Bill Maher Gives Platform to Milo Yiannopoulos

[applegrove]

Bill Maher Gives Platform to Milo Yiannopoulos

http://www.thedailybeast.com/cheats/2017/02/15/bill-maher-give-platform-to-milo-yiannopoulos.html?via=desktop&source=copyurl

"SNIP..........

The first guest on this Friday's Real Time with Bill Maher will be alt-right troll and Breitbart editor Milo Yiannopoulos, according to a press release from HBO. The appearance comes on the heels of a massive protest that blocked Yiannopoulos from delivering a scheduled speech on the University of Calfornia, Berkeley campus. Late last year, Simon & Schuster came under fire for giving Yiannopoulos a $250,000 book deal that many would believed would be used to spread "hate speech." Maher, who has long been a defender of free speech at all costs, will interview Yiannopoulos one-on-one at the top of his show before bringing on a panel that will include former Rep. Jack Kingston (R-GA), journalist Jeremy Scahill, and comedian Larry Wilmore.


.............SNIP"

[Initech]

1. Are you fucking kidding? Boooooooooo!!!!!

I wish people would stop feeding this troll. I hope Maher owns him.

[Yupster]

2. That is the answer

He's a nobody.

Protesting him and riots just gives him what he wants.

[flygal]

7. Yep that's why he spoke at Berkley. It's an old tactic to sell books

Cause a disruption and get in the news. $$$$

[EL34x4]

18. Milo didn't cause the disruption.

The idiots wearing balaclavas over their faces, smashing and burning things did. That's why Milo Yiannopolous is now a best-selling author on Amazon and a guest on Bill Maher.

[Initech]

30. Someone paid those idiots to disrupt.

Either Milo did or someone from Breitbart did. When people show up to an otherwise peaceful protest wearing ski masks and carrying crowbars, you know they're not there to join hands and sing kumbaya.

[Dallasdem1988]

32. I'm sorry but

Black bloc and antifa are not paid right wing trolls. This narrative makes us look irrational and frankly uninformed.

[Initech]

34. They accuse us of being paid by George Soros on a daily basis.

I *wish* we got paid for doing this shit.

[KittyWampus]

36. when they wear professional gear they aren't

[Dallasdem1988]

45. The professional gear

They wear are just masks. I have to remain militant on this. I went to school with many of these people. They are very, very real. All you have to do is look into any videos of them in action here or even in Europe. They consider themselves paramilitary in that they use violence to attack what they deem the enemy.

Right now they are attacking trumps people, but normal democrats are just as much of an enemy.

[Warren DeMontague]

71. That was my first thought, too.

However, I can't help but note the over-the-top unhinged reaction he provokes in some "real" progressives, which makes me wonder if that shit wasn't exactly what it appeared to be.

Seriously. Run down the stuff the guy has actually said, and compare it to basically any far right pundit like Ann Coulter, or someone like Pat Buchanan, or one of these AM radio jackhats like Michael Savage.

His stuff is by no means any worse than any of that. So what is it about "Milo" that makes some elements on our side go completely bonkers? I mean, REALLY effin' bonkers, like we-are-losing-our-minds-over-this-guy bonkers?


It's confusing to me.

[Initech]

75. I think a huge part of it is...

He's gay and has absolutely nothing but contempt for the LGBT community. He's harassed women, he's outed closeted LGBT people, he uses his platform to slam people he doesn't agree with. The guy is just an absolute scumbag. Oh and then there's this!

https://munchies.vice.com/en/articles/alt-right-provocateur-milo-yiannopoulos-left-this-shitty-note-on-a-restaurant-receipt?utm_campaign=trendsus&utm_source=munchiestwitterus

Dude is really an ugly POS.

[Warren DeMontague]

84. He's definitely an asshole, no question. But then so is Ann Coulter.

Like I said, I think he gets this reaction that is out of proportion to the stuff he's actually said, which is odd because so much of his act is predicated upon this idea that "liberals" are Orwellian, authoritarian, thought-policing censors.

I don't understand why people play into his hands by trying to shut him up. Shit, let him talk, after 5 minutes he runs out of stuff to say.

Like his idea that being gay and conservative somehow punctures this imaginary liberal bullshit bubble-- I would say that Bill Maher being an unapologetically pro-free speech liberal punctures HIS bullshit bubble.

