Discussion: Racism - Part 2

[terry78]

Maher has a following though, they ain't gonna lose out on that.

 

[TheCommissioner]

very similar to how white collar crime got brushed off for years and years, with no severe punishments

until Bernie Madoff

and he got 150 years

you have a lot of slack, until you don't

and black people are getting tired of being told that "the N word" shouldn't offend us anymore

 

[Laderlappen]

Maher called Milo Yiannopoulos a homophobic slur(again as a joke) when he was a guest. If he could have gotten away with that, he should get away with this.

 

[TheCommissioner]

not how it works - especially with a word that is tied to systemic racism, oppression, hell you had "medical journals" written during slavery that used the term

its like saying "blackface is ok" because someone cross dressed

 

[summerteeth]

Not in this situation

Maher f'd up, do I think he should be removed from HBO? unsure

if I was HBO, would I? Yes...and replace him with Hannibal Burress or Melissa Harris-Perry

The strange thing about what happened with Maher was it was almost his liberal coastal world view that arrived at that offensive joke. He heard a white male from the Midwest (which might as well be the South in his mind) speak of working in the fields and his thought process immediately thought slavery.

 

[ouroboros]

very similar to how white collar crime got brushed off for years and years, with no severe punishments

until Bernie Madoff

and he got 150 years

you have a lot of slack, until you don't

and black people are getting tired of being told that "the N word" shouldn't offend us anymore

Maher, at least, did not claim that black people should not be offended.

Maher said in a statement: “Friday nights are always my worst night of sleep because I’m up reflecting on the things I should or shouldn’t have said on my live show. Last night was a particularly long night as I regret the word I used in the banter of a live moment. The word was offensive and I regret saying it and am very sorry.”

 

[ouroboros]

Maher has a following though, they ain't gonna lose out on that.

But Imus, whom I mentioned earlier, had a following too, and his bosses did for a time get rid of him, if not only for his racial remarks. I believe "Imus in the Morning" was reborn later, though I don't know details.

It probably always depends not just on how much money a celebrity makes, but also how much he can make the owners lose.

 

[Laderlappen]

But Imus, whom I mentioned earlier, had a following too, and his bosses did for a time get rid of him, if not only for his racial remarks. I believe "Imus in the Morning" was reborn later, though I don't know details.

It probably always depends not just on how much money a celebrity makes, but also how much he can make the owners lose.

It's a risky move to replace someone like that. Bill Maher is clearly not racist and he's a BLM supporter. Even the people that are offended, I think most of them understand that he was only making a joke. I don't see a massive boycott of Real Time and this will blow over I think. I hope he doesn't get fired but I also think it would be safer to keep him.

 

[Sithborg]

HBO also isn't reliant on advertisers, so that kind of prevents a fall similar to O'reilly.

 

[summerteeth]

But Imus, whom I mentioned earlier, had a following too, and his bosses did for a time get rid of him, if not only for his racial remarks. I believe "Imus in the Morning" was reborn later, though I don't know details.

It probably always depends not just on how much money a celebrity makes, but also how much he can make the owners lose.

Imus attacked actual female college athletes for no apparent reason. Imus' statement was actually directed at people, Maher's was directed towards himself.

 

[ouroboros]

Well, I'm glad to see that the Maher "crisis" seems to be over.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/10/arts/television/bill-maher-racial-slur.html?_r=0

 

[Docker2.0]

Bill Maher is not racist. Geez, all he does is date black women! I think what he said was a joke and people really need to lighten up. It has to be taken in the context of the person and their history. Dude is so known to support black movements and mess with black women. It makes no sense for him to be in the Klan if that's the case. I've heard much worse things said by black guys who only date white women. If someone like Trump or Nugent said this, then yes, come out with torches. But come on!

 

[RockSP]

Bill Maher is not racist. Geez, all he does is date black women! I think what he said was a joke and people really need to lighten up. It has to be taken in the context of the person and their history. Dude is so known to support black movements and mess with black women. It makes no sense for him to be in the Klan if that's the case. I've heard much worse things said by black guys who only date white women. If someone like Trump or Nugent said this, then yes, come out with torches. But come on!

Maybe Maher isn't a racist. But it should go without saying that dating women of a different race doesn't mean a person can't be racist. And one doesn't have to be a member of a terrorist organization like the KKK to be racist.

 

[Docker2.0]

Maybe Maher isn't a racist. But it should go without saying that dating women of a different race doesn't mean a person can't be racist. And one doesn't have to be a member of a terrorist organization like the KKK to be racist.

