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Bill Maher is the new Lars Ulrich! He "hearts" SOPA because "Religulous" was pirated. (Original Post) Amerigo Vespucci Jan 2012 OP
He just doesn't get it. MADem Jan 2012 #1
Time and time and time again, it's become abundantly clear... Amerigo Vespucci Jan 2012 #2
Exactly. He's a massive, overwhelming egotist. TheWraith Jan 2012 #4
He said he hasn't read the bill ihavenobias Jan 2012 #7
He's a has been misoginist who emilyg Jan 2012 #8
+1000 ge626dfil Jan 2012 #11
Bill Maher suffers from the same syndrome that affects Chris Matthews. Dawson Leery Jan 2012 #3
"I call it caucasian looting" pokerfan Jan 2012 #5
Someone actually wanted to watch Religulous that much? I doubt it. MjolnirTime Jan 2012 #6
even as an atheist Armin-A Jan 2012 #9
Bill Maher is the least funny man on television. His show should be canceled. limpyhobbler Jan 2012 #10
Something needs to be done about piracy, but it can't be done JDPriestly Jan 2012 #12
Bill Maher is great!!!!! BigD_95 Jan 2012 #13
he also said he was against the bill BigD_95 Jan 2012 #14
Overinfluenced by his producers. kenfrequed Jan 2012 #15

Amerigo Vespucci

(30,885 posts)
2. Time and time and time again, it's become abundantly clear...
Sat Jan 21, 2012, 06:46 PM
Jan 2012

...Bill Maher gives a damn about one thing, and one thing only...Bill Maher. The Fox News crowd isn't tuning in to "Real Time." For him to have made pro-SOPA remarks just shows how tone deaf the guy is.

TheWraith

(24,331 posts)
4. Exactly. He's a massive, overwhelming egotist.
Sat Jan 21, 2012, 06:48 PM
Jan 2012

Who thinks he's the world's greatest authority on everything.

ihavenobias

(13,532 posts)
7. He said he hasn't read the bill
Sat Jan 21, 2012, 07:44 PM
Jan 2012

Part of me thinks that makes it better, but obviously it's absurd to come out strong when you don't even know what it's about.

Dawson Leery

(19,348 posts)
3. Bill Maher suffers from the same syndrome that affects Chris Matthews.
Sat Jan 21, 2012, 06:47 PM
Jan 2012

As soon as they hear something, they are inclined to go along with it. They do not bother to perform research.

pokerfan

(27,677 posts)
5. "I call it caucasian looting"
Sat Jan 21, 2012, 07:14 PM
Jan 2012
The right loves to hold up the frequently over-the-line things that Bill Maher says as examples of “lefty hate,” but just because he spends most of his time attacking Republicans doesn’t mean he’s one of us. Politically, he’s a left-leaning libertarian (“libertarian” is a word for conservatives who reserve the right to smoke pot and screw), but philosophically, he’s a privileged contrarian dick. His SOPA rant is perfect evidence of this, as he begins by stipulating that he knows nothing about the proposed legislation, then gives his uninformed opinion, anyway.

That opinion appears to be that online piracy costs him money, so even if the proposed law might chill free speech (again, without bothering to read it), let’s not be too hasty. “Moral dimension” notwithstanding, most of the people who watched Religulous for free online probably weren’t the same people who would have otherwise paid twenty bucks for the DVD, so Maher should calm down about the real dollars he lost. Online piracy is wrong, but as today’s Up with Chris Hayes panel pointed out, it’s not nearly worth the risk this proposed solution presents.

Of a piece with that sense of entitlement (to a completely uninformed opinion, to even more money than he’s already got, possibly at the expense of free speech) is Maher’s remark about “Caucasian looting,” which not only posits IRL looting as the exclusive province of black people, but conversely evinces a belief that black people generally lack the capability or opportunity to engage in online piracy. From Maher’s perch, he’s not insulting black people, he’s simply slamming white people using an observation that, let’s face it, “we” all know is true, wink, wink. It’s the flip-side of the so-called “race realism” that Newt Gingrich is driving ‘em wild with down in South Carolina.

http://www.mediaite.com/tv/bill-maher-on-internet-piracy-i-call-it-caucasian-looting/

limpyhobbler

(8,244 posts)
10. Bill Maher is the least funny man on television. His show should be canceled.
Sun Jan 22, 2012, 01:52 AM
Jan 2012

He is seriously blaming his audience, for costing him money? He should be grateful that anybody would even want to download that piece of crap. I didn't see it. How does he still have a show? I've successfully avoided watching his crap show for nearly 20 years. I've seen it like 3 times and vowed to never view it again. He should be enormously grateful that he has been able to make a living at all considering his complete lack of talent. What's Ridiculous is the amount of money he's already been able to make from this tired shtick.

JDPriestly

(57,936 posts)
12. Something needs to be done about piracy, but it can't be done
Sun Jan 22, 2012, 04:15 AM
Jan 2012

in a way that harms sites like DU or YouTube. Requiring DU or YouTube to review every item posted on the website would make the free exchange so expensive as to just end it altogether. And it is that free exchange that perfectly legal and within the fair use doctrine free exchange that sells products like Maher's movie and lots of music to honest people.

Artists need to take another approach. In the US that approach would be to have an ad campaign against the theft of intellectual property.

In China --- I don't think you can do much about the stealing they do. It seems to be their way of life at the moment.

 

BigD_95

(911 posts)
13. Bill Maher is great!!!!!
Mon Jan 23, 2012, 02:33 PM
Jan 2012

even if he got this one issue wrong!!!!


What the hell is wrong with the DU?????

You people like to eat your own!

makes me sick to come on here and read people tearing down our own people with their Holly then thou bullshit!

Its a election year & people on the DU are still bashing Obama. No wonder Republicans usually win the Prez have control of the house.

 

BigD_95

(911 posts)
14. he also said he was against the bill
Mon Jan 23, 2012, 02:40 PM
Jan 2012

but there is a problem with people that have pirated stuff.

That is a true statement. He never said he was for the bill. Just that there should be a conversation.

kenfrequed

(7,865 posts)
15. Overinfluenced by his producers.
Tue Jan 24, 2012, 01:05 AM
Jan 2012

Really, Maher is a smart guy and I think he can be funny. I just don't think he bothered to inform himself enough about what this bill would have done. He admits he hasn't read the bill. I just wish he gave the benefit of the doubt to those of us that DID read the bill.

On a side note I think that he makes his money scolding the stupidity of the American people and the small patches of hope here and there might cleave to the very core of his cynical heart.

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