. I assume he meant we are killing Muslims with our drone attacks and such and used the connection of women in Muslim countries to make his point about war. It did sound very planned.

[DutchLiberal]

9. Maher knocks every religion equally...

I can't count the times anymore he slammed christians, whether they be catholics, or baptists, or mormons. He goes after all of them, because he believes religion corrupts our way of thinking. The only ones I never see him go after, is the jews. Maybe because he's partly jewish himself or otherwise because his blinded and misguided uninformed support of Israel.

Tavis was an idiot to compare womens' rights in the US to womens' rights in the Middle East... because they're non-existing there.

[Dokkie]

5. Srry Bill, but that ha alot to do with what you are saying

For people that missed it. He shouted "have you seen what hell fire missiles do to Muslim women?" I know its just not be but its a bit hypocritcal for Bill to criticize Middle eastern countries for the way they treat their women when we seem to treat them worse that the worst Middle eastern dictator.

Just search google for picture of babies born with side effects from depleted uranium rounds, or pictures drone strike attacks on weddings and other civilian homes. I swear, you wouldn't have an appetite for hours after viewing it

[AAARRRGGGHHH]

24. Do Hellfire missles only kill women?

If not, then from a logic perspective the heckler has absolutely no point. Maher talks about the treatment of women when contrasted with how men are treated in Muslim nations. If a weapon kills without prejudice, then there is no discrimination. There is no contrast.

The heckler sounds like he has a good heart but a weak argument.

[CrawlingChaos]

25. The heckler was pointing out Maher's hypocrisy

Maher spends zero time expressing concern over what happens to Muslim women as a result of Hellfire missiles, or other horrific consequences of war, but he spends a LOT of time worrying about "the beekeeper suits". His concern is not genuine.

[DutchLiberal]

35. You're funny. Maher has spoken for YEARS about the horrific consequences of war...

Maher's a very vocal critic of America's foreign policy, including the wars in the Middle East. He's been very critical of Obama's expansion of the war in Afghanistan, and he has argued we would get a much better relationship with the muslim world if we would stop destroying their countries with our wars.

So it seems it's you criticism of Maher is not genuine.

[Dokkie]

26. No

But its even worse when the drones are used to target the only providers. They send in these drones into civilian communities that end up killing more women and children than the so called terrorists. And 99% of the other time when it doesn't kill the women and children, it kills the family's only bread winner which these women rely on. And don't forget the depleted uranium rounds which the US and NATO pump into their communities.

Am sorry but the US is a bigger terrorizing force against the Muslim women than all the Arab dictators combined

[Doctor_J]

6. Who are these people?

I don't recognize anyone except for Maher and Tavis

[theaocp]

8. The guy on the right of Bill

was Kevin Smith of "Clerks" fame.

[Rhiannon12866]

11. Matt Taibbi, reporter from Rolling Stone, has been on pretty often

I'm assuming that the others, except for Tavis Smiley, are the Republicans that he likes having on the show. :(

[CrawlingChaos]

10. Richly deserved heckling

Week after week Maher spews his racist crap about how Muslims are such savages they can't be trusted to make their own choices. The heckler yelled "have you seen what hellfire missiles do to Muslim women?" -- meaning it's disingenuous to carry on about the oppression of the "beekeeper suits" when our military is slaughtering those same women.

Check out last weeks show and see how Maher treated Mona Eltahawy -- he is relentless, and it's so dishonest. Bill Maher is a notorious misogynist *except* when it comes to Muslim women and then he's sooooooo concerned. :eyes:

[Dokkie]

14. +10000

[AlbertCat]

15. Week after week Maher spews his racist crap about how Muslims

Bill holds all religions in equal contempt.

And Bill's point is that Muslim women are treated like crap by their own people whether US missiles are raining down on them or not. I'd say the missiles treat everybody the same, whether in a burka or a bikini. The cultures don't.

[CrawlingChaos]

16. That is just not true

He does not hold all religions in equal contempt - not even close. He may mock all religions, but he relentlessly pushes this garbage about Islam being far, far worse than other religions and a great danger to us all. Yeah, right.

For example, he had Markos Moulitsas on his show a few weeks back and Bill had a hissy fit over the title of Kos' book, "American Taliban", which Bill regarded as great affront the Christian right, whom he maintains are nowhere near as bad as the scary, scary Muslims.

I might also add that Bill is very pro-Israel. It's not hard to figure out what's going on here.