[Initech]

89. I'm 100% free speech don't get me wrong.

Milo has the right to say what he wants. He shouldn't be shut down. If he's going to get owned, I'd much rather have someone much smarter than him do so in a debate rather than him getting kicked out of somewhere and it leading to what happened at UC Berkeley.

[Warren DeMontague]

94. I know.

[pnwmom]

57. Maher gave him a national television audience. Milo was thrilled. nt

[Warren DeMontague]

72. And I, for one, am gonna watch it.

Because Maher represents what progressivism should be about- defeating your opponents' arguments with logic and wit, not speech/thought policing.

[Initech]

76. Oh I'll still watch too.

Milo can say what he wants, but put him in front of an audience of people that know shit, and he'll be leaving with his tail between his legs. That's what I am looking forward to!

[kentuck]

77. Me, too.

[smirkymonkey]

80. I would love to see him get the Piers Morgan treatment.

It would be great if he could have Jim Jeffries on another week in a row. Maybe Bill has another trick up his sleeve? I can't believe he's going to let that guy get away easily.

[Warren DeMontague]

81. I didn't see him with Piers Morgan but God that guy is a pompous ass.

I've been enjoying watching JK Rowling take him down on twitter.

[smirkymonkey]

82. Oh, it was beautiful!

For your viewing pleasure.

[Warren DeMontague]

86. Thank you. When I have a chance later tonight I'll check it out.

[Warren DeMontague]

115. HA!

I usually like John Waters, too, but I'm not sure what the hell he's getting at, there.

[Behind the Aegis]

125. I answered this somewhere else.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=8630048

While I certainly could be wrong, having seen multitudes of interview with him, and having a very similar sense of je ne sais quois, I am pretty sure my assessment is correct.

[Warren DeMontague]

126. I don't do sarcasm

[Behind the Aegis]

128. LMAO!

I just knew you'd have a pithy comeback. You didn't disappoint! LOL!

[Maru Kitteh]

3. Maher suffers from this awful need to prove to the left that he is a complete prick

every once in a while.

It's like if he goes too long with too much praise from progressives he feels bad about himself and then he pulls a stunt like this.

[BannonsLiver]

10. Sunlight is the best disinfectant.

[grantcart]

44. Don't have to give them our sunlight

Let them sit in a city park and blab or go on Fox news.

These fascists have plenty of sunlight

[BannonsLiver]

46. I don't see much difference between Milo and Coulter

And she's been on the show quite a bit. Once you reach a certain level of offensiveness it's like splitting hairs.

I'm looking forward to watching him embarass himself, if it actually happens at all.

[VOX]

64. Nice handle, BannonsLiver! Welcome to DU!

Maher's no lightweight, he'll get in a few shots.

[Pachamama]

79. Coulter wears lipstick better than Milo

I actually am going to enjoy this...Maher will help shine light on what an idiot douchebag this racist loser is...

I think he will be successful in marginalizing him....

[MountCleaners]

60. He's underwhelming as a speaker

It is all too easy to find interviews with MY on YouTube. Frankly, he isn't that logical and just regurgitates the same stuff over and over. It seems that most of his followers are American and think he's clever because he is British. But he really isn't. If he gets enough exposure, perhaps it will become clearer that he isn't that bright.

[NurseJackie]

4. Bill Maher is dead to me. He's been on life-support for the longest time...

... I can't be bothered now.

WHY does he give these jerks a platform? He's so passive during the first interview. He acts like a fan-boy who daren't offend.

[Initech]

5. He gave that insane Tomi what's-her-name a platform a couple of weeks ago.

Thank god for the remote because I can't stand her bile.

[anneboleyn]

17. She was terrible. The appearance did not do her ANY favors. She was very inarticulate

and incapable of making any points (of course I don't mean she has any good points to make but she humiliated herself as she looked completely confused/not very bright)

[ProfessorGAC]

55. She Had the Other Republican...

...laughing AT her and calling her words absurd.

[Caliman73]

78. The difference is that she was on the panel.

The other guests ripped her apart. Sometimes Maher joins in. His one to one interviews are usually soft ball.

[Jim Beard]

59. I totally agree with you......

I was going to read the full thread before I commented but I would just be repeating you.

One has to decide what is the fine line between speech and what is speech activism. My solution to the electronic media is the mute button when they have some hateful right wing wacko.

[Warren DeMontague]

70. because if his show was an echo chamber it would be really boring?

