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Should Comedians Have Free Rein?

Should Comedians Have Free Rein and People Not Get Offended?

  • Yes

  • No

  • Not Sure


Results are only viewable after voting.
alright, maybe bigoted is a bit harsh, but on the topic of religion i agree with reza aslan that bill maher is not really sophisticated. he seems to be the type of guy who would ignore intel that would give people (whom he does not think highly of) redeeming qualities, and instead would continue to stick to his rash opinions.

He doesn't just ignore redeeming qualities in people, he ignores flat out facts. His Religioulous documentary, for example, is so full of misinformation and lies, a fact checker could make a career out of debunking what he says in that. The guy is a joke.
 
You're not missing anything - Jeselnik isn't funny.
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Yeah, i just think he's an ass. I find him annoying, not funny.
 
He doesn't just ignore redeeming qualities in people, he ignores flat out facts. His Religioulous documentary, for example, is so full of misinformation and lies, a fact checker could make a career out of debunking what he says in that. The guy is a joke.
whoa, I didn't even know he made his own documentary about religion. I can definitely see him having an agenda of vilifying all religious affiliation though.

it's really easy to criticize religion, and those associated with it. sometimes it is justified but I think it comes largely with a mindset of dismissal - which is to say someone will immediately discredit another person or thing/what have you, to a certain extent once that person/subject reveals/is revealed to have religious affiliation.

You're not missing anything - Jeselnik isn't funny.
word.

why you so surprised, brah?

some people consider dave chappelle to be the greatest comedian of all time. some people, hate his guts.

We should make a list of all the comedians Spider-Who hates. :o
and that would prove what exactly?
 
alright, maybe bigoted is a bit harsh, but on the topic of religion i agree with reza aslan that bill maher is not really sophisticated. he seems to be the type of guy who would ignore intel that would give people (whom he does not think highly of) redeeming qualities, and instead would continue to stick to his rash opinions.

I disagree, especially when it comes to Reza Aslan. I find him to be intellectually dishonest.

don't get me wrong, I did vote "yes" in this poll and I think that the whole "fans demanding an apology" thing should not be returned to. zayn malik should say something himself if he had a problem with what bill said and bill should apologize only if he thinks he was wrong, not because malik's fanbase is demanding it from him.

it's just with me personally, i don't like jokes like the one he did, i really don't. i wouldn't go out of my way to make a big deal out if it if i was that celebrity, but i would be upset that jokes like that were made about me. it's disheartening to me that it's supposed to be funny.

That's fair, I guess, but it's entirely up to you on whether or not you choose to watch. Maher isn't exactly my favorite comedian in the world either, but I don't get disgusted by him either.
 
btw spiderwho, congrats on hitting the 10K milestone

Heh, thanks. Only taken me 15 years.

Weren't you just blasting Maher as well?


Maher is so bad I don't consider him a comedian lest I accidentally insult real comedians.

And I hate to break it to you, but I'm not a comedian.

Good. I was trying to figure out a nice way to tell you you're not funny. :oldrazz: Nah, I'm just kidding; you're alright.
 
I disagree, especially when it comes to Reza Aslan. I find him to be intellectually dishonest.
Well we can either agree to disagree or you can tell me why reza aslan is intellectually dishonest. As spiderwho just mentioned, bill maher himself filled his religion documentary with inaccuracies. shouldn't that qualify as "intellectually dishonest"?

I find reza to be great, but I also pay attention to criticisms because no one is perfect, everyone is almost always biased. but most of the time his criticisms sound like they're coming from people who are again, acting dismissive, inconsiderate, or in denial. I never agree with anyone on everything, as much as I may most of the time.

That's fair, I guess, but it's entirely up to you on whether or not you choose to watch. Maher isn't exactly my favorite comedian in the world either, but I don't get disgusted by him either.
Once more, I can choose to flip the switch but maher and also people like bill o'reilly are facilitating a continuation of a unprogressive attitude about things and people. and they have huge fanbases, people who already believe in these misconceptions and continue to have their ignorance fed upon by people like them. it's disheartening, but I gotta deal with it.
 
Well we can either agree to disagree or you can tell me why reza aslan is intellectually dishonest. As spiderwho just mentioned, bill maher himself filled his religion documentary with inaccuracies. shouldn't that qualify as "intellectually dishonest"?

He's intellectually dishonest mainly through the lies and purposeful misconceptions he spreads about New Atheism, particularly Harris and Dawkins.

