Thought of the Day 02.19.10

Bill Maher recently told Larry King that “[Americans] aren’t really bright enough to understand the issues,” so politicians should just pick a side and stick with it to avoid confusing them.

Now, it’s pretty obvious that no one who hears this is likely to think, “Gosh. You’re right. I am pretty stupid, and I’m so glad you made me realize it.” Instead, those who agree with Maher will share a sneer with him and everyone else will oppose him even more. Since this is obvious, it begs the question of why Maher would choose such a counterproductive rhetorical strategy. It’s possible he doesn’t realize how people react to such tactics, but that seems unlikely.

A better possibility is that he’s far more interested in showing off his wit and taking his shots than actually persuading people. Ego, not viewpoint, is the real agenda. But another possibility is that he likes being hated. Far from really caring about the issues, he simply plays Bill Maher, a “heel” in the cultural wrestling match whose primary purpose is entertainment and income.
Posted by at

5 comments:

Naum said...

Andrew, he's a comedian. He's not conducting "rhetorical strategy" — his whole worldview is centered on gaining applause and laughter.

He might be a detestable fellow, but he is a funny guy, at times.

And I share the sentiment, though I wouldn't term most Americans not "bright enough". Instead, they're mostly misinformed (ironically, as are all whose primary news source is cable news, like the show you are citing) and/or uninformed, as with busy lives, it's hard to keep abreast of issues that are a lot more complex than the bumper sticker slogans rival parties try to boil them down to.

February 18, 2010 at 7:32 PM
Andrew Tallman said...

Actually, your point and mine are exactly the same. What I was trying to get people to think about was both his self-centeredness (obvious) and the fact that he's not interested in the issues he pretends to be interested in.

We have a whole media industry built around selling media by pretending to care about issues. The real purpose is just to get people interested enough to watch or listen until the commercials can be sold. Whether wisdom or solutions result is entirely irrelevant. Bill Maher is only a very loud version of this disorder, certainly not the only perpetrator of it.

Like you, I'd say he's a comedian masquerading as an activist, not an activist using comedy to accomplish a social purpose. Or at least, if he is the latter, then he's far more of a fool than he at first appears. I don't doubt his intelligence, so I go with the Omorossa-"heel"-persona-as-income-and-ego-stream explanation.

Of course we also both have serious concerns about American knowledge and critical thinking skills. Hence, I do a talk show. =)

February 19, 2010 at 12:55 PM
Naum said...

Wrote this before I listened to the show (heard it via recording, as I have setup my computer to record your broadcasts (*THERE IS NO ESCAPE*))… …odd to hear you echoing my thoughts… …if I had heard first, don't know if I would have posted, as I typically only respond when I disagree (or to present a take that you may not have previously noted or considered).

February 19, 2010 at 2:32 PM
Andrew Tallman said...

My sympathies on the old(?)-school tech required. =(

You know, it's actually okay to sometimes post when you agree with me. =)

February 19, 2010 at 2:51 PM
Naum said...

Actually, thanks to this wonderful program, it's automatic, even dumps them into iTunes where they endup on my iPhone as well.

What fun is it if I just post "dittos"? That's rather boring ;)

February 22, 2010 at 12:48 PM

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)