[NurseJackie]

83. Because he's an arrogant asshole who is elevating and legitimizing HATE SPEECH...

... and because he blames his audience when his jokes fail. At least Johnny Carson had the decency to accept blame and do a little soft-shoe dance when his jokes bombed. Maher is just a sanctimonious prick.

It's not that Maher has RW guests. Nobody's faulting him for that ... come-on now, try to avoid strawman arguments. This isn't about anyone's desire to make an "echo-chamber" or a "bubble" to escape to. Seriously... is it really that hard for you to understand what people find offensive? Or are you just being contrary for its own sake?

Besides, it's boring already. Tired, worn out and a predictable formula. The new set ain't gonna help. I get the feeling it's in trouble and he's trying to create controversy to "invigorate" and generate interest.

Without a Trump presidency, I'm convinced his show would have been cancelled this first half-season. He may be able to get another two half-seasons out of it, but I'll be surprised if he does.

He's HBO's version of Cenk Uygur or Ed Schultz ... overrated and ready to put out to pasture.

[Warren DeMontague]

85. I don't honestly understand why "Milo" is so much worse than Ann Coulter, who is on all the time.

I mean, if we want to talk about all-caps HATE SPEECH, the shit she has said strikes me as worse.

[NurseJackie]

88. I figured you wouldn't understand. Or, that you'd pretend to not understand. Oh well.

n/t

[Warren DeMontague]

90. Can you find a quote from Milo thats worse than "kill their leaders & convert them to Christianity"?

He's super ultra-bad because I say he's super ultra-bad isn't an argument.

[Swagman]

129. I think Maher is wrong to have him on and talk

about Free Speech is hogwash.

Milo is a Jerry Springer type guest. He's gutter trash posing as sophisticated.

He's the perfect guest for a Springer style audience just like Springer had fruit loop KKK members on.

For that matter Maher shouldn't even have Coulter on. She's hateful, cruel and nasty.

Claiming that somehow giving these monsters airtime helps the cause of exposing them is rubbish. There are dozens of right leaning advocates who can at least present their case without hateful rhetoric.

This is Maher deliberately promoting sensation for it's own sake. It advance nothing and certainty doesn't advance Maher.

# and I can't wait for Milo's hair to start falling out which will be soon as his insufferable vain arrogance is ugly.
# People shouldn't confuse the notion of Free Speech as the right to defame, libel and promote hate. Giving these arseholes airtime to spruik their twisted lies on mainstream TV shows is like legitimizing their hate.

[Kimchijeon]

6. well it will be interesting to see

Milo is just a transparent, racist, woman-hating, antisemitic trolling asshole; should be easy pickin's for Bill. After all, whining about 'free speech' goes both ways. I use my freedom of speech to call Milo a piece of revolting, stinking human garbage.

[yallerdawg]

8. Maher argues 'the bright white light' of free speech...

will expose the hate and malignancy.

The problem is, in a country of 350,000,000, it only takes 1 out of 350 to raise an army of 1 million crackpots.

That's when free speech isn't free!

[Cha]

41. Well stated, yallerdawg

[moondust]

9. Unwatchable.

With the exception of Wilmore.

[Worktodo]

31. +1 Wilmore

A bright light in an otherwise dreary world. I liked his show a lot. He kept it 100.

[applegrove]

37. Yes. I was sorry to see his show canceled.

[moondust]

39. I miss it.

Watched it a lot.

[Cha]

42. I didn't know who he is.. that's good to hear. Thank

you, moondust.

[NurseJackie]

11. Jeremy Scahill ... a man of his convictions. Total class.

I have decided not to appear this week on Real Time with Bill Maher. Here is my statement:

Today I saw the news that Milo Yiannopoulos is scheduled to be the lead guest on Friday’s episode of Real Time with Bill Maher. I was already scheduled to be a panelist on the program that same evening, along with Larry Wilmore and Jack Kingston. I have decided that I will not be appearing on the show. Before I explain my reasons for this, I want to say that I have had the pleasure of working as a correspondent for Real Time and over the years have been a guest or panelist many times. I have total admiration and respect for the producers, writers, and others who work on the show.

Over the past decade, the people at Real Time have become like family to me. I passionately disagree with—and find offensive— some of Bill’s views, particularly when his comments on Islam and Muslims veer into vitriol. At the same time, I have deep respect for Bill and his voice on many other issues and I believe he and his staff have created a vital platform for debate and discussion that at times I love and other times loathe. I know I fall into the latter category for some of the show’s viewers because I hear from them every time I appear. Whatever one might say about Bill, he always allows guests to challenge him or disagree with him.

