Very bad comment by Bill Maher about the Beach Boys/us

[sockittome]

Maher is weird because he's not really liberal or conservative on every issue.

George Carlin was the same way.  There's a reason for that.  His aim was not to educate people, or get any specific point across.  His goal was to make people laugh.  That's what comedians do.  Carlin contradicted himself all the time, but he was funny as hell.

I'm going to say, at the risk of sounding ironic, people take these guys way too seriously!

[Cabinessenceking]

I'm just surprised you let it get to you so much, it was clearly a joke and jokes aren't meant to be taken seriously.

Yes and no.  I don't think this applies to Maher.

I think many people "in his field" want to be taken seriously.  Political comedians, social commentators, ex-sportscasters.  Directors.  Movies with political/social statements weaved into them -- some subtle, others not so subtle.  It's everywhere.  Modern "entertainment" (I use that word lightly) is CONSTANTLY pushing an agenda.  Trying to influence opinion.  Religion, politics.  Sex, abortion.  It's all day.

This "culture war" is readily apparent to many Americans.  Entertainment is marinated in seriousness.  And it's pushy.

I think that's why Seinfeld was so loved by many.  He didn't push agendas.  The Beach Boys, too.  I'm not being preached to when I listen to Brian Wilson.  The little dance that twerps like Maher do is this:  "I'm just joking.  So you can't criticize me.  But I'm not joking.  So 'ha!'"  It's a defense mechanism.  A passive-aggressive bullying tactic used to generate a group-think wall of protection, from where he can "strike" his "oppressors."  Maher was probably bullied a lot as a kid.  So this is his "revenge."  He's a bully now.


Really, Maher?  Beach Boy fans dying?  Did your childhood bully look like Brian Wilson and Mike Love?  Did they drive cool cars and score chicks?  Yeah they did.  Get over it.  You're still a loser and you always will be.  

There.  That ought to hold him for awhile.

by taking a dig at the Beach Boys fans he means to point out conservative aging white americans. I love the Beach Boys, but so does for instance Bill O'Reilly, who I think is a clown and all other people like him. The way I justify my overlapping musical taste with his is that the version of the band he enjoys is different from the one I listen to (which is 1966 and after) I still like alot of the earlier material but only because it connects with the latter material as preceeding material and therfore crucial to their story. As a fan one has to love it all right? 

[Chocolate Shake Man]

I'm just surprised you let it get to you so much, it was clearly a joke and jokes aren't meant to be taken seriously.

Yes and no.  I don't think this applies to Maher.

I think many people "in his field" want to be taken seriously.  Political comedians, social commentators, ex-sportscasters.  Directors.  Movies with political/social statements weaved into them -- some subtle, others not so subtle.  It's everywhere.  Modern "entertainment" (I use that word lightly) is CONSTANTLY pushing an agenda.  Trying to influence opinion.  Religion, politics.  Sex, abortion.  It's all day.

This "culture war" is readily apparent to many Americans.  Entertainment is marinated in seriousness.  And it's pushy.

I think that's why Seinfeld was so loved by many.  He didn't push agendas.  The Beach Boys, too.  I'm not being preached to when I listen to Brian Wilson.  The little dance that twerps like Maher do is this:  "I'm just joking.  So you can't criticize me.  But I'm not joking.  So 'ha!'"  It's a defense mechanism.  A passive-aggressive bullying tactic used to generate a group-think wall of protection, from where he can "strike" his "oppressors."  Maher was probably bullied a lot as a kid.  So this is his "revenge."  He's a bully now.


Really, Maher?  Beach Boy fans dying?  Did your childhood bully look like Brian Wilson and Mike Love?  Did they drive cool cars and score chicks?  Yeah they did.  Get over it.  You're still a loser and you always will be.  

There.  That ought to hold him for awhile.

by taking a dig at the Beach Boys fans he means to point out conservative aging white americans. I love the Beach Boys, but so does for instance Bill O'Reilly, who I think is a clown and all other people like him. The way I justify my overlapping musical taste with his is that the version of the band he enjoys is different from the one I listen to (which is 1966 and after) I still like alot of the earlier material but only because it connects with the latter material as preceeding material and therfore crucial to their story. As a fan one has to love it all right? 

