‘About Time’: Gay Athlet Unleash Rabow Wave on Olympics – NBC New York

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• ‘ABOUT TIME': GAY ATHLET UNLEASH RABOW WAVE ON OLYMPICS
• BILL MAHER DIDN’T CHANGE. HE’S ALWAYS BEEN A CRGE CENTRIST.INTELLECTUALLY INCORRECTTHE “REAL TIME” HOST’S PIVOT TOWARD THE INTELLECTUAL DARK WEB AND VAXX-SKEPTICISM SHOULDN’T BE A SURPRISE. THIS IS WHO HE IS. BEN BURGISUPDATED MAR. 22, 2022 8:08PM EDT / PUBLISHED MAR. 21, 2022 9:02PM EDT OPNPHOTO ILLTRATN BY THOMAS LEVSON/THE DAILY BEAST/GETTY/HBOBILL MAHER’S RECENT NVERSATN WH BEN SHAPIRO STCK SOME OF HIS CURRENT AND FORMER FANS AS STRANGE AND OUT OF CHARACTER.SOMEWHERE ALONG THE LE, MAHER SEEMS TO HAVE MORE OR LS EXPLICLY JOED THE GROUP OF CENTER-RIGHT “ANTI-WOKE” PUNDS RMALLY KNOWN AS THE IDW (INTELLECTUAL DARK WEB). AT FIRST GLANCE, THAT LOOKS LIKE A BIZARRE TRANSFORMATN. THIS GUY WAS AN IN OF THE LIBERAL SI OF THE CULTURE WAR THE BH AND OBAMA ERAS. WHAT HAPPENED TO HIM?“I HAVEN’T CHANGED,” MAHER TOLD SHAPIRO. “AT ALL.” HE GIV THE EXAMPL OF “THREE-YEAR OLDS BEG ALLOWED TO CHANGE THEIR GENR” AND LLS TO “FUND THE POLICE” AND SAYS “THAT’S NOT ME CHANGG—THAT’S THGS CHANGG. I’M REACTG TO .”MAHER ISN’T ENTIRELY WRONG WHEN HE SAYS HE HASN’T CHANGED. IN MANY WAYS HE’S ALWAYS BEEN THIS BAD. AND THAT SHOULD TELL SOMETHG ABOUT THE TRAJECTORY OF AMERIN LIBERALISM. I N REMEMBER WATCHG MAHER’S SHOW POLILLY INRRECT—WHICH FIRST AIRED ON COMEDY CENTRAL BEFORE MOVG TO ABC—WHEN I WAS LLEGE. IT WAS ENTERTAG ENOUGH, AND SOMETIM HE GAVE A PLATFORM TO UNUALLY TERTG GUTS LIKE MY LATE IEND DAVID MCREYNOLDS, THE ANTIWAR ACTIVIST WHO TWICE RAN FOR PRINT AS THE SOCIALIST PARTY’S NDIDATE.BACK THOSE PRE-NETFLIX DAYS, WHEN VIEWG OPTNS WERE PRETTY WELL-RTRICTED TO LIVE WORK TV AND WHICHEVER VHS TAP HAPPENED TO BE ON THE SHELF MY DORM ROOM, THAT BATN WAS MORE THAN ENOUGH FOR ME TO TUNE EVERY ONCE A WHILE. IT ALSO MEANT THAT I WATCHED ENOUGH TO KNOW THAT THE NAME OF THE SHOW WAS FALSE ADVERTISG.POLILLY INRRECT MA SOUND LIKE BILL WOULD NSTANTLY BE SAYG PROVOTIVE THGS THAT WOULD SNDALIZE THE EASILY OFFEND, BUT THE CLOST HE REALLY GOT WERE MEDIUM-RISQUé MENTS ABOUT WOMEN OR WEED, NO FURTHER OM THE AMERIN MASTREAM THAN A TYPIL EPISO OF FAY GUY. IN FACT, WHEN HE DID FALLY SAY SOMETHG THAT GENUELY OFFEND LARGE NUMBERS OF PEOPLE, HE LOST HIS SHOW.IT HAPPENED DURG THE Y OF NATNALISTIC HYSTERIA THAT ME IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE SEPTEMBER 11TH TERRORIST ATTACKS. PRINT GEE W. BH HAD SCRIBED THE ATTACKS AS “WARDLY.” IN A RARE MOMENT OF MORAL LUCIDY, BILL NOTED THAT, WHILE THE ATTACKS WERE CERTALY EVIL, STAYG AN AIRPLANE AS YOU DIRECT TO HURTLE TO A BUILDG WAS FAR OM WARDLY—UNLIKE, SAY, “LOBBG CISE MISSIL OM 2,000 AWAY.” (MAHER ACTUALLY MA THIS POT AGREEMENT WH HIS GUT, NSERVATIVE FIREBRAND DH D’SOUZA.)BH’S PRS SECRETARY ARI FLEISCHER OMOLY RPOND TO A REPORTER’S QUTN ABOUT MAHER BY SAYG THIS WAS A TIME WHEN AMERINS SHOULD “WATCH WHAT THEY SAY.” WHILE HIS RATGS WERE ALREADY A SLOW FA AND ABC WANTED TO GET “YOUNGER” WH A NEW HOST (JIMMY KIMMEL), WAS ADVERTISERS APPLYG THE TRIED-AND-TE TACTIC OF RPORATE CENSORSHIP BY PULLG THEIR BS THAT REALLY DID THE DAMAGE—AND DISNEY-OWNED ABC, UNSURPRISGLY, DID NOT MAKE A POT OF STANDG BY THEIR MAN.I N REMEMBER FDG MAHER’S MENT GUTSY AND THE FALLOUT DISTURBG, BUT RETROSPECT, THAT