But Milo Yiannopoulos is many bridges too far. He has ample venues to spew his hateful diatribes. There is no value in “debating” him. Appearing on Real Time will provide Yiannopoulos with a large, important platform to openly advocate his racist, anti-immigrant campaign. It will be exploited by Yiannopoulos in an attempt to legitimize his hateful agenda. Yiannopoulos’s appearance could also be used to incite violence against immigrants, transgender people, and others at a time when the Trump Administration is already seeking to formalize a war against some of the most vulnerable people in our society. Yiannopoulos has shown he will use his appearances to publicly attack and shame specific ordinary people by name, a practice which could lead to violence or even death. Real Time, of course, has the right to book whomever it wants on its show, including Yiannopoulos. But I cannot participate in an event that will give a platform to such a person. For these reasons, I have informed the producers of Real Time that I will not appear on the show.

—Jeremy Scahill, journalist.

PS: I can't stand Jack Kingston.

[nolabear]

22. Brilliant! He has my admiration. And I can't stand Kingston either.

Maher gets on my last nerve and I watch him somewhat out of habit. I think he's gotten less interesting over time but that's me.

Yiannopoulos is another matter entirely. He's a monster. He feeds on others' pain. He doesn't deserve anything, whether he has a right to his hate speech or not.

[MrScorpio]

23. Kudos to Scahill

He's always has my respect, now he has even more of it.

[Cha]

47. And, I don't always agree with Scahill but I give him tons of credit for this..

"Yiannopoulos’s appearance could also be used to incite violence against immigrants, transgender people, and others at a time when the Trump Administration is already seeking to formalize a war against some of the most vulnerable people in our society. Yiannopoulos has shown he will use his appearances to publicly attack and shame specific ordinary people by name, a practice which could lead to violence or even death."

Thank you for this, Jackie

[ebbie15644]

12. He's free to do what he wants but I'm not watching

[starshine00]

35. I agree

I don't like Milo because I believe he is the internet's Coulter, and the internet is far fuller of deplorables than the people that Coulter caters to. I think both of them are, pardon the expression, "whores" who sell out to the highest bidder and the internet is a breeding ground for people like Milo and worse to make a living catering to the dregs of society...even though it is possible for this generation for whatever reason to be woefully misled that that is in fact what their fan base consists of, literally adolescent basement dwellers and the whole rest of the deplorable category, many of whom are criminals like pedophiles etc. Milo's and Tomi's and Miss Blaire White's generation seem utterly clueless that it is the most base level of humanity that they are being supported by, either that or they don't care, which is even worse.

That being said I don't object to him being on Maher, it is Maher's show he can do what he wants and he can certainly handle Milo. I actually have grown to like & respect Bill Maher for calling out the 'regressive left' about what muslim reformist Maajid Nawaz terms "the soft bigotry of low expectations" when it comes to that sector of the left being too timid to critique the atrocities associated with extremist islamofascism, and even worse, calling any criticism whatsoever of islamist extremism "islamophobia" even to the extent of throwing this label at muslim and secular reformers like Nawaz, Aayan Hirsi Ali, Maryam Namazie, and others.

[Fred Sanders]

13. How about we learn a lesson from Germany and curtail free speech about hat

against defined minorities and suggests violence against them? After all, who else would know better about that than Germany?

[Ezior]

16. +1

Free speech is important, but I think we can all live without hate speech.

The question is: How to define hate speech? It's a slippery slope. You can't define it too broad (to include all kinds of dog whistling), because then every political opponent can be silenced.

Only banning obvious hate speech is a good idea IMHO, since the "dumb masses" won't understand more subtle dog whistle attempts anyway. It seems like open hate speech can go viral quite easily in certain environments and lead many voters to support authoritarian politics. That's dangerous.

Also, I guess it's almost impossible to criminalize hate speech in the US.

[Fred Sanders]

19. Canada, Germany, France have defined criminal hate speech quite nicely.

America is far too much in love with the concept of unlimited free speech to the point of being a national pathology, right wing and left wing, all of which has led to the hate radio, hate TV and hate internet paving the way for Trump being President, as it paved the way for another dictator in the 1930's, newspapers replacing internet at the time.
The parallels are obvious.