I haven't seen his documentary, but most of what I've heard from it seemed on point. That being said, even if his film has inaccuracies, that's not the same thing as being intellectually dishonest. ID means you're being irrational and fully aware of it. You could be misinformed and not be ID. Maher has too much of an ego in the first place to realize he's being irrational in the first place.

I find reza to be great, but I also pay attention to criticisms because no one is perfect, everyone is almost always biased. but most of the time his criticisms sound like they're coming from people who are again, acting dismissive, inconsiderate, or in denial. I never agree with anyone on everything, as much as I may most of the time.

I disagree. I think what you just said is exactly what he does to others.

Once more, I can choose to flip the switch but maher and also people like bill o'reilly are facilitating a continuation of a unprogressive attitude about things and people. and they have huge fanbases, people who already believe in these misconceptions and continue to have their ignorance fed upon by people like them. it's disheartening, but I gotta deal with it.

They're not easily comparative though. O'Reilly isn't a comedian; he's a propaganda tool and a compulsive liar. Maher is an actual comedian who, although I disagree with on some topics and his partisan attitude, is at least honest about his convictions.
 
He's intellectually dishonest mainly through the lies and purposeful misconceptions he spreads about New Atheism, particularly Harris and Dawkins.
I would say bill maher does this with religion. not exactly purposeful but almost stubbornly because as I already stated, he seems to be the type of guy who would not come to a realization of being incorrect just because it does not fit with his long existing preconceptions.

I haven't seen his documentary, but most of what I've heard from it seemed on point. That being said, even if his film has inaccuracies, that's not the same thing as being intellectually dishonest. ID means you're being irrational and fully aware of it. You could be misinformed and not be ID. Maher has too much of an ego in the first place to realize he's being irrational in the first place.
having an ego within debates is also something that should make one lose points. so as far as these types of assertions and discussions on religion or whatever else goes, why should bill maher be considered any more credible or accurate than reza aslan?
I disagree. I think what you just said is exactly what he does to others.
Disagree about what exactly? He doesn't really boast about his credentials unless he's in a position where he pretty much has to reinforce it, and he's admitted to as much. Although I do feel like sometimes, he sounds condescending in his tone BUT, that's definitely not something exclusive to him and in fact there are people who do it much more and much worse than he does.

i've seen youtube comments that try to write off reza as "nothing more than an islamic apologist". i haven't seen him say something like that of like of someone else.

They're not easily comparative though. O'Reilly isn't a comedian; he's a propaganda tool and a compulsive liar. Maher is an actual comedian who, although I disagree with on some topics and his partisan attitude, is at least honest about his convictions.
I was comparing them in the sense that they are both famous political commentators whose opinions are highlighted and taken seriously, by their followings and the various groups who watch them. if it is clear that they are irrational, it should be made clear to those that look up to them and value their stances on different topics and social/societal issues and what not.
 
I would say bill maher does this with religion. not exactly purposeful but almost stubbornly because as I already stated, he seems to be the type of guy who would not come to a realization of being incorrect just because it does not fit with his long existing preconceptions.

Most of what he does is restate arguments made by the likes to Dawkins and Harris. In that sense, I don't think he's wrong about the inherent issues of religion.

having an ego within debates is also something that should make one lose points. so as far as these types of assertions and discussions on religion or whatever else goes, why should bill maher be considered any more credible or accurate than reza aslan?

He shouldn't. To be clear, I'm not exactly a big fan of Maher. I wouldn't exactly consider him a credible author or source of religious criticisms. Again, most of what Maher does regarding religion is restate arguments made by people more educated than him on the topic (which would give them credibility, not necessarily Maher) and make jokes about it. He does give good points, but I would never credit him in the sense of "Here's what expert Bill Maher had to say on religion".

Disagree about what exactly? He doesn't really boast about his credentials unless he's in a position where he pretty much has to reinforce it, and he's admitted to as much. Although I do feel like sometimes, he sounds condescending in his tone BUT, that's definitely not something exclusive to him and in fact there are people who do it much more and much worse than he does.

i've seen youtube comments that try to write off reza as "nothing more than an islamic apologist". i haven't seen him say something like that of like of someone else.

Disagree in the sense that he completely twists and misinterprets every argument people like Harris and Dawkins make about religion, painting them as some warmongering neocons, as well as the fact he seems to believe any criticism towards Islam is an act of bigotry. That's simply not what Dawkins and Harris are all about. Practically almost every criticism I've seen him make is based on a misconception of some sort.