MOMENT OF SEEMGLY HARSH CRICISM OF AMERIN WAR-MAKG WAS ANYTHG BUT REPRENTATIVE OF WHO MAHER WAS OR WHAT HE STOOD FOR. HE’D ACTUALLY SPENT THE LATE 90S SISTG THAT THE VIETNAM WAR HAD ACTUALLY BEEN JT AND NECSARY. BY THE TIME POLILLY INRRECT WENT OFF THE AIR, MAHER HAD EMERGED AS A STRONG SUPPORTER OF THE DISASTRO VASN AND OCCUPATN OF AFGHANISTAN AND OF THE “GLOBAL WAR ON TERROR” MORE GENERALLY—EVEN CLARIFYG THAT HIS ONLY OBJECTN TO LOBBG CISE MISSIL OM THOANDS OF AWAY WAS THAT REFLECTED POLICIANS’ SQUEAMISHNS ABOUT PUTTG BOOTS ON THE GROUND.WHEN HE LAND ON HIS FEET WH A NEW SHOW, REAL TIME ON HBO, HE WAS AMBIVALENT ABOUT THE VASN OF IRAQ, WORRYG THAT MIGHT BE (AS BARACK OBAMA WOULD LATER SAY) A “DUMB WAR”—BUT THIS WAS A TACTIL WORRY ABOUT WHETHER TO FIGHT A PARTICULAR BATTLE A LARGER ARY AND SPIRUAL NFLICT AROUND THE WORLD HE EAGERLY AMED AS A “CLASH OF CIVILIZSATNS.” IT’S EASY TO FD PILATNS OF MAHER SAYG HE’S “ALARMED” THAT TOO MANY BABI THE UK WERE BEG NAMED MOHAMMED, THAT ISLAM IS A “MEDIEVAL CULTURE,” THAT ’S AN NATELY VLENT RELIGN, THAT BRGS “SERT STUFF” TO “OUR WORLD,” AND SO ON. DURG THE YEARS HE WAS BEATG THE WAR DMS FOR A GLOBAL NONTATN WH ISLAM, HE RHETORILLY POSNED HIS ANIM TO MLIMS AS PART OF A BROAR CRIQUE OF RELIGN. HE MA A STRINTLY ANTI-THEISTIC DOCUMENTARY LLED RELIGULO AND EQUENTLY BROUGHT ON NEW ATHEIST INS LIKE RICHARD DAWKS, SAM HARRIS, AND CHRISTOPHER HCHENS AS GUTS ON REAL TIME. RHETORILLY, ALL THIS ANT IRRELIGN WAS TANGLED UP REVERENCE FOR “SCIENCE,” ALTHOUGH PRACTICE MAHER NEVER QUE SEEMED THAT REVERENT TO MEDIL SCIENCE. “.. PEOPLE STARTED WORRYG ABOUT THE SWE FLU, MAHER TOOK A HARR LE, CLARG A 2009 EPISO THAT, 'I WOULD NEVER GET A SWE FLU VACCE OR ANY VACCE. I DON’T TST THE ERNMENT, PECIALLY WH MY HEALTH.'” WHEN THERE WAS AN AVIAN FLU SRE 2005, MAHER TOLD LARRY KG THAT HE WASN’T WORRIED—NOT BEE THE SE UNT WAS RELATIVELY LOW AND HE WAS NFINT THAT THE OUTBREAK ULD BE NTAED, BUT BEE HE WASN’T “TO WTERN MEDICE” AND HE THOUGHT THAT IF YOU HAVE A HEALTHY BODY WH A STRONG IMMUNE SYSTEM, YOU’LL BE FE. OH, AND YOU SHOULDN’T TAKE THE FLU SHOT BEE “’S GOT MERCURY” AND ANYWAY VACC ARE UALLY A BAD IA BEE THEY “PROMISE YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM.”THIS WASN’T THE ONLY TIME BILL WOULD SEEM TO BE AT LEAST AMBIVALENT ABOUT WHETHER HE EVEN QUE ACCEPTED THE GERM THEORY OF DISEASE.IN THE CHAT WH KG, HE NCED THAT “THE SALK VACCE” AGAST POL WAS “A SOMEWHAT DIFFERENT SE.” FOUR YEARS LATER WHEN PEOPLE STARTED WORRYG ABOUT THE SWE FLU, MAHER TOOK A HARR LE, CLARG A 2009 REAL TIME EPISO THAT, “I WOULD NEVER GET A SWE FLU VACCE OR ANY VACCE. I DON’T TST THE ERNMENT, PECIALLY WH MY HEALTH.”IF ANYTHG, THE MENTS MAHER MA ABOUT COVID HIS CHAT WH SHAPIRO WERE MORE MORATE. THE BIG THEM, THOUGH, WERE SIAR. (IT SHOULD BE NOTED ALL FAIRNS THAT MAHER IS VACCATED—ALTHOUGH HE’S ELSEWHERE EXPRSED AMBIVALENCE ABOUT GETTG THE SHOT AND HE TOLD SHAPIRO HE WOULD HAVE RATHER SKIPPED .) THE ONLY THG NEW ABOUT MAHER’S MOST RECENT VACCE MENTS WAS THAT HE WAS SAYG ALL TO HIS NEW IEND BEN SHAPIRO AND NOT TO ONE OF HIS TYPIL PANELS OF THE RECENT PAST—WHICH MIGHT HAVE FEATURED BEN AFFLECK, SOME DEMOCRATIC CONGRSMAN, ANN COULTER, AND CORNEL WT.THAT MAHER ULD BE A LIBERAL IN THE 2000S AND EARLY 2010S IS LS EXPLAED BY HIS OWN VIEWS THAN IS BY THE PLETELY-ALTERED STATE OF AMERI’S POLIL BATTLE