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

[sgiffy.livejournal.com]

Ireland is probably as close to a theocracy as you'll find in Western Europe. But again, there are a couple orders of magnitude between that and stoning people who have sex.

[telemann.livejournal.com]

How is Ireland "as close to a theorcracy"?

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

[telemann.livejournal.com]

Hear, hear!

Re: Theo van Gogh says you're full of shit

[underlankers.livejournal.com]

For that matter, the rise of the West and its current global dominance is solely because we have better guns than everybody else. All this talk of virtue and liberty is usually a euphemism for more power and control by the few at the expense of the many.

But if it's pictures you want.....



Behold the fine legacy of what Middle Eastern Christians leave the Muslimn.

[underlankers.livejournal.com]

Ireland's not the only European state that has them.

These are the European countries who do:

Finland
Greece
Germany
Malta
The Netherlands
United Kingdom
Denmark
Austria
Italy

Now, these laws also not coincidentally are explicitly about Christianity. But alas, it's always the Savage OtherTM to whom we abjur the sins we, too, commit.

Re: Theo van Gogh says you're full of shit

[telemann.livejournal.com]

Re: Maybe you'll hear me now:

[telemann.livejournal.com]

Go ahead, pass out some New Testaments in those freedom loving, woman living, gay loving, free press countries!

From Europe, the land of tolerance and freedom:

[underlankers.livejournal.com]

Re: Maybe you'll hear me now:

[underlankers.livejournal.com]

Backed by we the supposedly freedom loving woman loving gay loving West. No USA means instant collapse of most of these dictatorships post-haste. Their own subjects loathe them. We prop them up.

Re: Maybe you'll hear me now:

[telemann.livejournal.com]

Go ahead, pass out some New Testaments in those freedom loving, woman living, gay loving, free press countries!

:-D

Would this be

[underlankers.livejournal.com]

The tolerance shown to the victims of the genocide in Bosnia by Muslims on the part of Christians which Christian Europe sat on its hands as it unfolded?:

Re: Maybe you'll hear me now:

[underlankers.livejournal.com]

WE ARE GOING AROUND IN COMPLETE CIRCLES. CONGRATULATIONS. HAVE A FREE INFINITY LOOP.

Re: Maybe you'll hear me now:

[telemann.livejournal.com]

Oh....how about handing that out in Saudi Arabia with your New Testaments, sport!

[medea34.livejournal.com]

i don`t know much (anything) about norway or andorra. the vatican is a theocracy, no doubt about it and, i am of the view that it has (and continues to) perpetuated much violence and evil on the world. at present england seems pretty secular (homosexuality and adultery - two big religous bugaboos are not criminal).

it was my understanding that pakistan, afganistan and iran are theocracies in that their laws must be compatible with sharia. there are alot of monarchies in the muslim world (like saudi arabia and kuwait that ban the public practice of non-muslim religion).

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

[medea34.livejournal.com]

that would be my primary concern if i was a comedian. perhaps there are other concerns (the network might be worried about profit and free publicity and such...who knows what they think about before putting this stuff on the air).

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

[mrbogey.livejournal.com]

'It pains me to see a cultural icon trashed, without pause or consideration.'

No... not really getting that from you.

[underlankers.livejournal.com]

And these are the monarchies of the West: UK, Holland, Norway, Monaco, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Lietchenstein......

The rarety is the state where the Monarch *is* strong.

[telemann.livejournal.com]

yeah. right.

Re: Maybe you'll hear me now:

[underlankers.livejournal.com]

Round and round she goes:

[mijan.livejournal.com]

Technically, England* and Sweden* (for examples) have a national religion. However, both societies are highly secular, and no religious edicts are enforced. Despite the fact that America technically has a secular government, religious pressure and influence in the USA country are far greater than in England or Sweden. Thus, I prefer the technicalities of how religion is SUPPOSED to behave in relationship to our government, but the actuality is that some countries with official state religions are actually MORE secular.

* Note: I used those two as examples because I'm more personally familiar with both of those societies than with other societies.

Now, I have a problem with any theocracy or state religions in principle, but I have a REAL ISSUE with theocracies that enforce a religious code on all residents, regardless of religion. I also have a problem with countries that prohibit religion or oppress members of certain religious groups as long as those groups aren't hurting anyone.

[mikeyxw.livejournal.com]

That's an impressive list of excuses for a bunch of authoritarian theocracies.

[underlankers.livejournal.com]

Two words:

Re: Maybe you'll hear me now:

[telemann.livejournal.com]

Oh....how about handing that out in Saudi Arabia with your New Testaments, sport!

[telemann.livejournal.com]

Oh....how about handing that out in Saudi Arabia with your New Testaments, sport!

[sgiffy.livejournal.com]

Ireland is one of the only ones I have heard about considering enforcing them. Much of Europe is not exactly where it should be on free speech, but again, much better than most of the Islamic world.

False equivalence.