[Warren DeMontague]

56. If germany had had the 1st Amendment, Hitler would have had a much harder time.

Getting all squishy sentimental over totalitarian tactics to ostensibly "stop totalitarianism" is the definition of bad logic.

The 1st Amendment goes, you really think its gonna be the people you want silenced to be the ones who are shut up by the government? Really?

Jesus.

[Dr. Strange]

63. That's one thing I've noticed that all censors have in common.

They always seem to think that it's just the views they don't approve of that will be censored.

It's like it never occurs to them that once that horse leaves the barn, it could be their speech that gets classified as hate speech.

[Warren DeMontague]

65. Seriously. I wonder if they're peeved that donations to the ACLU have gone through the roof lately.

Don't they realize that the ACLU defends the "bad" speech just like the "good" kind?

[Fred Sanders]

73. I once again ask you to examine the actual hate speech laws, they are well defined and narrow.

I disagree with you about Hitler who I believe would have been imprisoned for his genocidal comments about Jews and other minority groups in his run up to power, so I think he would have had an impossible time if such laws were in place.

The 1st amendment is America's holy cow, and look where that cow has led the nation.

[Warren DeMontague]

74. I'm sorry, but the 1st Amendment is a bulwark against totalitarianism.

I find it astounding that even with an authoritarian jackwit in the White House who is disrespecting our constitution and institutions left and right, the people on our side nursing these fantasies that they're going to be able to censor just the speech that makes them mad still think that's a good idea.

[Warren DeMontague]

51. Yeah, Germany knows what happens when totalitiarians tell people what they can or cannot read or say

you're right about that.

[Phoenix61]

14. How disappointing

I completely get free speech but this is just encouraging others to spew hate filled, hurtful speech.

[Egnever]

15. So?

He clearly wants to use him as a punching bag. I fail to see the problem here.

[nolabear]

24. I see one. He can play victim and his orcs can rally around that.

[Egnever]

27. As if they need an exscuse.

He is a troll. He trolls.

He only gets power from you allowing him to troll you. See him for the joke he is and his power is gone. Obviously his arguments do not stand up to scrutiny. Why fear a clown? Much better to use him as your play toy.

[eleny]

20. Now that's a panel ripe for a fist fight

[Hayabusa]

21. Well, for once I agree with Milo.

Sunlight is the best disinfectant...

[HopeAgain]

106. How'd that work with Trump? nt

[Hayabusa]

130. It backfires about 10% of the time...

[HopeAgain]

132. Trump is a helluva backfire...

I think we should not give more exposure to these guys while this nationalism craze is on the rise.

First, nobody who he is likely to influence will watch Bill Maher. So tearing him down won't accomplish much. Second, the controversy makes Milo a known entity, even though many don't pay attention to the details. Today just notoriety seems to give credibility. And third, I think Maher is just trying to stay relevant.

[NewDealProgressive]

25. Bill always has guys like this on, it's an opportunity to destroy him rhetorically.

I don't want an echo chamber, I'm sorry. Why would we need five people all sitting around saying the same exact things? It's a shame he's not going to be on the panel with Micheal Moore or Bernie Sanders, they'd fuck Milo up good.

I don't understand all the whining and crying about this, the guy is occupying real space in the political spectrum. Here's an opportunity to knock him down a peg.

[logosoco]

33. +1

It is hard to watch sometimes, but I appreciate Maher reminding me that sometimes we do have to talk with the "other side". I've done it in real life before and it made me feel like I opened someones eyes and to remind me, that even if we don't see eye to eye, we are all from the same stuff!

[Warren DeMontague]

52. Milo gets way more outrage than he warrants.

I have to think there must be something about the guy that hits a nerve, because his actual rhetoric is no worse than someone like Ann Coulter.

The difference is, he's more media-savvy and he's an expert at needling the self-appointed ideological guardians of progressivism into overreaction.

[coco22]

26. Good,sunlight...

bring on all of the right wing crazies,alt right,Nazis,and whatever else. people need to be awaken tp the nuts around them.

[ismnotwasm]

28. Hate speech isn't "free"

And only the grossly entitled think it is

[Warren DeMontague]

54. So, serious question--- is Milo worse than Ann Coulter, Who Maher has had on countless times?

What specifically has Milo ever said that is worse than "We should invade their countries, kill their leaders, and convert them to Christianity"?

[MountCleaners]

62. It isn't so much what he has said

It's that he has a huge following among white nationalists, and panders to them. He has also written an article defending the "alt-right". When he was on Twitter, he followed a number of extremists and even re-tweeted or responded to them. He refuses to distance himself from them.