That's so strange. You only like the early stuff because of its relationship to the later stuff? Because, I think you're saying, you can see in that early music where Brian was going to take it later? You can't appreciate the early music for what it is on its own? And you justify this because Bill O'Reilly likes that era? Why do you even feel the need to justify liking things that Bill O'Reilly also likes? Do you think that every vegetarian needs to justify why they are vegetarians specifically because Hitler was also a vegetarian?

[I. Spaceman]

I'm just surprised you let it get to you so much, it was clearly a joke and jokes aren't meant to be taken seriously.

Yes and no.  I don't think this applies to Maher.

I think many people "in his field" want to be taken seriously.  Political comedians, social commentators, ex-sportscasters.  Directors.  Movies with political/social statements weaved into them -- some subtle, others not so subtle.  It's everywhere.  Modern "entertainment" (I use that word lightly) is CONSTANTLY pushing an agenda.  Trying to influence opinion.  Religion, politics.  Sex, abortion.  It's all day.

This "culture war" is readily apparent to many Americans.  Entertainment is marinated in seriousness.  And it's pushy.

I think that's why Seinfeld was so loved by many.  He didn't push agendas.  The Beach Boys, too.  I'm not being preached to when I listen to Brian Wilson.  The little dance that twerps like Maher do is this:  "I'm just joking.  So you can't criticize me.  But I'm not joking.  So 'ha!'"  It's a defense mechanism.  A passive-aggressive bullying tactic used to generate a group-think wall of protection, from where he can "strike" his "oppressors."  Maher was probably bullied a lot as a kid.  So this is his "revenge."  He's a bully now.


Really, Maher?  Beach Boy fans dying?  Did your childhood bully look like Brian Wilson and Mike Love?  Did they drive cool cars and score chicks?  Yeah they did.  Get over it.  You're still a loser and you always will be.  

There.  That ought to hold him for awhile.

by taking a dig at the Beach Boys fans he means to point out conservative aging white americans. I love the Beach Boys, but so does for instance Bill O'Reilly, who I think is a clown and all other people like him. The way I justify my overlapping musical taste with his is that the version of the band he enjoys is different from the one I listen to (which is 1966 and after) I still like alot of the earlier material but only because it connects with the latter material as preceeding material and therfore crucial to their story. As a fan one has to love it all right? 

That's so strange. You only like the early stuff because of its relationship to the later stuff? Because, I think you're saying, you can see in that early music where Brian was going to take it later? You can't appreciate the early music for what it is on its own? And you justify this because Bill O'Reilly likes that era? Why do you even feel the need to justify liking things that Bill O'Reilly also likes? Do you think that every vegetarian needs to justify why they are vegetarians specifically because Hitler was also a vegetarian?

WE HAVE A WINNER.

[B-Rex]

I love Bill Maher.  Who cares about a joke he made?  I'd say he's more of a political activist than he is a comedian.  At least he's got the balls to speak his mind...and think about what he says before he says it. 

In the US, we're constantly bombarded with religious nonsense.  It's fantastic to see a comedian/activist stand up for science and rationality.  True, his "Religulous" documentary wasn't a work of art but boy was it ever entertaining!  Poking fun at ridiculous beliefs generally is but he avoided tangling with the mainstream, half-hearted religious folks.  Carlin was self described atheist.  Maher claims to be agnostic though he sounds like an atheist to me.  No apologies from me for being a thinking liberal.

The Boys are old and they did put out an awful lot of questionable material since the mid 70's.  Fortunately, they took a turn for the better with TWGMTR. 

[sockittome]

In the US, we're constantly bombarded with religious nonsense.  

I don't know what part of the US you reside in, but here in the Pacific Northwest (aka "Hippyville") it's just the opposite.  The extreme left wants everyone to have the exact beliefs they do, and they want to shut up anyone who believes differently.  So much for tolerance! 

Maher, O'Really, and other tv clowns are just there to entertain.  And yeah, some of their stuff is funny, but they also don't seem to mind offending people.  That's show biz, I suppose.

[halblaineisgood]

.

[Awesoman]

I don't know what part of the US you reside in, but here in the Pacific Northwest (aka "Hippyville") it's just the opposite.  The extreme left wants everyone to have the exact beliefs they do, and they want to shut up anyone who believes differently.  So much for tolerance! 

I agree about the left, but religious fanatics are no different here.

[donald]

Maher is politically incorrect.  That is his  gig.   Maher not saying something offensive about obvious things that others are reluctant to mention would be antimaher.  grok?

But he can be one smarmy sob.