L.IN THE 2000S, WHEN REPUBLINS WORE EVANGELIL CHRISTIANY ON THEIR SLEEV AND FOCED THEIR ENERGY ON OPPOSG ABORTN AND GAY MARRIAGE, PROGRSIV SPENT MORE TIME WORRYG ABOUT CREEPG THEOCRACY THAN ABOUT STCTURAL RACISM OR ENOMIC EQUALY.THE STRAIGHT-TALKG CREATOR OF RELIGULO AND HOST OF A SHOW WHERE CHRISTOPHER HCHENS DIDN’T HAVE TO HI HIS STCH A FFEE CUP PROVID SOME THARSIS FOR ANX SECULARISTS. IT WASN’T UNTIL A HAD PASSED AND MAHER WAS LLG MILO YIANNOPOULOS A “YOUNG, GAY, ALIVE CHRISTOPHER HCHENS” THAT SOME OF STARTED TO WONR WHAT MAHER ACTUALLY GOT OUT OF THOSE S-DOWNS WH THE HCH.AS SOMEONE WHO RECENTLY WROTE A BOOK ABOUT THE MAN, LET ME JT SAY THAT EVEN AT HIS LATE--LIFE IRAQ-WAR-SUPPORTG WORST, HCHENS DIDN’T SERVE TO BE PARED TO A VAPID GRIFTER LIKE MILO. AND SAYS EVERYTHG ABOUT MAHER THAT HE ULDN’T TELL THE DIFFERENCE.CERTALY MAHER, WHO EXPRSED AMAZEMENT AND DISGT TO SHAPIRO ABOUT THE FACT THAT SOME OF THE “WOKE” KIDS WHO ANNOY HIM SO MUCH TODAY “HATE PALISM,” WOULD HAVE BEEN SURPRISED IF HE’D EVER ASKED HIS BUDDY HCHENS ABOUT THAT. A LIFELONG SOCIALIST, HCHENS ONLY GAVE UP ON THE STGGLE FOR A FUNDAMENTALLY MORE EGALARIAN ENOMIC SYSTEM BEE HE THOUGHT THE HISTORIL MOMENT HAD PASSED. AS HE EXPLAED A 2002 TERVIEW, HIS POSN WAS THAT “THERE IS NO TERNATNAL SOCIALIST MOVEMENT, THAT ’S NOT GOG TO REVIVE,” AND THAT LIGHT OF THAT FELT RIDICULO TO KEEP LLG HIMSELF A SOCIALIST, BUT THAT DIDN’T MEAN HE THOUGHT THAT THE SOCIALIST CRIQUE OF PALISM’S FLAWS WAS WRONG. WE DON’T KNOW WHAT HCHENS WOULD HAVE MA OF THE MOST REVIVAL OF THE SOCIALIST LEFT THE YEARS SCE HE DIED. FOR MAHER, THOUGH, ’S JT ONE MORE EM HIS LIST OF GRIEVANC WH “WOKENS.”FIRST, A WORD ON THE HIGHLY MALLEABLE WORD, “WOKE.”ITS ORIGAL MEANG BLACK RADIL CIRCL WAS SOMETHG LIKE “RACIALLY AWARE,” BUT FOR THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS MOST PEOPLE OF ALL RAC AND BACKGROUNDS WHO E THE WORD HAVE ED TO REFER TO A CERTA REGNIZABLE KD OF IRRATG CULTURE-WAR SIGNALG THAT TENDS TO HAVE MORE TO DO WH LANGUAGE POLICG AND DIVIDUAL VIRTUE THAN WH MORE DIRECTLY POLIL QUTNS LIKE WHAT THE LAWS SHOULD BE OR HOW MATERIAL ROURC SHOULD BE DISTRIBUTED. CERTALY, THAT’S HOW SOMEONE LIKE THE BLACK SOCIALIST SCHOLAR ADOLPH REED IS G THE TERM WHEN HE WR, DRIPPG WH NTEMPT, ABOUT WHAT HE LLS “THE GREAT AWOKENG.”THE PROBLEM IS THAT WHEN IDW TYP LL EVERYTHG THEY HATE “WOKE,” THEY’RE STG A FAR WIR . LEGAL PROTECTNS FOR THE RIGHTS OF TRANS PEOPLE, FOR EXAMPLE, ARE SOMETIM REFERRED TO AS “WOKE.” SHAPIRO HAS EVEN ATTRIBUTED ANTIPATHY TO DEMOCRATIC SEN. JOE MANCH FOR STANDG THE WAY OF PROPOSED SOCIAL SPENDG TO “THE ALN OF THE WOKE.”WHILE THE GROUP HAS MORE RECENTLY ACTURED DUE TO DISAGREEMENTS ABOUT THE 2020 ELECTN AND THE POLICS OF COVID, WH THE “INTELLECTUAL DARK WEB” LABEL LS AND LS E, “IDW” REMAS A EFUL SHORTHAND FOR A REGNIZABLE SET OF IOLOGIL PREOCCUPATNS. “IN 2004, IF MAHER WAS FOR GAY RIGHTS AND ATHEISM AND LEGALIZED WEED AND HE TOLD A LOT OF ROUGH JOK ABOUT THE STUPIDY OF GEE W. BH, THAT WAS ENOUGH FOR PROGRSIV TO SEE HIM AS ONE OF THEM. ” IN THE BT BOOK THAT’S BEEN WRTEN ABOUT THE GROUP, MY LATE IEND MICHAEL BROOKS’ AGAST THE WEB, MICHAEL MAK A PELLG SE THAT FAR OM JT REACTG TO THE EXCS OF PERFORMATIVE “WOKENS” OR EXPRSG LEGIMATE NCERNS ABOUT ELEMENTS OF THE LEFT LOSG SIGHT OF THE IMPORTANCE OF EE SPEECH, CHARTER MEMBERS OF THE IDW LIKE BEN