Bill Maher Accused Of Making Fried Chicken Joke To Black Republican Congressman

Maher will be given a pass.
Via Fox News:
Comedian Bill Maher was accused of racism after making a fried chicken joke to a Black Republican during an interview on Friday’s HBO show of “Real Time with Bill Maher.”
Texas Republican Rep. Will Hurd came on the show to discuss the border wall which he opposes, while the host went on to ask the congressman why he remains a member of the GOP and sides with “traitor” President Trump.
“I’m a Republican because I believe in limited government,” Hurd responded, prompting Maher to interject and accuse Republicans of not actually supporting smaller government.
“I’m just asking why you’re Republican? Because they’re not good at the debt, that was their big thing. You said limited government, they don’t do that.” Maher said. “What’s in it for you? What is in the Republican Party for you? You were in the CIA!”
Hurd responded: “I was in the CIA for almost a decade. I was the dude in the back alleys at four o’clock in the morning collecting intelligence on threats to the homeland.”
That’s when Maher made the joke, causing awkwardness on the set. “That’s where you’d collect it, huh? Wow. By the Popeyes Chicken?”
Keep reading…
He should just retire...period..
His desperate attempts at humor, let alone political humor are obvious. I stopped watching him at all over 10 years ago.
Actually, Maher has never been better. He has grown more agitated over the fact that the atrocity known as the Trump presidency still exists. Most sane credible people have the same concerns.
True, but he is also a democrat, which excuses everything for some people....
Only four posts total to go off topic and bring Trump into it.
Good job John!
Trump is by far he biggest topic on Maher's show every week. Evidently you never watch it.
So?
Was this seed about Trump?
C’mon John, don’t be a hypocrite.
Yeah, it’s pretty amazing what people can convince themselves of if they try hard enough.
You don't understand what Maher is doing. That is not his problem.
On this forum we have people who defend statues of Confederate civil war figures as "history" that should not be disturbed.
Do such people know that almost all of these statues were erected long after the Civil War as a part of the "Lost Cause" mythology which was created decades after the war to justify the South?
Most of those statues could not be more racist in intent.
My point is that people often misunderstand what they are seeing.
Bill Maher dislikes the Republican party. He certainly dislikes Trump. And he probably doesn't approve of black Republicans. That doesn't make him racist.
Disapproving of a Republican because he's black and a Republican would absolutely make him racist.
Maybe....but most of them were erected by Democratic lawmakers.
Gee JR you sure are a smart feller. You also forgot to mention that these racist statue were almost all erected by.....Democrats.
Agree.
I find Bill Maher neither humorous nor intelligent. However, I'm still trying to understand why fried chicken is such a "racist" trigger for some people. One of my grandmothers made the best fried chicken I've ever tasted, and she was white.
Bill Maher lampoons stereotypes, and that is what he was doing with this passing comment. It is less than nothing.
He wasn't pegging Hurd with the "fried chicken" stereotype he was making fun of it. The same thing when he used the n word a few years ago. Bill Maher is not a racist. This is a desperate right wing attempt to muddy up someone who gets the best of them 52 Friday nights a year.
"Satire" -- the use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people's stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues.
"Mockery" -- teasing and contemptuous language or behavior directed at a particular person or thing:
"Irony" -- the expression of one's meaning by using language that normally signifies the opposite, typically for humorous or emphatic effect
"Ignorance" -- lack of knowledge or information
"Feigned Ignorance" -- the pretense of being affected by (a feeling, state, or injury) … usually as a ruse to conceal one's inability to viably debunk something with which they do not wish to acknowledge
I think that covers it.
If this is supposed to be a funny joke, what's the point of it? Was Hurd supposed to laugh at this? "Ha Ha that's right. I'm black. Fried chicken. Ya got me." Why is that funny? How is that clever?
I dont think I would characterize it as "funny" either. It was just a passing reference to the way blacks are stereotyped.
It certainly doesn't mean that Maher is racist.
Who - other than Maher himself - is stereotyping them? Was the topic of conversation "absurd stereotypes about black people?" It doesn't seem like it. It seems like - apropos of nothing - Maher decided to make a stereotypical joke about black people to a black man's face. I'm missing how that adds to the entertainment value of the show.
What would? If Dennis Miller made this joke to Cory Booker's face, wouldn't liberal media be exploding over the racism?
Are you on the verge of holding your breath until I agree with you?
Maher makes fun of just about everyone. Including blacks. He attacks stereotypes.
I see no attack on a stereotype. Where in this joke is Bill being critical of a stereotype?
I'd say he's employing a stereotype. For his own amusement and - he hopes - the amusement of his audience (which doesn't say much for them either)
He's making fun of a man and his important professional history and he's doing it by attacking him based on his race.
Is this guy still relevant?
Honestly I can't stand the pompous ass.
Every time I see a pic of him I just want to smack that ugly smirk off of his face.
I looked up his ratings, he averages a .3 in the demo. One day I looked had him at 1.7 mil. I think he averages around 1.5.
I hope more comedians say racist shit lol. Watching those on the right pretend like they don't agree is funny.
Ah. In the age of Birtherism and the word m---------er being inserted into the common vernacular I find it hilarious that the 'right wingers' are offended and demand anything form anybody for any reason.
Holy Crackers!
I don't think that "offended" is the right term. Amused might be closer, as when Leftists finally get the word that constantly screaming racism with little or no real cause is a double edged sword. If they hand it out, they'd better be ready to get it back.
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Of course that doesn't count the Right Wing ideas that are producing jobs and keeping the country safe.
