I used to say that to be polite but it started leading towards the "well then you're ignorant" response. Most people want validation, not discussion. So now I say "I'm not getting into that" and they usually leave it alone
For over 10 years, from 1989 to 1999, I met with friends every weekend. We played card games, watched TV shows, went to the movies. In all those years, I could have counted the number of times we argued politics on one hand, and still had fingers left over. And it's not like we were 15 year-old kids. We were in our 20s! *What happened to those times!* I want them back.
"..... What happened to those times! I want them back.". Ain't gonna happen thanks to Unfettered Capitalism and the now Unfettered Politicians that they 'bought'. [ps America is done as a country and 'humans' are done as a species].
Having to work overtime or two jobs is what did it. Social media is all the time anyone has left for so all you see on there is anger and false comparisons. Nobody has time to hang out and when they do, they often find themselves saying, “hey, did you see such and such on tik tok or facebook.”
The more we fight each other over every little thing, the less we notice the things those in power are getting away with and the less energy we have to fight them when we do notice.
You're actually right about that. it can kind of spread us out too thinly so that there's not really enough people actively fighting against the stuff we really need to fight against, because everybody else is too busy in their own drama
Bill was perfectly fine with fighting over every little thing until it started to backfire in his whiney face. Enjoy those Jew hating "progressives" you helped create, Billy.
When I was a kid I was told there are three things you never discuss in polite company; Money, religion, and politics. That adage worked so well for many years. And it's funny how as soon as society started running it's mouth about everything all the time on social media, things began to unravel.
This needs to be said more, and youngsters need to wake up to the fact that corporations dont have convictions other than more money good, less money bad
The world is not black and white.Its yellow and purple...🙄😁uh..No,its actually just many shades of grey,i mean.But any nuance about anything seems to have gone out the window,with the arrival of social media.It was supposed to be the way to connect people.But not just to argue and fight,and create division and stoke conflict.
Youngsters? It's everyone regardless of age. Bill even pointed that out with the whole Bud Light thing which was mostly certain older gen people having an issue instead of just enjoying their beer and going about their life.
Oh he'll no. Corps are incapable of moral thoughts. They exist to make money only. Read woke Inc. Has great thoughts on this point and some viable solutions to make it possible.
Actually hes not spot on, because what Bill is taking about is companies giving there option without pointing out that it is solely for profit. Its not that they are "woke" its all for money.
@@yvettemontalvo7991 I disagree. If it was truly all about money, real capitalism, why would Disney continue to crank out woke movies while they are losing billions of dollars? At some point, someone in their organization prioritized "messaging" over profits. Bud Light did the same thing, prioritizing a small minority of the population while completely offending the large majority of their customers and they are also losing billions of dollars for that. If companies actually did just focus on profits instead of becoming the moral police, they would be far better off.
They are getting on this now because the baby boomers will start dying in large numbers soon and they want to start getting young people now before they start being loyal to other companies. Don't forget Boeing, Amazon, Starbucks, and other companies doing the same thing. Sure they may take a short term loss now, but in the future they will be able to claim they were the first to care about true diversity, and they will profit for years from that.@@davidmoran7827
Do any of us want Bill to be our moral guide?? Also, he works for HBO....these things just pass you by don't they? Does he even pump his own gas or have an ounce of a clue what life is like outside of his LA mansion?
Maybe we shouldn't be obsessed, but we should definitely care. That's the lowest bar that democracy asks a voter to do. Unfortunately, ours is pretty fucked at the moment.
Lol Good. If we’d have actively held our politicians to account all these years maybe we wouldn’t be living this complete hell world shithole scenario in the first place 🤔😅
We must be paying attention. Those who do not learn study and hear/see history are destined to repeat it. We do not want a dictator or king in the USA. We do not want a German descendant or cousin of Hitler rhetoric overthrowing US Constitution. We all stand to benefit by paying attention. If it takes obsessing to get the masses to vote and learn history in time to pay attention, then obsess, please🇺🇸🇩🇪not
"Everyone is obcessed with politics now." Not really. Not many read anything to actually learn. Half of Trump supporters still thinks he won, or that he is religious.
Thank god for Bill Maher. A man that speaks out about what is wrong with society today. I'm from the UK, and the woke Brigade in this country has got larger and larger. Even in Universities where at one time they used to encourage free speech, has turned into a cancel culture.