SHAPIRO, JORDAN PETERSON, AND SAM HARRIS ARE AT THEIR RE FENRS OF TRADNAL HIERARCHI. THEY PARLAY THEIR DIENCE’S UNRSTANDABLE DISTASTE FOR “WOKENS” AND CENSORNS TO SUPPORT FOR A FUNDAMENTALLY REACTNARY IOLOGY—ONE THAT AM EXISTG SOCIAL EQUALI NOT AS A RULT OF NTGENT HISTORIL VELOPMENTS THAT ULD BE UNDONE AT A LATER STAGE OF HISTORY, BUT AS PART OF AN UNCHANGG NATURAL ORR.THK FOR EXAMPLE OF PETERSON’S HAB OF BABBLG ABOUT JUNGIAN ARCHETYP, HIS ECCENTRIC UNRSTANDG OF EVOLUTNARY BLOGY, AND THE ETERNAL FEME DRAGON OF CHAOS…AND PORTRAYG ALL OF THIS AS HAVG SOMETHG OR OTHER TO DO WH HIS VAR BEEFS WH FEMISTS, MARXISTS, “POSTMORN NEO-MARXISTS,” AND BLUE-HAIRED LLEGE KIDS WHO WANT HIM TO E PRONOUNS. OR SAM HARRIS’S BIZARRE CLAIM THAT UTILARIAN MORALY, OM WHICH HE RIV HIS SUPPORT FOR AMERIN AND ISRAELI FOREIGN POLICY, N SOMEHOW BE RIVED OM “SCIENCE.”BILL MAHER’S RECENT NFLATN OF ANTI-PALISM WH “WOKENS” CERTALY FS BROOKS’ SCRIPTN OF WHAT THE IDW IS ALL ABOUT. SO DO AN ANALOGY I REMEMBER HIM G YEARS AGO ON REAL TIME. THE ENOMY NEEDS TO BE REGULATED, MAHER SAID, THE SAME WAY A RIVER MIGHT NEED A WALL TO PREVENT FLOODG. BUT TRYG TO CHANGE THE BASIC STCTURE OF OUR ENOMIC SYSTEM WOULD BE LIKE TRYG TO MAKE THE RIVER N BACKWARDS.THE IDW BRAND WAS ALWAYS ABOUT BEG ANTI-LEFT (WHILE DISGENUOLY CLGG TO THE LABEL OF “LIBERAL”) AND BASILLY HOSTILE TO SOCIAL CHANGE, WHOUT EVER QUE BEG INTIFIED WH THE TMPIST SI OF THE CULTURE WAR. EVEN BEN SHAPIRO, BY FAR THE MOST OLD-SCHOOL IOLOGIL NSERVATIVE THE GROUP, WAS IALLY SOMETHG OF A NEVER TMPER—AND THERE WAS NEVER THE SLIGHTT DOUBT THAT SAM HARRIS WOULD VOTE FOR JOE BIN. THE IOLOGIL POT WAS BROAR THAN RED VS. BLUE PARTISAN POLICS. AND THAT SENSE BILL MAHER FS PERFECTLY—AND HE ALWAYS HAS.I HAVE NO PARTICULAR TERT NCELG MAHER AS AN DIVIDUAL. I THK HE’S A PRETTY DIM BULB, BUT IF HE PIVOTS TO THE LEFT AGA AS HE BRIEFLY DID DURG THE 2016 ELECTN, I’LL WELE HIM WH OPEN ARMS. WHAT I AM TERTED IS UNRSTANDG WHAT MAHER’S TRAJECTORY TELLS ABOUT AMERIN POLIL CULTURE. AND I TAKE HEART OM THE FACT THAT PEOPLE WHO WANT EDGY HUMOR MIXED TO THEIR POLIL MENTARY 2022 N GO TO PLAC LIKE THE WILDLY POPULAR SOCIALIST PODST CHAPO TRAP HOE…WHILE MAHER CREASGLY LOOKS LIKE A RELIC.IN 2004, IF MAHER WAS FOR GAY RIGHTS AND ATHEISM AND LEGALIZED WEED AND HE TOLD A LOT OF ROUGH JOK ABOUT THE STUPIDY OF GEE W. BH, THAT WAS ENOUGH FOR PROGRSIV TO SEE HIM AS ONE OF THEM. IF HE TALKED A LOT OF NONSENSE ABOUT VACC AND “WTERN MEDICE,” WELL, PLENTY OF AGG HIPPI THE DEMOCRATIC BASE TALKED THE SAME WAY. (THIS WAS AN ERA WHEN THE LIK OF BARACK OBAMA AND HILLARY CLTON PANRED TO SUCH SENTIMENTS TO W PRIMARY VOT.) WAS HE AN ISLAMOPHOBIC WARMONGER? WHO WASN’T? DEMOCRATS NOMATED JOHN KERRY FOR PRINT—A MAN WHO NOT ONLY VOTED FOR THE IRAQ WAR BUT ATTACKED GEE W. BH ON THE MPAIGN TRAIL FOR NOT MTG ENOUGH TROOPS TO REALLY GET THE JOB DONE.MAHER IS NOT WRONG WHEN HE SAYS THAT HIS VIEWS HAVEN’T REALLY CHANGED. HE WAS AN IDW KD OF GUY LONG BEFORE THAT SILLY LABEL WAS VENTED. AND THE FACT THAT ’S NO LONGER POSSIBLE TO IMAGE HIM AS A PROGRSIVE IN IS ONE SMALL DITN THAT, AT LEAST SOME WAYS, AMERIN POLIL DISURSE HAS ACTUALLY CHANGED FOR THE BETTER. BEN BURGIS
• HEY LIBERALS, IT'S OK TO CRICIZE MLIM COUNTRI' TREATMENT OF GAYS

‘ABOUT TIME': GAY ATHLET UNLEASH RABOW WAVE ON OLYMPICS

Is Ben Maher Gay? No, Ben Maher is not gay.

