Bill Maher: Western culture isn't just different, it's better.

[telemann.livejournal.com]

On "The Daily Show," Jon Stewart relatively soft-pedaled his defense of fellow Comedy Central employees, "South Park's" Matt Stone and Trey Parker, against a group of Muslim critics. Over at HBO this weekend, though, Bill Maher wasn't holding anything back. On his show "Real Time With Bill Maher," the show's every-incendiary host opined during his segment "New Rules:"

"When South Park got threatened last week by Islamists incensed at their depiction of Muhammad, it served -- or should serve -- as a reminder that our culture isn't just different than one that makes death threats to cartoonists. It's better." In his defense of the First Amendment and other Americal civil liberties, Maher -- who made the film "Religulous" -- continued: "The Western world needs to make it clear: Some things about our culture are not negotiable. And can't change. And one of them is freedom of speech, Separation of church and state is another."

Completely spot-on observation about real differences in cultures, one that will not play well with PC police. Bill Maher is certainly no friend of religious people; and gives grief equally to Christianity, Judaism, Scientology, and Mormons as you will see. But he specifically singles out Isalm with the recent actions in Afganistan and the Taliban's attack on an all girls school.

Comments

[mahnmut.livejournal.com]

So long, Bill Maher. It was nice knowing thee.

[merig00.livejournal.com]

Ooh no we are better than others? What happened to Maher?

[telemann.livejournal.com]

He's been very consistent on that subject, bud.

[mrbogey.livejournal.com]

Yea... the left wing can say things that they criticize the right wing for saying.

Just the way it is.

[underlankers.livejournal.com]

The Left invented Oriental Despotism to start with. *shrugs.*

[medea34.livejournal.com]

I love bill maher - I don't think there is anything wrong with saying American culture(with it's freedom of expression & theoretical separation of church & state) is superior to a theocracy. Matt and Trey (and any one else) should be free to mock the (IMO) insane beliefs of Muslims, Christians, Mormons, Jews and Any group that asserts that the real world should operate in accordance with the edicts of their imaginary friends.

[underlankers.livejournal.com]

Two societies in the Muslim world from the Atlantic to the Pacific are theocracies. The West has the Vatican, Andorra, every single state where the King is head of the local church, it has multiple states which in fact recognize state churches.......

The difference between state church and theocracy is what, exactly? Oh, wait, I get it-it's only a theocracy when those desert savages with the long beards do it. That's why all Muslim states are theocracies and say, England and Norway aren't.....

If you are free to do something does that mean you SHOULD do it?

[futurebird.livejournal.com]

Matt and Trey (and any one else) should be free to mock the (IMO) insane beliefs of Muslims, Christians, Mormons, Jews and Any group that asserts that the real world should operate in accordance with the edicts of their imaginary friends.

If you are free to do something does that mean you SHOULD do it?

[futurebird.livejournal.com]

I'll add that I do agree that theoretical separation of church & state is best, both from a religious and political viewpoint. It's not just best for the state it is best for the church(s) too-- the power can corrupt churches. National religions tend to lose their soul.

[fizzyland.livejournal.com]

Hey the western world was kind of shitty until we told the Catholic Church to piss off and stop interfering with secular governments. Most of the Islamic world doesn't have any real concept of the separation of church and state and certainly things like freedom of speech and freedom of religion are somewhat alien.

I would argue that the less guided by religious mythology a culture is, the better it is.

[johnny9fingers.livejournal.com]

From what I recall, the Umayyad and Abbasid Caliphates were pretty liberal, and had secular law for non-Muslims, though there was no separation of Church and state: the Anglo-Saxons don't really get close to that place until the C17th and good old Cromwell who lets Jewish folk back in to England.

[underlankers.livejournal.com]

Which is why present-day China is perfectly a paradise without any degrees of social difficulty or just plain stupidity, right? State atheism did nothing to ameliorate the ills of everything from the Elbe to the South China Sea as I recall, or is this another case of "Mao and Stalin were really theocrats all along?".

[blorky.livejournal.com]

The monologue was very funny, but he did quaintly omit abortion doctor killers from his list of Christian terrorists. No, it's not the same scale as occurs with the excesses of Islam, but the omission was in bad faith, IMO.

[sgiffy.livejournal.com]

Maher is pretty pro-choice and has gone after those nuts many many times.