Lately he has been calling himself a "nationalist".

Besides the things he says about women and trans people are terrible.

[Warren DeMontague]

66. That's everyone on team Trump. Including Ann Coulter. Jesus, who do you think buys HER books?

As far as I can tell, the only thing that's "worse" about Milo is he's better than she is at needling some of the people on the left who take themselves very seriously, into getting a reaction from them. I know what real Nazis are, and what real Neo-Nazis are. Real Nazis killed members of my extended family in Europe.

Richard Spencer is a bona-fide Neo-Nazi. Milo is just a troll.

Calling someone a Nazi because they're an asshole, or a troll, or a misogynist, or because they make fun of "outrage culture" on the left, does a disservice to all of us who know what real Nazis are.

That's not to say he shouldn't be debated, and fiercely, and there absolutely are elements of his behavior which I would certainly challenge him on if I had the opportunity. Calling people out individually with the megaphone he has, is irresponsible, and bullying. But.... it's still not Naziism. And lets be real- that sort of thing goes on all over the place, at this point, given the realities of the internet.

The point isn't to defend him, the point is that trying to silence him plays right into his hands. Maher debating him is something I would look forward to, because once Milo gets past "progressives are all pro-censorship thought police who want to shut me up" it becomes rapidly apparent his arguments running on fumes.

Every time someone tries to silence the guy, he sells more books. It's built into his business model- fuck, it's the entirety of his business model. Honestly, I wish folks would grasp that.

[Lotusflower70]

29. Looking forward to it

I am sure it will go just as swimmingly as Tomi Lahren's appearance lol.

[tenderfoot]

38. He also gave a platform for Ann Coulter, Christine O'Donnell and host of other trolls

much like NBC gave platform to Donald Trump.

[Leghorn21]

40. Malcolm Nance booked now:

Malcolm Nance
@MalcolmNance

Watch me on @billmaher #RealTime Friday 17 February. Larry Wilmore, Kingston & I next to each other...Should be fun.😂 twitter.com/realtimers/sta…
8:51 PM - 15 Feb 2017

[Cha]

48. Wow, thank you, Leghorn! He should be a strong voice against

the hate.

[Behind the Aegis]

43. Yiannopoulos is a disgusting POS.

However, given he is the "interview" and not on the panel, I am OK with this. I really dislike when Maher puts people like this on the panel because they always dominate the discussions. When it is one-on-one, Maher tends to really give it a one-two punch. Not always, but usually can really dig in and then the bigot can't really rely on anyone else.

[Warren DeMontague]

50. This is the way to handle him. Challenge him on his shit.

The fact is, once you get past the stuff he says to deliberately provoke the more authoritarian-minded members of the "left"- and successfully, as evidenced by the massively outsized reaction the dude gets- he really doesn't have any sort of intellectual chops whatsoever.

His whole act is trolling. Maher is bright enough to take it apart, which is why I would watch this.

Trying to silence him is exactly what he wants.

[Warren DeMontague]

49. Jesus fuck, Milo is a troll but that's about it.

The people calling him a "Nazi", suggesting he advocates violence.. fucking ridiculous and I have to believe that they've never actually heard the guy speak.

Maher has Ann Coulter on about once every few months, and the "hate speech" Ann Coulter spews is far worse than Yiannopolous's.

[KT2000]

53. Larry Wilmore!

wish he still had hsi show. This ought to be good.

[demmiblue]

58. Jeremy Scahill now declining to appear on the show due to Milo:

Link to tweet

/photo/1

[TrekLuver]

61. Fine with me...Bill knows how to handle him.

[Warren DeMontague]

67. Update: Response from Bill Maher

http://ew.com/tv/2017/02/15/bill-maher-milo-yiannopoulos-protest/

UPDATE: Bill Maher is defending booking right-wing provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos. After The Intercept co-founder Jeremy Scahill declared on Twitter he was withdrawing from Friday’s show in protest of Yiannopoulos being booked as a guest on the program (details below), the host issued a statement in reply, taking issue with Scahill’s suggestion that Maher is anti-Islamic and explaining the reasoning behind the Yiannopoulos booking.