BILL MAHER DIDN’T CHANGE. HE’S ALWAYS BEEN A CRGE CENTRIST.INTELLECTUALLY INCORRECTTHE “REAL TIME” HOST’S PIVOT TOWARD THE INTELLECTUAL DARK WEB AND VAXX-SKEPTICISM SHOULDN’T BE A SURPRISE. THIS IS WHO HE IS. BEN BURGISUPDATED MAR. 22, 2022 8:08PM EDT / PUBLISHED MAR. 21, 2022 9:02PM EDT OPNPHOTO ILLTRATN BY THOMAS LEVSON/THE DAILY BEAST/GETTY/HBOBILL MAHER’S RECENT NVERSATN WH BEN SHAPIRO STCK SOME OF HIS CURRENT AND FORMER FANS AS STRANGE AND OUT OF CHARACTER.SOMEWHERE ALONG THE LE, MAHER SEEMS TO HAVE MORE OR LS EXPLICLY JOED THE GROUP OF CENTER-RIGHT “ANTI-WOKE” PUNDS RMALLY KNOWN AS THE IDW (INTELLECTUAL DARK WEB). AT FIRST GLANCE, THAT LOOKS LIKE A BIZARRE TRANSFORMATN. THIS GUY WAS AN IN OF THE LIBERAL SI OF THE CULTURE WAR THE BH AND OBAMA ERAS. WHAT HAPPENED TO HIM?“I HAVEN’T CHANGED,” MAHER TOLD SHAPIRO. “AT ALL.” HE GIV THE EXAMPL OF “THREE-YEAR OLDS BEG ALLOWED TO CHANGE THEIR GENR” AND LLS TO “FUND THE POLICE” AND SAYS “THAT’S NOT ME CHANGG—THAT’S THGS CHANGG. I’M REACTG TO .”MAHER ISN’T ENTIRELY WRONG WHEN HE SAYS HE HASN’T CHANGED. IN MANY WAYS HE’S ALWAYS BEEN THIS BAD. AND THAT SHOULD TELL SOMETHG ABOUT THE TRAJECTORY OF AMERIN LIBERALISM. I N REMEMBER WATCHG MAHER’S SHOW POLILLY INRRECT—WHICH FIRST AIRED ON COMEDY CENTRAL BEFORE MOVG TO ABC—WHEN I WAS LLEGE. IT WAS ENTERTAG ENOUGH, AND SOMETIM HE GAVE A PLATFORM TO UNUALLY TERTG GUTS LIKE MY LATE IEND DAVID MCREYNOLDS, THE ANTIWAR ACTIVIST WHO TWICE RAN FOR PRINT AS THE SOCIALIST PARTY’S NDIDATE.BACK THOSE PRE-NETFLIX DAYS, WHEN VIEWG OPTNS WERE PRETTY WELL-RTRICTED TO LIVE WORK TV AND WHICHEVER VHS TAP HAPPENED TO BE ON THE SHELF MY DORM ROOM, THAT BATN WAS MORE THAN ENOUGH FOR ME TO TUNE EVERY ONCE A WHILE. IT ALSO MEANT THAT I WATCHED ENOUGH TO KNOW THAT THE NAME OF THE SHOW WAS FALSE ADVERTISG.POLILLY INRRECT MA SOUND LIKE BILL WOULD NSTANTLY BE SAYG PROVOTIVE THGS THAT WOULD SNDALIZE THE EASILY OFFEND, BUT THE CLOST HE REALLY GOT WERE MEDIUM-RISQUé MENTS ABOUT WOMEN OR WEED, NO FURTHER OM THE AMERIN MASTREAM THAN A TYPIL EPISO OF FAY GUY. IN FACT, WHEN HE DID FALLY SAY SOMETHG THAT GENUELY OFFEND LARGE NUMBERS OF PEOPLE, HE LOST HIS SHOW.IT HAPPENED DURG THE Y OF NATNALISTIC HYSTERIA THAT ME IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE SEPTEMBER 11TH TERRORIST ATTACKS. PRINT GEE W. BH HAD SCRIBED THE ATTACKS AS “WARDLY.” IN A RARE MOMENT OF MORAL LUCIDY, BILL NOTED THAT, WHILE THE ATTACKS WERE CERTALY EVIL, STAYG AN AIRPLANE AS YOU DIRECT TO HURTLE TO A BUILDG WAS FAR OM WARDLY—UNLIKE, SAY, “LOBBG CISE MISSIL OM 2,000 AWAY.” (MAHER ACTUALLY MA THIS POT AGREEMENT WH HIS GUT, NSERVATIVE FIREBRAND DH D’SOUZA.)BH’S PRS SECRETARY ARI FLEISCHER OMOLY RPOND TO A REPORTER’S QUTN ABOUT MAHER BY SAYG THIS WAS A TIME WHEN AMERINS SHOULD “WATCH WHAT THEY SAY.” WHILE HIS RATGS WERE ALREADY A SLOW FA AND ABC WANTED TO GET “YOUNGER” WH A NEW HOST (JIMMY KIMMEL), WAS ADVERTISERS APPLYG THE TRIED-AND-TE TACTIC OF RPORATE CENSORSHIP BY PULLG THEIR BS THAT REALLY DID THE DAMAGE—AND DISNEY-OWNED ABC, UNSURPRISGLY, DID NOT MAKE A POT OF STANDG BY THEIR MAN.I N REMEMBER FDG MAHER’S MENT GUTSY AND THE FALLOUT DISTURBG, BUT RETROSPECT, THAT MOMENT OF SEEMGLY HARSH CRICISM OF AMERIN WAR-MAKG WAS ANYTHG BUT REPRENTATIVE OF WHO MAHER WAS OR WHAT HE STOOD FOR. HE’D ACTUALLY SPENT THE LATE 90S SISTG THAT THE VIETNAM WAR HAD ACTUALLY BEEN JT AND NECSARY. BY THE TIME POLILLY INRRECT WENT OFF THE AIR, MAHER HAD EMERGED AS A STRONG SUPPORTER OF THE DISASTRO VASN AND OCCUPATN OF AFGHANISTAN AND OF THE “GLOBAL WAR ON TERROR” MORE GENERALLY—EVEN CLARIFYG THAT HIS ONLY OBJECTN TO LOBBG CISE MISSIL OM THOANDS OF AWAY WAS THAT REFLECTED POLICIANS’ SQUEAMISHNS ABOUT PUTTG