[iamthebandfanman]

17. yeah

that movie he made where he rails against all religions must be a figment of our imaginations.


maher has contempt for a lot of things, except himself..

thats his real problem, his ego..

i do like his show tho, even if he does turn me off a bit sometimes

[Rhiannon12866]

19. Bill Maher's mom is Jewish and his dad was Catholic

And he was raised in the Catholic faith, so he feels comfortable blasting all religions equally. You're totally right about his movie. Sometimes, I've thought he went overboard with his slams on Catholicism, but he's usually an equal opportunity blasphemer, IMO. ;)

[CrawlingChaos]

22. I did not see his movie

but I do watch his show and every single week, there's some extremely ugly, and often racist, Muslim-bashing segment. He, himself, explicitly states that he feels Islam is far worse than other religions, so what more evidence do you need? If people STILL think he rails against all religions *equally*, I just don't know what to say anymore.

His rabidly pro-Israel/anti-Palestinian stance is no figment of my imagination either.

[DutchLiberal]

36. The American conservative Christian right-wing is NOTHING compared to the Taliban...

If you can't see the huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuge difference, then you're delusional.

[CrawlingChaos]

39. hmm, you may have a point

The American conservative Christian right-wing wants to obliterate millions of Muslims and drag the U.S. into WWII so Jesus can come back. The Taliban has nothing like that in the works.

So yeah, I do see a huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuge difference. The American Christian right-wing is far more dangerous.

[DutchLiberal]

40. Go live under Taliban rule for a week and you'll come crawling back to US conservatives...

Like Maher said on his show, I don't see American right-wing conservatives stoning women to death for committing adultery. I don't see American right-wing conservatives forcing their women to wear the 'bee keeper suits' (burquas). I don't see American conservatives lynching homosexuals. I don't see them chopping of hands, ears or noses if a woman doesn't obey them.

You're seriously delusional. But, that's not uncommon on the internet...

[CrawlingChaos]

41. I can see you let nothing get in the way of your hatred of Muslims

Not truth or accuracy or nuance or context or logic. I'm done trying to talk to you.

[DutchLiberal]

42. Taliban =/= all Muslims?

Yeah, it's a good thing you're "done talking" to me. If personal attacks are all you have left, it's good to see you go.

[DutchLiberal]

34. I call bullshit. Anybody who is familiar with Maher's show, knows he attacks all religions...

... all the time. I can't count the times anymore he has (sometimes viciously) attacked muslims. What I don't understand, is why liberals/leftwingers, who normally attack christianity all the time, have such a hard time to treat islam equally. Say something critical of christianity, you're a hero on the left. Say something critical of islam, you're a racist. Why is that?

How is Maher a misogynist? Because he trashes Sarah Palin and Michelle Bachmann the same way he trashes John Boehner and Carl Paladino? Or because he has said several times in interviews that he appreciates the women who come on his show, because they never whine afterward about being challenged, while men whine all the time?

[AsahinaKimi]

12. Actually that was kind of

disturbing. :yoiks:

[ChoppinBroccoli]

18. Couldn't Understand A Word Of What The Guy Was Yelling

Not a single word. He got thrown out for nothing.

[Tripod]

21. Thanks for posting this Rhiannon 12866. K&R.

My audio was not quite loud enough to hear well. But it still was interesting.:bounce:

[Rhiannon12866]

31. You're more than welcome.

And thanks for the rec! :hi:

[Turborama]

23. K&R Thanks for posting

My friend. Long time no see. :hi:

BTW Maher seems to not know, or is ignoring on purpose, that the largest majority Muslim country in the world (Indonesia) became a democracy after a revolution in 1998.

[Rhiannon12866]

27. Thanks, my friend, for setting this straight...

And for finding my thread... :D (I'm not that prolific ;) ) You'd think that Bill Maher would know this, since one of his major hobbies is across the board religion bashing, but then he's really, admittedly, just a comedian... :+ :hi:

[Hissyspit]

29. Prof. Juan Cole's Response To Bill Maher:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x462096

[DutchLiberal]

37. He's not ignoring it. An exception to a rule simply has very little relevancy...

I wouldn't expect a lot of Indonesian democracy, by the way. The government is hugely corrupt, and if I'm correct, on some isles sharia rule is being enforced.

[PerpetuallyDazed]

30. Well, I don't know how it is in the rest of the "Muslim world"

but in Egypt over 90% of the women suffer genital mutilation. This is a disturbing and very real statistic. To equate women's rights in the West vs. those in the middle-eastern world is absurd.

[DutchLiberal]

38. You're very right about that, though that particular issues is not directly connected to islam...

As I've understood it, genital mutilation of women is a cultural phenomenon, not an islamic one. I've been told there are no rules about mutilation in the Qu'ran or the Hadiths (the writings of Mohammed).

[DU GrovelBot]

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