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Speaking only for myself, I just take heart when right-wing media outlets and apologists for a self-acknowledged "pussy-grabber," caller of neo-nazis … "fine people," champion of xenophobes, employer, friend and vote-getter from white-supremacist-bigots, a racist housing discriminator, serial liar, incarcerator of children, apparent lap dog of foreign dictator-violators of human rights … defenders of their boy, "Jess Willard" … and … not to mention … their failing to mention and condemn (in the same manner as herein) the nazi bastard who ran over and murdered an innocent woman in Charlottesville, Virginia …
… I just take heart when they put on their right-wing, righteous-indignation-metaphorical-equal-rights hats, and have their come-to-Jesus moments with regard to racism, sexism and pure stupid shit behavior … doing so when a dumb-fuck liberal Democrat comedian, asshole Governor, and/or a Democrat Senator (ass/breast-grabber and kiss-stealer) get their just punishments and public/political condemnations!
I so hope that these are, at worst "blind squirrel" moments and not purely, political piss-in-our-faces and telling us "it's raining" Trumpisms!
Please, someone tell me these expressions of right-wing humanism are not merely "fake news."
NOTE: Think of this as a stand-alone article should it somehow fade from view.
Just sayin'
For goodness sakes. The man used to have a show called "Politically Incorrect". This is what he does. And you are against being PC, so what is the issue? It's not like Maher hasn't been this way all along. You first posted a story about Mary Poppin's blackface to show how liberals are overly PC, then you go after a liberal who is not PC and call him a racist. You really need to make up your mind.
Agree.
Yet he won't. Hypocrisy is oh so much easier. As are failed attempts at humor. Or at least the excuse at the attempt at humor.
As a matter of respect, especially towards those with whom I disagree, I make it a point never to evade the answering of direct questions.
And more importantly, from time-to-time, I make it a point to state that, no matter how vehemently I may disagree with someone, it is never intended to be "personal".
‘You’re a better man than I am, Gunga Din!’
To each his own, my friend.
When a liberal Democrat is found to have done something deemed politically incorrect , (in recent times, often the "finding" of political opposition research -- hacked, foreign and/or domestic … true or fabricated ), that individual is immediately repudiated as a hypocrite by his opposition outers, and, by other liberal Democrats , who publicly censure and shame their own.
Conversely, when a right-wing, Republican conservative is found to have done something racist, sexist, xenophobic, and, thus considered politically incorrect, as Steve Bannon has advised , the perpetrator is awarded by the Republican base, a “badge of honor”!
Mar 10, 2018, 2:47 PM ET
Steve Bannon: 'Let them call you racist ... Wear it as a badge of honor'
Few phenomena in politics and life are any more Republican base-like , than the act of metaphorically pissing in the faces of the people and the media, and telling them “it’s raining”!
NOTE: Before the possibility of this comment being flagged as a "sweeping generalization," I urge readers to go back through this discussion and read each comment … to see "who-is-who" and "what-is-what," allowing such a search to determine whether or not I have made such a "generalization."
Oh BS Mac.
Its fallacious as hell alluding that someone like Bannon represents a Republican base.
That's just as crazy as saying someone like Louis Farrakhan is representative of a Democrat base. Clearly neither are.
That said, it IS a well known tactic of liberal groups like the "resist" movement to make disingenuous/fallacious arguments or accusations towards those who are not of like mind. That's part and parcel for follks like that. Especially these last two years.
I disagree. Do you feel like folks like Rahm Emanuel, Maddow, or the Daily Kos are the voice of the Democrat base?
And neither is Bannon ..... well perhaps in Bannons mind he is but thats about it.
In short, anything that resists the Trump Presidency.
No regard for any damage done to anyone or anything else that happens to be in the path of their hatred for Trump.
Yeah, that's it in a nutshell.
Just 11 more pages to go …
NOTE: I never bring "nutshells" to a serious debate … and I never bluff. Disagree by all means, but be ready to fill more than a nutshell with your disagreements.
I gave you a valid "nutshell." That you don't like or agree with it is not my problem. And please Mac, if you're going to resort to veiled threats/insults we might as well stop this discussion right now. Not interested if thats your purpose here.
But yes, i still disagree in concept with your original comment as i noted in my first response. The bandwidth you wasted after that changes nothing related to Bannon and is just one more off topic extension of the Trump hate i spoke of. Sad!
So back on topic and to summarize:
Bannon is no more the Republican base than people like Rahm or Maddow are for Dems. All are on the extremes of their particular parties
Also if i might, please try to get your quoting technique under control. Everything you are posting isn't a quote. Or is that another sort of internet insult i'm not aware of?
You have not posted a rebuttal nor backed any of your dismissive statements with specific examples; further, you allege as “threats” that which you fail to recognize as characterizations of debate style that should be the standard, and, enter into ad hominem attacks on posting style.
I responded specifically to your every assertion and essentially challenged you to post particulars which I stated I would individually agree or disagree with ... promising to defend my disagreements with reasons.
”Nutshells” of information are something less than what a point-counter-point discussion adds positively to a “discussion” forum.
Ad hominem commentary and the use of flagging to attack positions to which the flagger disagrees, are making many NT discussions dysfunctional.
My original comments stands on its own:
Few if any in the Republican base are going to Bannon for direction. He may have been relevant at one time but he's clearly irrelevant to the current base platform. Therefore, does not represent the Republican base. No amount of debate, attempted redirect or red herring injection is going to change that. So that's it in another nutshell. The nutshells are starting to pile up. Perhaps you can get a nutshell cleanup in aisle five .....
What's is funny though, you accuse others here of Ad Hominem attacks while your style here is largely Ad Hominem. That said i'm done with one but to be clear and as pointed out above. My comment still stands on its own.
Enjoy your day Mac ....
Thx, have a good one