BOOTS ON THE GROUND.WHEN HE LAND ON HIS FEET WH A NEW SHOW, REAL TIME ON HBO, HE WAS AMBIVALENT ABOUT THE VASN OF IRAQ, WORRYG THAT MIGHT BE (AS BARACK OBAMA WOULD LATER SAY) A “DUMB WAR”—BUT THIS WAS A TACTIL WORRY ABOUT WHETHER TO FIGHT A PARTICULAR BATTLE A LARGER ARY AND SPIRUAL NFLICT AROUND THE WORLD HE EAGERLY AMED AS A “CLASH OF CIVILIZSATNS.” IT’S EASY TO FD PILATNS OF MAHER SAYG HE’S “ALARMED” THAT TOO MANY BABI THE UK WERE BEG NAMED MOHAMMED, THAT ISLAM IS A “MEDIEVAL CULTURE,” THAT ’S AN NATELY VLENT RELIGN, THAT BRGS “SERT STUFF” TO “OUR WORLD,” AND SO ON. DURG THE YEARS HE WAS BEATG THE WAR DMS FOR A GLOBAL NONTATN WH ISLAM, HE RHETORILLY POSNED HIS ANIM TO MLIMS AS PART OF A BROAR CRIQUE OF RELIGN. HE MA A STRINTLY ANTI-THEISTIC DOCUMENTARY LLED RELIGULO AND EQUENTLY BROUGHT ON NEW ATHEIST INS LIKE RICHARD DAWKS, SAM HARRIS, AND CHRISTOPHER HCHENS AS GUTS ON REAL TIME. RHETORILLY, ALL THIS ANT IRRELIGN WAS TANGLED UP REVERENCE FOR “SCIENCE,” ALTHOUGH PRACTICE MAHER NEVER QUE SEEMED THAT REVERENT TO MEDIL SCIENCE. “.. PEOPLE STARTED WORRYG ABOUT THE SWE FLU, MAHER TOOK A HARR LE, CLARG A 2009 EPISO THAT, 'I WOULD NEVER GET A SWE FLU VACCE OR ANY VACCE. I DON’T TST THE ERNMENT, PECIALLY WH MY HEALTH.'” WHEN THERE WAS AN AVIAN FLU SRE 2005, MAHER TOLD LARRY KG THAT HE WASN’T WORRIED—NOT BEE THE SE UNT WAS RELATIVELY LOW AND HE WAS NFINT THAT THE OUTBREAK ULD BE NTAED, BUT BEE HE WASN’T “TO WTERN MEDICE” AND HE THOUGHT THAT IF YOU HAVE A HEALTHY BODY WH A STRONG IMMUNE SYSTEM, YOU’LL BE FE. OH, AND YOU SHOULDN’T TAKE THE FLU SHOT BEE “’S GOT MERCURY” AND ANYWAY VACC ARE UALLY A BAD IA BEE THEY “PROMISE YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM.”THIS WASN’T THE ONLY TIME BILL WOULD SEEM TO BE AT LEAST AMBIVALENT ABOUT WHETHER HE EVEN QUE ACCEPTED THE GERM THEORY OF DISEASE.IN THE CHAT WH KG, HE NCED THAT “THE SALK VACCE” AGAST POL WAS “A SOMEWHAT DIFFERENT SE.” FOUR YEARS LATER WHEN PEOPLE STARTED WORRYG ABOUT THE SWE FLU, MAHER TOOK A HARR LE, CLARG A 2009 REAL TIME EPISO THAT, “I WOULD NEVER GET A SWE FLU VACCE OR ANY VACCE. I DON’T TST THE ERNMENT, PECIALLY WH MY HEALTH.”IF ANYTHG, THE MENTS MAHER MA ABOUT COVID HIS CHAT WH SHAPIRO WERE MORE MORATE. THE BIG THEM, THOUGH, WERE SIAR. (IT SHOULD BE NOTED ALL FAIRNS THAT MAHER IS VACCATED—ALTHOUGH HE’S ELSEWHERE EXPRSED AMBIVALENCE ABOUT GETTG THE SHOT AND HE TOLD SHAPIRO HE WOULD HAVE RATHER SKIPPED .) THE ONLY THG NEW ABOUT MAHER’S MOST RECENT VACCE MENTS WAS THAT HE WAS SAYG ALL TO HIS NEW IEND BEN SHAPIRO AND NOT TO ONE OF HIS TYPIL PANELS OF THE RECENT PAST—WHICH MIGHT HAVE FEATURED BEN AFFLECK, SOME DEMOCRATIC CONGRSMAN, ANN COULTER, AND CORNEL WT.THAT MAHER ULD BE A LIBERAL IN THE 2000S AND EARLY 2010S IS LS EXPLAED BY HIS OWN VIEWS THAN IS BY THE PLETELY-ALTERED STATE OF AMERI’S POLIL BATTLE L.IN THE 2000S, WHEN REPUBLINS WORE EVANGELIL CHRISTIANY ON THEIR SLEEV AND FOCED THEIR ENERGY ON OPPOSG ABORTN AND GAY MARRIAGE, PROGRSIV SPENT MORE TIME WORRYG ABOUT CREEPG THEOCRACY THAN ABOUT STCTURAL RACISM OR ENOMIC EQUALY.THE STRAIGHT-TALKG CREATOR OF RELIGULO AND HOST OF A SHOW WHERE CHRISTOPHER HCHENS DIDN’T HAVE TO HI HIS STCH A FFEE CUP PROVID SOME THARSIS FOR ANX SECULARISTS. IT WASN’T UNTIL A HAD PASSED AND MAHER WAS LLG MILO YIANNOPOULOS A “YOUNG, GAY, ALIVE CHRISTOPHER HCHENS” THAT SOME OF STARTED TO WONR WHAT MAHER ACTUALLY GOT OUT OF THOSE S-DOWNS WH THE HCH.AS SOMEONE WHO RECENTLY WROTE A BOOK ABOUT THE MAN, LET ME JT SAY THAT EVEN AT HIS LATE--LIFE IRAQ-WAR-SUPPORTG WORST, HCHENS DIDN’T SERVE TO BE PARED TO A VAPID GRIFTER LIKE MILO. AND SAYS EVERYTHG ABOUT MAHER THAT HE ULDN’T TELL THE DIFFERENCE.CERTALY MAHER, WHO EXPRSED