I think he takes the culture for granted but is not a racist. Dude has fought for black rights and only sleeps with black women. Not to sound like a broken record but it's true. He doesn't do it undercover, like Thomas Jefferson who was known for raping black women, but does it proudly in the open. Let's be real: a lot of blacks use the N word around other races and some of the people of the other races feel comfortable to use it around blacks. It is what it is. Would I have said it? No, but I'm not going to pretend that I haven't seen it or heard it from white chicks or asians that I've messed with in the past.

 

[RockSP]

Yes it's well known that he likes black strippers and video chicks. He used to bone Superhead. I remember years back some stripper he was "dating" accused him of abuse. And no he doesn't only date black women. But my point wasn't just about Maher. I'm saying in general boinking someone of a different race doesn't make automatically mean someone isn't racist. Some people fetishize women of other races than their own as "exotic" which is racist in and of itself.

 

[Docker2.0]

No we agree. I know a dude who comes off as a racist but yet has a black girlfriend. I mean, darn near a klansmen. So I get where you are coming from.

 

[chaseter]

I think the point is that it is a joke. I wouldn't assume to speak for the black community, nor can I say what type of impact hearing that word has on a person of color. But to hear the term "house n-----" thrown around so callously, as a joke . . . that in and of itself is offensive. This is a word that has been used to systematically demean and oppress. Plus to use it in the context of slavery makes it all the worse. What I am getting at is, to use it as a joke in and of itself is jarring. I could see why HBO would not want that type of humor on the airwaves or to be associated with Maher for it.

I agree. It's a derogatory term that no one should use.

 

[JeetKuneDo]

Free speech is hard.

If it were easy we wouldn't need a law to grant it.

Anyone can give free speech only to people they agree with. The most harsh dictators in history have done that. If you really think you fight for free speech, do it when you don't agree with the speaker or you are simply a fraud with a political agenda.

 

[Donner]

The right to free speech doesn't protect you from being fired or publicly vilified. It only protects you from the government arresting you for what you said.

 

[DeadPresident]

The problem for me is public reaction is unreasonably crazy. The public reacts with more aggression and hate towards a racist comment than they would to the exposure of a satanic necrophiliac raiding cemeteries. Where I stay there was recently an incident in a restaurant (caught on film) of a man getting aggressive towards a woman when the woman's daughter allegedly slapped the man's child. They're of different races and the internet ran off with this story saying his aggression was racially motivated (could have been, maybe not). Guess what, Twitter sleuths uncover this guy's details and dox him and everyone starts foaming at the mouth trying to find him.

A week later a guy by the same name as the alleged aggressor in the restaurant is calling radio stations and newspapers asking people to stop sending death threats to his home and work and calling him screaming all kinds of obscenities because he isn't the same John Smith as the guy in the video. Supposedly people even came to his house threatening his family and himself and didn't want to hear anything about him not being the guy from the video.

Free speech should obviously come with responsibilities on the part of the person practicing it, but most certainly also on the parts of people listening. It seems like discriminatory statements draw more hate than actual physical or violent crimes.

 

[Donner]

I agree that people are insane and their knee jerk reaction to things is unbelievably stupid. But that is the age in which we live. It sucks, but it also has an extreme case of ADD. Most of this stuff blows over within a week or so. There's always something new to be offended by or over.

 

[terry78]

We have become a society of triggered people, and a lot of it is backlash from the sins of the fathers unfortunately.

 

[Donner]

There are some instances, especially on Facebook, where I think people should get fired or vilified because of what they say. People think they can hide behind their keyboard (even though their name is public) and say stupid **** like calling for the execution of transgendered people or wanting to gang rape female politicians. If you're that much of a moron where you openly call for murder or rape, then I don't feel the least bit sorry for you if someone reports you to your boss and you get fired.

 

[Greens]

I don't know what the popular opinion is here, but I shrug my shoulders at the Maher controversy. It was a harmless 6/10 joke.

 

[DeadPresident]

I agree that people are insane and their knee jerk reaction to things is unbelievably stupid. But that is the age in which we live. It sucks, but it also has an extreme case of ADD. Most of this stuff blows over within a week or so. There's always something new to be offended by or over.

Sure, but it's a sad state of affairs when nobody can ever make a mistake or say something they shouldn't have said. We're living in an age where someone's reputation, career, or life can be ruined by a distasteful or unacceptable comment. That's quite a scary prospect. I find it strangely ironic that the people who will tell others to watch what they say and never make a mistake are they same people who feel entitled to spew vitriol online or threaten people for their transgressions.

Discrimination is bad, but unless we're talking David Duke levels of scumbagness should it really ruin someone's life? IMO this level of over-reaction has the opposite effect and instead of stopping reasonable folks from saying questionable things actually emboldens and radicalizes actual racists more - because they know they can create and achieve an extreme reaction.