Real Time with Bill Maher (HBO) - 8/20/21

[Rhiannon12866]

Monologue: Graveyard of Empires

Bill recaps the top issues of the week, including the chaotic U.S. exit from Afghanistan and the ongoing debate over masking.




Andrew Sullivan: High-deas

Bill welcomes blogger Andrew Sullivan back for his 27th Real Time appearance to discuss the importance of debate and dissent in a free society.




California Recall Candidates

Bill introduces some of the lesser-known candidates in California's ridiculous recall election.




New Rule: Your Phone is Turning You into an Asshole

Apple should admit that the problem with their phones isn’t just what people might store on them, it’s the phones themselves.




Here's a "bootleg" version of the show which includes the entire interview with Andrew Sullivan (5:35), entire panel discussion with Max Rose and Jackie Calmes (16:31) and entire New Rules (46:25). It won't last long, as usual:

[Bluepinky]

1. That was a great show.

I liked the guest and the panelists. I liked Bill’s message about our smart phones and how our reliance on them is damaging interpersonal relationships and the ability to connect with other people.

[Rhiannon12866]

2. I liked it, too - particularly Bill's messages, the use of phones has changed society

I see people walking down the street talking on their phones, when they're pumping gas or shopping for groceries! I don't use my phone mainly for calls, so I can't help wondering who they find to talk to constantly! And there was one night when I was on my way home in the dark and the rain. A woman out walking her small dog walked right in front of my car - she was on her phone and I doubt she ever saw me!

[Bluepinky]

9. Yes, I see people talking on their phones and wonder the same thing.

I know that if I’m waiting for someone or an appointment, I’ll look at my phone instead of the ground or ceiling. But going out to dinner with people means phones are put away and out of sight. It’s kind of sad to see a family out to dinner, with each kid and the parents looking at a phone instead of at each other.

[Rhiannon12866]

11. Oh, I've done that, too, looked at my phone if I'm waiting alone

But it's never dawned on me to carry on a conversation while I'm pumping gas or in the produce aisle. I've wondered what's so important that they need to talk about right then??

[Bluepinky]

12. I don't really like talking on my phone in front of other people.

Other people don’t want to hear me on my phone.

[Rhiannon12866]

13. People don't care, they carry on conversations everywhere

I used to pay attention since if they were alone in the produce aisle, I figured they were asking me a question. Now, I've gotten used to it.

[WHITT]

3. His Example/Analogy

of half a naval ship contracting covid resulting in only one death was faulty. That was Alpha. If it were Delta, there would be a considerable number of deaths.

His claim that unvaccinated millennial's have very little to be concerned about from covid is also baseless. Apparently he hasn't been checking with hospitals around the country.

Lastly, his claim he doesn't need a booster is uninformed and stupid. Everyone will eventually need a booster as the vaccines continue to diminish in effectiveness.

[Rhiannon12866]

4. Those are excellent points - but then he is really a comedian

And we know that he did contract Covid, he missed shows because of it, but only since he was forced to quarantine, we were told that he didn't experience symptoms. Way too many - including those younger than he is, some of them young kids - are now being hospitalized and dying. Bill was incredibly lucky.

[Lemon Lyman]

5. Yup

He's being disingenuous about the Covid vaccine(s) & booster(s), given that he's half an anti-vaxxer. He's not Robert F Kennedy levels of nuts, but he's skeptical about vaccines. He's one of these, "I don't trust everything that's in it and I live a very healthy life and have a very healthy immune system, so I don't need a vaccine."

He kept saying he got the vaccine for the team. Meaning he didn't want it or think it was necessary, but he did it for others. Now he doesn't want a booster. He had Covid back in May. He said he felt nothing whatsoever. He said the vaccine "probably" helped him not get sick.

I'm all for living healthy and trying to have a healthy immune system. But I think he overestimates how healthy he really is and/or how walled off he is from some sort of bad health outcome. You can live your life eating only organic foods and trying to stay as lean as possible -- and still end up with Covid or a disease. He's sorta' holier than thou when it comes to health. And he's especially so re: obesity. Obesity is huge problem throughout the world. But he's a guy who's never been a pound overweight in his life. He's probably more of a naturally thin type (processes carbs well). He's also admitted he doesn't really care about food. Some people aren't so lucky. I don't care about alcohol. Some people aren't so lucky (and are more prone to be addicted to it).

[Bluepinky]

10. He attributes obesity to a choice and "personal responsibility".

But obesity is a complex issue, with personal responsibility only a piece of the problem.

[SunSeeker]

6. Max Rose correctly called him out on that shit. nt

[Auggie]

14. No one mentioned/discussed (perhaps) the most important reason for vaccines:

slow down and/or eliminate mutations and variants.

[Merlot]

16. So true. This pandemic is fast moving and ever changing.

Using statistics from even 6 months ago to make a point is just not a good argument.

Also, with covid why is it either life or death? No one talks about the people left with long term medical issues, and we don't know how this will play out as they age.

[mucifer]

17. Even if no one died from covid the amount of people in the ICUs and ERs is crippling the

health care system. Clearly he doesn't give a flying fuck about the long term effects or the health care staff that is going through PTSD.

[SunSeeker]

7. Good monologue, New Rules, and riff at the end about how cell phones making us assholes.

The rest was skippable. Not a fan of pompous conservatives like Sullivan. Bill Maher's "only fat people die of covid" bullshit during the panel discussion was basically anti-vax craziness, as Max Rose pointed out. As was Maher's "you can't trust either side" bullshit when he was trying to counter Jackie Calmes' point that you can't have bipartisanship when half of us believe fake facts pumped out by OAN and Fox. I just don't understand how Bill Maher can be so lucid and spot on about some things, yet so wrong about other things.

Thanks for posting, Rhiannon!

[Rhiannon12866]

8. I liked the show overall, too.

Especially New Rules, as well, and I liked both members of the panel, I hadn't seen either one of them before. Sullivan isn't a favorite of mine, either, but I figured he was on since he's a friend of Bill's. He's had worse. And by now, I'm used to Bill's issues, but at least he had a panel that tried to set him straight. And it was a funny show, too - while at the same time making good points about phones. I think it was one of his best New Rules this season.

[Merlot]

15. Max Rose also pointed out the real reason hospitals have no ICU beds

They're run as a for profit business (using just-in-time inventory models). His point about having an insurance policy against the next pandemic made the point all to clear that the for-profit health industry needs a total overhaul.

Obesity is a problem, but it's a systematic one. Kids are fed sugar laden junk food in schools and adults don't even know how much sugar is hidden in their foods. Junk foods are manufactured to be addictive. Blaming it on "personal responsibility" is to simple. As for the obese dying more of covid, that may be true, but it's not like you can loose weight really quickly and become healthy. My good friend is obese, had covid and survived with no long term effects. OTOH, a few years ago I had a medical issue and my doctor told me that what I had, usually when an overweight person walks in they expect it, but they don't usually see it in someone who is naturally thin like me.

[Rhiannon12866]

18. Max Rose was excellent,

I wasn't familiar with him, but he brought up some excellent points, including regarding the health care industry.

And it has been tougher during this pandemic for people to eat well and healthy. I'm sure a lot of people have gained weight, no one wants to go out unless they have to. Bill is the exception, he has advantages that a lot of Americans don't, and he does tend to focus on the overweight - and yet he also got Covid, though he had no symptoms. And you're right, most people don't necessarily know how to eat healthy, convenience is what most people go to now simply because it's easier.