I was comparing them in the sense that they are both famous political commentators whose opinions are highlighted and taken seriously, by their followings and the various groups who watch them. if it is clear that they are irrational, it should be made clear to those that look up to them and value their stances on different topics and social/societal issues and what not.

Bill Maher isn't exactly my favorite guy in the world, but I wouldn't put him anywhere near O'Reilly.

Also, I find it odd to call him "irrational" as he's still in agreement with the left on 90% of other issues. I don't see how his particular beliefs on religion, even if you could argue are wrong, downgrade him to irrational Fox levels.
 
Most of what he does is restate arguments made by the likes to Dawkins and Harris. In that sense, I don't think he's wrong about the inherent issues of religion.
alright well in practice, when bill maher makes jokes like the one he did about zayn, who is his audience? does it include muslims? if not, and i'm bill's got plenty of muslim viewers, i feel like he'd shrug knowing that and wouldn't try to understand the body of the muslim community worldwide, instead of judging the religion the people follow by the extremist way it is always highlighted.

now again, i'm not saying muslims should be exempt from ridicule in the media. in fact, it pisses me off how easily muslims get offended about stuff. i just don't like the way the stigma is sticking. and i really can't blame the general public for having the misconceptions about us that they do but simultaneously i wish they would open their minds a little and give us a chance. i made a thread about a specific encounter one day that I had going to the dentist.

i can't say much about dawkins or harris either but that one time they were on bill's show with ben affleck it sounded like they weren't willing to hear things that would not fit with their argument. it seemed like for every counterargument in favor of islam/muslims, sam harris would say something like "well i've seen studies that show this.." and I don't really consider that as a backup to a claim.

He shouldn't. To be clear, I'm not exactly a big fan of Maher. I wouldn't exactly consider him a credible author or source of religious criticisms. Again, most of what Maher does regarding religion is restate arguments made by people more educated than him on the topic (which would give them credibility, not necessarily Maher) and make jokes about it. He does give good points, but I would never credit him in the sense of "Here's what expert Bill Maher had to say on religion".
alright, but he he also seems to dismiss or just ignore facts that give the people he disses, redeeming qualities. it's almost as if he does not want to stop believing the rash ideals that he does. he's brought muslims onto his show too, and things didn't really get anywhere. not tryna be funny but I think he was high that day too (not bill, the muslim).

Disagree in the sense that he completely twists and misinterprets every argument people like Harris and Dawkins make about religion, painting them as some warmongering neocons, as well as the fact he seems to believe any criticism towards Islam is an act of bigotry. That's simply not what Dawkins and Harris are all about. Practically almost every criticism I've seen him make is based on a misconception of some sort.
alright, i won't argue with you here but what I will say is that it seems like harris doesn't do the exact same thing but is similar to bill in a more polite way, in that he won't acknowledge facts that give redeeming qualities to people of certain religions like islam. it's like this page on facebook called right wing news. they post bad news stuff about muslims all the time but whenever something nice comes up about muslims, they'll either find a way to twist it, or not think anything of it.

Bill Maher isn't exactly my favorite guy in the world, but I wouldn't put him anywhere near O'Reilly.

Also, I find it odd to call him "irrational" as he's still in agreement with the left on 90% of other issues. I don't see how his particular beliefs on religion, even if you could argue are wrong, downgrade him to irrational Fox levels.
i'm not saying one of these guys is better than the other, all i'm saying is that they have a few things in common which are that they are famous high profile political commentators, who like to dog on things like islam. o'reilly pisses me off on another level coz of the crap he spews about rap music and marijuana and i think video games too.

bill maher is a popular guy, i think his fans outweigh his haters, and while obviously bill o reilly's got a bad rep, he still has a following that probably includes millions

Yeah, I think that much is obvious by now.
what are you trying to say pal

I like dave chappelle, I like kevin hart, I think the hangover is a classic, but as far as comedy and horror go overall as genres, they just ain't my cups of tea.

what i've stated about the things going on with the likes of bill maher is a different story.
 
Bill Maher has got a following because of his views, not despite them. Those millions of people already agree with him. Same goes for O'Reilly.
 
whichever way the thought process goes isn't the matter. it's what the people are believing in, these unprogressive and sometimes even ignorant attitudes, that is the issue.
 
So... who is funny to you?
A few comedians that I really like are Carlin, Louis CK, Gaffigan, Kevin Hart, Pryor, 80s Eddie Murphy, and Bill Burr. That's not an exhaustive list, of course; just a few off the top of my head.
 
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