Bill Maher's take on #MeToo

[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.