Bill Maher's take on #MeToo

[The Grand Nudger]

The hostage takers threat.  If you keep pointing out that we're shitty assholes..we'll keep being shitty assholes in positions of power.  

I doubt that's actually true, but supposing it were so what?  If being a shitty asshole doesn't get you the boot and no amount of pointing it out will..silence won't either. If you want to be a shitty asshole I guess you'll just have to put on your big boy pants and deal with people saying mean words at you.

That shit above, trying to parse Trump's gaff...pointless. There are no decent people in a nazi pride parade. None. Never have been, never will be.

[Brian37]

It's not an "awful battle" it is merely an example that no matter how clear the cause there are some people who take things too far.  You know the type.  Nazi loving shithead presidents who think that stormtroopers who drive their cars into crowds of demonstrators are "good people."

How come when its an arab who does it the same shitball president that you love calls them "terrorists?"

Yea, 45 is beyond left or right on mere differences of opinion. His behavior is nothing a western society should value in a politician AT ANY level.

When you can't even flat out disown sick fucks who would't have you killed or arrested if given power, then you are NO better a politician like Hitler or the Imams who control the theocracy of Iran.

We are only in America right now hanging on by a thread, but, if more politicians see his hyper nationalistic scapegoating as a winning formula, we are in serious trouble long term.

This recent "shithole" comment was tone deaf if one is being generous, but when taken into account his REPEATED behavior, you cant chalk it up to a single gaff. 

45 is a battle worth having, because an asshole like that left unchallenged would be a fatal mistake to anyone valuing a free, open and pluralistic society.

[CapnAwesome]

This is a better example of what I was talking about in the 'shithole' thread about the liberals who control the social narrative being really awful at picking battles.

Almost everyone is on board with the idea that sexual violence is bad.  But somehow they take it to a place that is so indefensible, they end up fighting with Matt Damon and Bill Maher.

Over and over, they take a position that is generally reasonable/popular, but then keep tacking on nonsense, until they've alienated everyone willing to do any critical thinking.  And because they are bad at math, they say "Fuck 'em, we don't need those jerks." because they have no idea their dopiness has whittled their groups support down to 25% of the population.

HOLY NON SEQUITUR BATMAN

BULLSHIT!

CONTEXT MATTERS, and in the CONTEXT of his 5 year history of scapegoating and vilifying EVERYONE, he did not mean "some countries are worse off economically", he is a fucking racist.

5 years of vilifying Obama
Over a year now of vilifying both Mexicans and Arabs
SHITTING ON war heros
Shitting on his own intel
Shitting on the free press.

THIS had NOTHING to do with lagit criticism. 

Of course some countries are worse off economically, but even then, it is CRUEL and inhuman to say nobody from those countries should be allowed to migrate here. THAT IS FUCKING BULLSHIT. 45 is simply mentally stuck back in the madman days his daddy sold him. This has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with anything pragmatic.

Between the end of WW1 and WW2 Germany was a "shithole" but in spite of that, many migrants fled and ended up contributing to western society. 

And you don't even have to look past Puerto Rico, WHOM 45 HAS SHIT ON TOO, which is PART OF AMERICA, to know this has nothing to do with a poor nation and everything to do with his BULLSHIT BIGOTRY.

Lol, starts by accusing the other person of a non-sequetor, finishes by ranting off topic about Trump. Lol.

[The Grand Nudger]

It's amusing how completely our country has reversed itself since the mythos setting days of the mid 40's.  We used to know what to do about a nazi..and it wasn't to make excuses for them.  We're now living fully inside the kremlins asshole, and badmouthing law and order at the federal level from the depths of that gaping chasm. Our president is a draft dodging coward and we're doing everything we can possibly think of to tank our economy, up to and including massive wealth redistribution schemes.

OTOH< at least there's some continuity in rape culture apologism.

Thanks Obama!

(see, I criticized Barry Bamz, fair and balanced )

[GrandizerII]

Of course there's a difference (just as it's of course all lives matter). But it's more a difference between two points on a continuum, not two completely unrelated categories (cancer at a treatable stage is still cancer). And it's about having some sensitivity. If a woman felt harmed by a man cornering her to show her his penis without her consent, you don't just tell her "it's not a big deal, at least you weren't raped". If that's not funny, I don't give a shit. Bill Maher isn't exactly someone I consider funny anyway. He just thinks he is (explains why he has to laugh at his own "jokes" often).

[henryp]

Of course there's a difference (just as it's of course all lives matter). But it's more a difference between two points on a continuum, not two completely unrelated categories (cancer at a treatable stage is still cancer). And it's about having some sensitivity. If a woman felt harmed by a man cornering her to show her his penis without her consent, you don't just tell her "it's not a big deal, at least you weren't raped". If that's not funny, I don't give a shit. Bill Maher isn't exactly someone I consider funny anyway. He just thinks he is (explains why he has to laugh at his own "jokes" often).

I think the point being made is that maybe miming breast grabbing as a joke, while sometimes offensive, isn't a 'burn their career to the ground' event like raping a bunch of people is.  The 0 tolerance scorched earth strategy is lumping a lot of stuff into the same category.  With Franken for example, that could have been "Hey, that made me feel like shit."  He says "Sorry, I won't do that again.  I was just trying to be funny."  Everybody learns a lesson.  Instead he had to resign a position in the Senate where people thought he was doing a good job.

And I believe what Maher was referring to about 'jokes' is the photo of him miming grabbing Bob Sagat's boobs, which got a bunch of backlash. Not cornering a girl and making her look at your dick.

[The Grand Nudger]

Well, technically he had to resign because he's a dem, not because he breast-o-mimed.  If you're a republican, you can prey on children and people say "at least he's not a dem". That's Mahers gripe, conveniently.

[Cecelia]

This seems like "Your boss ONLY grabbed your ass. Why should he be fired for that? He's doing a good job otherwise! It's not like he raped anyone!"

There can and should be worse punishments for the people who rape. But let's not act like sexual harassment shouldn't receive due punishment. I'll say this: Someone touches my breasts or my ass without my permission, and they won't be touching anyone with that hand again, because it will be removed from their body.

[henryp]

This seems like "Your boss ONLY grabbed your ass.  Why should he be fired for that?  He's doing a good job otherwise!  It's not like he raped anyone!"

There can and should be worse punishments for the people who rape.  But let's not act like sexual harassment shouldn't receive due punishment.  I'll say this:  Someone touches my breasts or my ass without my permission, and they won't be touching anyone with that hand again, because it will be removed from their body.

I'm not saying "Why should he be fired for that?"  It's sometimes maybe taking it to HR, putting them on probation, and trying to correct the behavior might be a more measured response.

That's not in response to a boss grabbing someone's ass, by the way.  More in finding a suitable response to each situation on the very wide spectrum of harassment.

[The Grand Nudger]

 and they won't be touching anyone with that hand again, because it will be removed from their body.

-got a nice curved blade, eh?