I wouldn't say I "love" Real Time With Bill Maher, a weekly, politically-incorrect show from the comedian, that has garnered an audience and critical applause over its 14 year-run on HBO.
I always admired and respected Maher, but I do find that, as he was always a figure that would be ahead of the curve, always in the know as to what was going on and where the truth lied in many cases, his demeanor ever since the Trump presidency has been suspect and he's become a shell of himself.
I can tell you this, folks, if he continues to ratchet up Russia conspiracies it will end with me swinging my guitar on the TV screen. I mean, enough already, and, also, what was the deal with his support for Hilary Clinton? He was criticizing her every week, was a proud Bernie supporter, who was screwed by the DNC by the way, and then his brain switched to Hilary isn't an ideal candidate but she's the right candidate to vote for when compared to Trump, Jesus. Was she really, though? I was with Bernie from the start, I also think now he's just lost his marbles and shouldn't run, all hail Elizabeth Warren!
Nevertheless, when Maher is "on" he truly is "on." Such as last week when he had philosopher Jordan Peterson on his show, Peterson has been vilified by the left as an alt-right thinker, but he really isn't, like any philosopher, he doesn't adhere to any cubicles, he doesn't choose the options the powers that be want you to choose, and so, it was refreshing to see Maher and Peterson hit it off.
This week Maher expressed skepticism over the #MeToo movement. He interviewed none other than Ronan Farrow, recent Pulitzer Prize winner for his investigative reporting on Harvey Weinstein, and basically the kickstart of #MeToo. Maher asked Farrow whether people like Aziz Ansari, Al Franken, and Garrison Keillor deserved the guillotine as much a Harvey, the obvious answer is NO, and whether we have gone too far with this movement shifting towards mob mentality:
“These were the big fish. These were the really bad people,” Maher said of Bill Cosby and others. “Do you think there’s an excess in the movement that is causing backlash that’s hurting it? I’m thinking of people like Al Franken, Aziz Ansari, Garrison Keillor.”
Farrow's response: “our culture has actually been pretty good, on the whole, about self-regulating.” He then turned to the example of Ansari: “I don’t think anyone saw that and said, ‘Oh, he’s Harvey Weinstein. This is a multiple rapist.”
“No, but he lost a lot,” Maher replied. “He’s not around anymore…I don’t think his show is on anymore.” (Maher is incorrect in this case, as “Master of None” has not been canceled.) “I think he suffered a lot from it.”
Of course, I'm siding with Maher on this. Our culture has destroyed Ansari. Farrow, as the spokesperson for MeToo, isn't going to say anything positive about Ansari. Why would he? Hypocrisy is the name of the game with Farrow, who isn't innocent either in the witch-hunting game. I'm sure you know, his dad is Woody Allen and Farrow has sent daddy to the wolves countless times, siding with Mommy Mia despite there being enough evidence to have doubt about the whole affair.
Javier Bardem's defense of the director last week comes after celebrities such as Cate Blanchett, Diane Keaton, and Alec Baldwin refused to adhere to mob-fandom and condemn Allen, a director they've all worked with in past films. I assume they have read enough about the case to raise their own conspicuous doubts. If you are the kind of person that is open-minded and would rather inform his or herself rather than be lazy and just trust the fake news, then, please, do yourself a favor, and read Robert Weide's excellent dissections of Allen vs Farrow which were posted on 12.13.17, 5.30.16, and, most recently, 1.14.18.