AMAZEMENT AND DISGT TO SHAPIRO ABOUT THE FACT THAT SOME OF THE “WOKE” KIDS WHO ANNOY HIM SO MUCH TODAY “HATE PALISM,” WOULD HAVE BEEN SURPRISED IF HE’D EVER ASKED HIS BUDDY HCHENS ABOUT THAT. A LIFELONG SOCIALIST, HCHENS ONLY GAVE UP ON THE STGGLE FOR A FUNDAMENTALLY MORE EGALARIAN ENOMIC SYSTEM BEE HE THOUGHT THE HISTORIL MOMENT HAD PASSED. AS HE EXPLAED A 2002 TERVIEW, HIS POSN WAS THAT “THERE IS NO TERNATNAL SOCIALIST MOVEMENT, THAT ’S NOT GOG TO REVIVE,” AND THAT LIGHT OF THAT FELT RIDICULO TO KEEP LLG HIMSELF A SOCIALIST, BUT THAT DIDN’T MEAN HE THOUGHT THAT THE SOCIALIST CRIQUE OF PALISM’S FLAWS WAS WRONG. WE DON’T KNOW WHAT HCHENS WOULD HAVE MA OF THE MOST REVIVAL OF THE SOCIALIST LEFT THE YEARS SCE HE DIED. FOR MAHER, THOUGH, ’S JT ONE MORE EM HIS LIST OF GRIEVANC WH “WOKENS.”FIRST, A WORD ON THE HIGHLY MALLEABLE WORD, “WOKE.”ITS ORIGAL MEANG BLACK RADIL CIRCL WAS SOMETHG LIKE “RACIALLY AWARE,” BUT FOR THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS MOST PEOPLE OF ALL RAC AND BACKGROUNDS WHO E THE WORD HAVE ED TO REFER TO A CERTA REGNIZABLE KD OF IRRATG CULTURE-WAR SIGNALG THAT TENDS TO HAVE MORE TO DO WH LANGUAGE POLICG AND DIVIDUAL VIRTUE THAN WH MORE DIRECTLY POLIL QUTNS LIKE WHAT THE LAWS SHOULD BE OR HOW MATERIAL ROURC SHOULD BE DISTRIBUTED. CERTALY, THAT’S HOW SOMEONE LIKE THE BLACK SOCIALIST SCHOLAR ADOLPH REED IS G THE TERM WHEN HE WR, DRIPPG WH NTEMPT, ABOUT WHAT HE LLS “THE GREAT AWOKENG.”THE PROBLEM IS THAT WHEN IDW TYP LL EVERYTHG THEY HATE “WOKE,” THEY’RE STG A FAR WIR . LEGAL PROTECTNS FOR THE RIGHTS OF TRANS PEOPLE, FOR EXAMPLE, ARE SOMETIM REFERRED TO AS “WOKE.” SHAPIRO HAS EVEN ATTRIBUTED ANTIPATHY TO DEMOCRATIC SEN. JOE MANCH FOR STANDG THE WAY OF PROPOSED SOCIAL SPENDG TO “THE ALN OF THE WOKE.”WHILE THE GROUP HAS MORE RECENTLY ACTURED DUE TO DISAGREEMENTS ABOUT THE 2020 ELECTN AND THE POLICS OF COVID, WH THE “INTELLECTUAL DARK WEB” LABEL LS AND LS E, “IDW” REMAS A EFUL SHORTHAND FOR A REGNIZABLE SET OF IOLOGIL PREOCCUPATNS. “IN 2004, IF MAHER WAS FOR GAY RIGHTS AND ATHEISM AND LEGALIZED WEED AND HE TOLD A LOT OF ROUGH JOK ABOUT THE STUPIDY OF GEE W. BH, THAT WAS ENOUGH FOR PROGRSIV TO SEE HIM AS ONE OF THEM. ” IN THE BT BOOK THAT’S BEEN WRTEN ABOUT THE GROUP, MY LATE IEND MICHAEL BROOKS’ AGAST THE WEB, MICHAEL MAK A PELLG SE THAT FAR OM JT REACTG TO THE EXCS OF PERFORMATIVE “WOKENS” OR EXPRSG LEGIMATE NCERNS ABOUT ELEMENTS OF THE LEFT LOSG SIGHT OF THE IMPORTANCE OF EE SPEECH, CHARTER MEMBERS OF THE IDW LIKE BEN SHAPIRO, JORDAN PETERSON, AND SAM HARRIS ARE AT THEIR RE FENRS OF TRADNAL HIERARCHI. THEY PARLAY THEIR DIENCE’S UNRSTANDABLE DISTASTE FOR “WOKENS” AND CENSORNS TO SUPPORT FOR A FUNDAMENTALLY REACTNARY IOLOGY—ONE THAT AM EXISTG SOCIAL EQUALI NOT AS A RULT OF NTGENT HISTORIL VELOPMENTS THAT ULD BE UNDONE AT A LATER STAGE OF HISTORY, BUT AS PART OF AN UNCHANGG NATURAL ORR.THK FOR EXAMPLE OF PETERSON’S HAB OF BABBLG ABOUT JUNGIAN ARCHETYP, HIS ECCENTRIC UNRSTANDG OF EVOLUTNARY BLOGY, AND THE ETERNAL FEME DRAGON OF CHAOS…AND PORTRAYG ALL OF THIS AS HAVG SOMETHG OR OTHER TO DO WH HIS VAR BEEFS WH FEMISTS, MARXISTS, “POSTMORN NEO-MARXISTS,” AND BLUE-HAIRED LLEGE KIDS WHO WANT HIM TO E PRONOUNS. OR SAM HARRIS’S BIZARRE CLAIM THAT UTILARIAN MORALY, OM WHICH HE RIV HIS SUPPORT FOR AMERIN AND ISRAELI FOREIGN POLICY, N SOMEHOW BE RIVED OM “SCIENCE.”BILL MAHER’S RECENT NFLATN OF ANTI-PALISM WH “WOKENS” CERTALY FS BROOKS’ SCRIPTN OF WHAT THE IDW IS ALL ABOUT. SO DO AN ANALOGY I REMEMBER HIM G YEARS AGO ON REAL TIME. THE ENOMY NEEDS TO BE REGULATED, MAHER SAID, THE SAME WAY A RIVER MIGHT NEED A WALL TO PREVENT FLOODG. BUT TRYG TO CHANGE THE BASIC STCTURE OF OUR ENOMIC SYSTEM WOULD BE LIKE