“My comments on Islam have never veered into vitriol,” Maher replied in a statement obtained by EW. “Liberals will continue to lose elections as long as they follow the example of people like Mr. Scahill whose views veer into fantasy and away from bedrock liberal principles like equality of women, respect for minorities, separation of religion and state, and free speech. If Mr. Yiannopoulos is indeed the monster Scahill claims — and he might be — nothing could serve the liberal cause better than having him exposed on Friday night.”

....

[NurseJackie]

87. Nonsense. He's already been "exposed" for what he is. Maher is grasping at straws now.

He knows he's fucked up and is trying to save face and put a positive spin on it.

What makes matters worse is that Maher already knew what Milo was all about, and he booked him anyway. It's not as though he was booking some unknown blogger who suddenly blew a gasket.

...and he might be...

Jesus fucking christ! He "might be" ... seriously? Might?? Good god.

Bill, this has nothing to do with "free speech" and you know it. You're giving someone an legitimacy and an elevated platform to spew venomous HATE SPEECH!

Maher AND his defenders and apologists are totally beneath contempt.

[Warren DeMontague]

91. Putting HATE SPEECH in all caps doesn't prove anything except that your caps lock button works.

Contempt away.

I certainly think Milo's arguments are worth taking down in a debate format, in fact I look forward to seeing it- which is why I suspect Maher's ratings on Friday will be higher than they've been in a long time- but I don't see what Milo has said that is any worse than what many of the rest of the right-wing jackwits Maher has on his show have said.

[NurseJackie]

92. Nor does taking cheap shots at people's spelling or formatting style for emphasis. Get over it.

You're really proven nothing, and it tells me that you fully realize you're arguing from a position of extreme weakness. So, when all else fails retreat to the "STOP YELLING AT ME" defense, or feign some other imagined insult.

...but I don't see what Milo has said that is any worse than what many of the rest of the right-wing jackwits Maher has on his show have said

I imagine that you wouldn't. That doesn't surprise me in the slightest. I totally believe you there.

[Warren DeMontague]

93. How about giving an example, then? A Milo quote that's any worse than what Coulter says?

You've got nothing. But this is about picking fights with people on our side, not making anything resembling an actual point.

I've been here long enough to know who is who and what is what.

[NurseJackie]

97. Your whataboutisms are silly.

Maher is elevating and promoting and giving legitimacy to someone who should remain a nobody and nothing more than a 2-bit blogger. He's no Ann Coulter, but Maher is about to give him that gift. Why do you approve?

I've been here long enough to know who is who and what is what.

Oh brother! Sorry, I'm not impressed. (I'm smarter than you think I am. I can see exactly what he's doing.)

But this is about picking fights with people on our side...

I guess that all depends on how one actually defines the meaning of "our side", doesn't it. Maher is on only one side: his own. As I said before, he's just a hack. He's Cenk or Ed.

His schtick is tiresome and worn. Unimaginative and pedestrian. He's substituting controversy for content. His days are numbered.

yourself.

[Warren DeMontague]

100. You seem tense.

[NurseJackie]

105. You seem desperate. (Or angry.)

Perhaps both.

[Warren DeMontague]

107. Nope!

I've been here a long time. Oh, yes, a very long time.

Like, I've seen em come through the revolving door thinking that the groucho mask makes them look like someone new.

Guess what? it doesn't.

[NurseJackie]

112. That's nice.

[Warren DeMontague]

113. Yes, it is.

Helps me determine what to take seriously, and how much.

[George II]

124. What are you hinting, or worse, "accusing" here?

[Warren DeMontague]

127. I AM SUGGESTING THAT I CANT BELIEVE ITS NOT BUTTER

I THINK IT MAY JUST BE PLAIN OLD BUTT



...ewwwwww!

[jeanmarc]

96. Maher better apologize to Scahill

He's been a good guest and he's taking a stand. He has a right to do that, too.

Maher is just being a prick. I will not watch Milo.

[Warren DeMontague]

102. I think you'll be waiting a long time to see that happen.

Maybe Scahill should apologize to Maher. He reiterates this claim I've heard over and over about Maher's supposed "islamophobia", which is bull.

Maher makes fun of religious fundamentalism of all stripes, and I'm constantly confused as to why any progressives would get bent out of shape over that. Believing that there's an angry magic wizard in the sky ordering you to attack your neighbors over things like their sex lives is fucking ludicrous, no matter what name you give to that entity.