[pastorlenny.livejournal.com]

Yeah, the great thing about the western democracies is that we rape and pillage other countries -- instead of just oppressing our own people.

[johnny9fingers.livejournal.com]

This is what happens when football isn't working properly.

[underlankers.livejournal.com]

Leaving aside that Islam has had separation of Church and state for over 1,000 years while the West has had it for maybe 200 at max.....

Would this be the Western world where in some cases freedom of speech means banning Holocaust denial? The Western world where freedom of religion translates to discrimination against Muslims? The Western world where freedom of speech meant censorship of things like Lady Chatterly's Lover?

[underlankers.livejournal.com]

Speaking of other ideals that other cultures had first-the Chinese invented the idea of revolutions. And a way to justify the succession of one government to another. In the West the mere idea of a change to the system was unthinkable, which is why the string of disasters from 1789-1991 happened. I find it telling that Western society tried to keep putting the Djinn back in the bottle only to find out that surprise, surprise the monarchies were unable to stop the Revolutions.

This where the rest of the world had already had freedom for intellectuals to publish and in China at least the Jeffersonian ideal of how to refresh the tree of liberty since, oh.....the 11th Century BC......

[fizzyland.livejournal.com]

Where exactly are you citing in the Islamic world that has this magical separation?

I'd also like some substantiation of this discrimination again Muslims other than the profiling that's been a fact of life post 9/11.

[sgiffy.livejournal.com]

Its really a shame that Islam stagnated(though the west had a bit to do with that). For a while there they were pretty progressive and science minded.

[mijopo.livejournal.com]

It's incredible to me that Maher is so sanguine about the state of freedom of speech in America. After all he suffered fairly directly from the post - 9/11 chilling that occurred and it was in reference to him that Ari Fleischer, infamously said, "all Americans that they need to watch what they say, watch what they do".

Bill Maher on America

[verytwistedmind.livejournal.com]

Are we a great country or are we a stupid country? Is the only thing worth preserving in Mr. Maher's overly touted opinion; free speech?

He's like that old joke "Even a broken clock is right twice a day". He's overall opinion of the United States is one of contempt.

Re: Bill Maher on America

[htpcl.livejournal.com]

Greatness is in stupidity, I assume :-)

I never know what is meant by free speech in this context?

[futurebird.livejournal.com]

Free speech comes with responsibility. If you do something ugly or inconsiderate expect to be called on it. What is frustrating to me is that not all critics of depictions of Muhammad have would threatening violence over it. (Which is stupid, and embarrassing in its own way.) But the conversation only seems to focus on the violent idiots.

There are plenty of people who simply don't understand why simply having respect for others is so difficult. It pains me to see a cultural icon trashed, without pause or consideration. I will not watch or in any way support South Park after they have done this. They are acting like rude little two-year-olds throwing a tantrum. And Maher is worse!

"Free speech Free speech Free speech Free speech!"

It's sickening to listen to people who have the money and power to command the media's lens complain about free speech-- they have more free speech and ANYONE --so many people never have the chance to have their ideas or views thrust into public view so prominently. Well, they have every right to exercise their freedom and earn my contempt, but it's pathetic to complain about "Free speech" when you work in media.

Yet the "other side" of the story remains reduced to a caricature-- as if anyone who could possibly be upset by this must be some kind of backward clueless humorless fundamentalist who wants to blow up the western world. (I'm not saying such people don't exist, they do...)

This isn't about "free speech" what he really wants is the right to talk over everyone else so his is the only voice we can hear.

Re: I never know what is meant by free speech in this context?

[telemann.livejournal.com]

Really? Because Ayaan Hirsi Ali would disagree with you.

[medea34.livejournal.com]

bill maher is on the LEFT!!!! a guy who is opposed to government doing anything but what people absolutely can't do for themselves" is considered to be on the LEFT??? a guy who wants to privatize social security is on the LRFT?

i don't think the left can claim someone like bill maher for their side of he fight. i don`t think the right can either. his view points don`t fall along party lines - hence the bizarro voting history (bob dole, ralph nader, john mccain - until sara palin got into the mix).

and i totally love his "tactless, crude, unoriginal, infantile" ass, even though i don't agree with about half of the positions he takes.

[dv8nation.livejournal.com]

I'm with Maher. Western Civ has its flaws, but when you look at the other options they're more messed up. Living in Asia really drove that home for me.

[telemann.livejournal.com]

Where in Asia? Just curious.