TRYG TO MAKE THE RIVER N BACKWARDS.THE IDW BRAND WAS ALWAYS ABOUT BEG ANTI-LEFT (WHILE DISGENUOLY CLGG TO THE LABEL OF “LIBERAL”) AND BASILLY HOSTILE TO SOCIAL CHANGE, WHOUT EVER QUE BEG INTIFIED WH THE TMPIST SI OF THE CULTURE WAR. EVEN BEN SHAPIRO, BY FAR THE MOST OLD-SCHOOL IOLOGIL NSERVATIVE THE GROUP, WAS IALLY SOMETHG OF A NEVER TMPER—AND THERE WAS NEVER THE SLIGHTT DOUBT THAT SAM HARRIS WOULD VOTE FOR JOE BIN. THE IOLOGIL POT WAS BROAR THAN RED VS. BLUE PARTISAN POLICS. AND THAT SENSE BILL MAHER FS PERFECTLY—AND HE ALWAYS HAS.I HAVE NO PARTICULAR TERT NCELG MAHER AS AN DIVIDUAL. I THK HE’S A PRETTY DIM BULB, BUT IF HE PIVOTS TO THE LEFT AGA AS HE BRIEFLY DID DURG THE 2016 ELECTN, I’LL WELE HIM WH OPEN ARMS. WHAT I AM TERTED IS UNRSTANDG WHAT MAHER’S TRAJECTORY TELLS ABOUT AMERIN POLIL CULTURE. AND I TAKE HEART OM THE FACT THAT PEOPLE WHO WANT EDGY HUMOR MIXED TO THEIR POLIL MENTARY 2022 N GO TO PLAC LIKE THE WILDLY POPULAR SOCIALIST PODST CHAPO TRAP HOE…WHILE MAHER CREASGLY LOOKS LIKE A RELIC.IN 2004, IF MAHER WAS FOR GAY RIGHTS AND ATHEISM AND LEGALIZED WEED AND HE TOLD A LOT OF ROUGH JOK ABOUT THE STUPIDY OF GEE W. BH, THAT WAS ENOUGH FOR PROGRSIV TO SEE HIM AS ONE OF THEM. IF HE TALKED A LOT OF NONSENSE ABOUT VACC AND “WTERN MEDICE,” WELL, PLENTY OF AGG HIPPI THE DEMOCRATIC BASE TALKED THE SAME WAY. (THIS WAS AN ERA WHEN THE LIK OF BARACK OBAMA AND HILLARY CLTON PANRED TO SUCH SENTIMENTS TO W PRIMARY VOT.) WAS HE AN ISLAMOPHOBIC WARMONGER? WHO WASN’T? DEMOCRATS NOMATED JOHN KERRY FOR PRINT—A MAN WHO NOT ONLY VOTED FOR THE IRAQ WAR BUT ATTACKED GEE W. BH ON THE MPAIGN TRAIL FOR NOT MTG ENOUGH TROOPS TO REALLY GET THE JOB DONE.MAHER IS NOT WRONG WHEN HE SAYS THAT HIS VIEWS HAVEN’T REALLY CHANGED. HE WAS AN IDW KD OF GUY LONG BEFORE THAT SILLY LABEL WAS VENTED. AND THE FACT THAT ’S NO LONGER POSSIBLE TO IMAGE HIM AS A PROGRSIVE IN IS ONE SMALL DITN THAT, AT LEAST SOME WAYS, AMERIN POLIL DISURSE HAS ACTUALLY CHANGED FOR THE BETTER. BEN BURGIS

We have helped to start hundreds of gay-straight alliance clubs our schools and have been a part of the many stggl, ralli, and fight for full equaly and equy. After watchg the most recent episo of HBO's Real Time Wh Bill Maher, feels like 1993 all over aga, although this time 's different and even more last Friday's Real Time Wh Bill Maher, Maher said the number of youth intifyg as LGBTQ+ is risg bee 's "trendy, " while he spewed other harmful, homophobic and transphobic rhetoric. Whether 's Florida's "don't say gay" law or the dozens of stat that are banng trans athlet and rights, this is unfortunately the real trend we should be talkg about and anizg around to LGBTQ+ youth are perfect jt the way they are -- they need no fixg.

Is Bill Maher Gay? What to KnowBack 2013, when Olympic diver Tom Daley announced that he was datg a man, the number of gay Olympians who felt able and willg to speak openly about their private liv uld be unted on a few hands.

HEY LIBERALS, IT'S OK TO CRICIZE MLIM COUNTRI' TREATMENT OF GAYS

At the Tokyo Gam, the picture is gay webse has been tallyg the number of publicly out gay, lbian, bisexual, transgenr, queer and nonbary athlet Tokyo. Back then, the number of gay Olympians who felt able and willg to speak openly about their private liv uld be unted on a few hands. There’d been jt two dozen openly gay Olympians among the more than 10, 000 who peted at the 2012 London Gam, a reflectn of how unreprentative and anachronistic top-tier sports were jt a ago and, to a large extent, still are.

A wave of rabow-lored pri, openns and acceptance is sweepg through Olympic pools, skateparks, halls and fields, wh a rerd number of openly gay petors Tokyo.