[mountain grammy]

119. Maher is one of a kind, and I never miss him.

Sometimes he pisses me off, but that's part of why I watch him. When he says something that offends me, it challenges me to defend my point of view, and often it's indefensible. In my opinion, though I sometimes disagree with him, Bill is rarely wrong. He's sharp and funny and gives a perspective on current events that are right up my ally. I am sorry he chose to answer Scahill, I wish he had just let it go, but that's not his style and I sure won't fault him for it.

He's the best in the business and I'm glad he's on our side.

[Warren DeMontague]

121. I agree. I'm glad he's taking a stand for free expression.

The way to deflate Milo is to take apart his arguments, and since 80% of his arguments are some variation of "liberals want to censor me", actually engaging him is the quickest way to do that.

[HAB911]

68. Bill Maher is not the enemy. n/t

[HopeAgain]

103. I would rather watch ice melt than watch Bill Maher

Besides being an arrogant atheist (I have no problem with atheist, just arrogant ones who think people with faith are stupid) and an Islamophobe, he's not nearly as smart as he thinks he is.

Plus, have we learned nothing from giving Trump alle the media platforms he wanted? Now Milo?

[Doodley]

122. Agree he is an Islamophobe and he does mock people of faith, but good to see him humiliate Trumpers

[edbermac]

69. Good

Get the cockroach out of the dark. Mather will squash him

[jeanmarc]

95. Cancelled the series on my dvr

Will set back on later next week. I want no sign that this POS was every watched.

Fuck off, Maher.

[Henry Krinkle]

98. Why not have a good old fashioned book burning while were're at it?

Seriously, there are times I'm not certain which side scares me more.
This is one of them.

[img][/img]

[Blue Idaho]

99. Bill Maher is a privileged TV Celebrity

No more, no less.

[applegrove]

101. Oh my. He's had the pulse of politics in this country for two decades.

He led the comedic punching through to the truth in politics with a long format and in depth. It is everywhere now. And he is still on top. It is liberals' answer to right wing radio. So many more people are politically sophisticated. It schools new generations in detecting bullshit. And because he actually has Republicans on his show the punching is in real time.

[Warren DeMontague]

104. He makes fun of religion and supports things like free speech and pot legalization

so the authoritarians on our side, the "ban the sports illustrated swimsuit issue" crowd, can't stand him.

[applegrove]

108. He's opinionated. I don't agree with him on all of his pov. I do learn

a lot every show and I follow politics closely. In bad times politically, he is a sea of comfort. Mostly he is just good fun.

[Warren DeMontague]

111. He's an idiot on vaccines, for one. He subscribes to too much "science/big ag/pharma are evil" BS

but on many issues he's spot on, and his unapologetic defense of free speech as (what should be, at least) a bedrock progressive principle alone is enough to endear him to my heart. Plus he doesn't suffer theocratic bs that many others are just too willing to let slide rather than get embroiled in a religious spat.

I got burned out on his show, but I'll probably watch Friday. I am genuinely looking forward to his taking apart Milo's points. I think he's well positioned to point out to the guy that even though left-wing authoritarianism can be annoying, the right-wing variety is invariably many orders of magnitude worse.

[Blue Idaho]

109. So you're saying he's not a TV Celebrity

And like all TV celebrities - privileged?

[applegrove]

110. I know the privileged. I know people who are real. He is a real person.

[Blue Idaho]

131. Unless you are a friend - you don't know him.

You know a TV image of a guy that's acting for a living. He's a celebrity - all you know is what he and his team of PR people want you to know.

[kwassa]

123. I haven't watched him in two decades.

He is his own kind of narcissist.

A windbag is a windbag.

[Warren DeMontague]

114. He is definitely not a turnip, or a neutron star.

He is not an emotion, nor is he a sentence conjunction.

He is not the crankshaft on a 1957 coupe de ville.

He is not a toe, nor is he a bunion on that toe.

It is important that we call things by their proper names.

[Gothmog]

116. I stopped watching Maher a while back also

[DemocraticWing]

117. Support your local antifa.

The good people in LA know the time and date of the taping.

[Warren DeMontague]

120. The good people in LA understand that censorship of stuff we don't like is a bad mojo.

I realize that in Phylis Shlafly country some people still like the idea of telling others what they can read or watch, but that shit doesn't fly so much in the media capitol of the world.

[Inkfreak]

118. Should be compelling TV.

I'll watch it. I love shit like this. Tense back & forth.

[agenasolva]

133. I am boycotting Maher

Anyone that gives a platform to the racist, sexist, homophobe, and Islamophobe known as Milo doesn't deserve my attention