Bill is saying something that Emperor Marcus Aurelius wrote in the Meditations: *“You always own the option of having no opinion. There is never any need to get worked up or to trouble your soul about things you can't control. These things are not asking to be judged by you. Leave them alone.”*
That is precisely the reason these pro-Palestine/Israel/Haman/IDF rallies in this country completely baffle me. Do these people really think that if they chant loud enough, Israel and Palestine will hear it thousands of miles away and magically do what they demand of them? Do they really think that getting into even a slight shoving match with people with an opposing viewpoint will accomplish a goddamned thing? Hell, I can ask that of ANYONE who takes to the streets and rallies about ANY CAUSE. Or some right-wing blowhard who sets up a table on a campus and wants nothing more than to make people cry? So you posted a UA-cam short about it. BIG FUCKING DEAL! You have accomplished absolutely nothing.
One problem is that we've got an entire generation, the first in history, that, thanks to the Internet, have grown up able to surround themselves exclusively with people who are just like them, and see the world the exact same way. It is ridiculously easy to filter out any differing viewpoints, with the click of a "block" button. Now, that would be nice if you could live your entire life without interacting with people unlike you. But that will never happen. As long as you live in a society where you need things from others, and others need things from you, you will inevitably come across someone not like you. Living most of your life online has robbed you of the ability to co-exist in what is, frankly, the most diverse world in all of human history.
@@MiketheCabbie I know. I encounter conservatives all over the internet. It's staggering how many there are and how happy they are to see the world go backwards.
I beg to differ with your "voice of reason" statement. ALL of his "shots" were fired at only one side . Conservatives. What shots did he take at the left?
My freaking point was that bringing up Chick fil a was Maher's swipe at the left. I'd make a snide comment about how "the right" argues, but I 'm not sure it'd be fair to other right wingers to refer to you as an example of them.
The problem is that these companies want to latch onto trending causes as a marketing ploy. Then, when the cause is controversial, it becomes all the things wrong with society.
There is one aspect about this political consumerism that absolutely drives me nuts is that it's all surface level. There are serious human rights issues involved attached with pretty much every good sold and it barely is talked about. People will stop buying Bud Light or not eat at Chick-fil-A, but won't buy a USA made product. No judgment because I consume goods made by awful practices also. It's just blows my mind the silly things people will complain about.
@TheEvolver311 I'm talking the people who won't buy Bud Light or Gillette and the group that won't eat at Chick-fil-A or go to Hobby Lobby. So you really go out of your way to only buy America or European clothing, that way you don't participate in the modern slave market?
Thankfully we never fought at the dinner table over politics and that includes holidays. Years ago when the majority of my aunts/uncles and cousins were still alive, we always had good conversations during holiday meals about what everyone was up to and told stories about past holiday celebrations with family members who were no longer with us. Holiday meals were always a relaxing time together.
I'm with you there. One part of family is middle of road Republican and the other middle Democrat. We just don't even talk about anything close to political and it's nice. Lol
The people that talk about social justice are the worst. They buy endless crap from Amazon, and they get Uber Eats because they are too lazy to pick up their fast food,
But did you have some ol confused boy cousin sitting at the table with a wig on acting sullen and wanting to be called " they/them" ? And how many of them at the table were mixed race? Looking all grey colored. Its difficult to have a traditional Thanksgiving when half the people attending it look like the guests on a Jerry Springer episode!!
@@modickens1272 LOL No, thank goodness we didn't have anything like that at Thanksgiving. Now Christmas Eve was a different story. By the time we arrived at my aunt's house, everyone there had been boozing it up for several hours and tempers would start to flare between my Uncle and his son, and the Christmas night fights would begin. And instead of taking it outside they always punched it out in the living room in front of everyone. We used to laugh every Christmas Eve before driving over there. I'm not a conservative but I will never understand this gender business. I was filling out a questionnaire last year and there were close to a dozen listings under gender. I got so confused trying to figure out what was what that I finally typed in straight female at the bottom of the page.
Spot on. People are so ridiculously full of themselves they actually don’t realize that saying something is complicated, implies a person is thinking instead of spontaneously picking a side or worse making a ten second judgment.
or worse using the current catchy phrase signifying nothing except arent i great i can agree with everyone when i say this and offend noone. 'you got this'😢
That reminds me of when people wanted to boycott big oil by not buying any gas on a specific date (like May 14, 2006). I can't remember the exact date, but it was a one-day thing (month, day, year). It was the dumbest boycott ever.
LOL I still remember the good old days before social media. I watched the news on TV and then went about my day. Sometimes my mother and I would briefly discuss something that was on the news but that was about it.
I agree, a mix of the internet, social media, smartphones and 24/7 media has ruined this country. I went to a doctor the other day and she had on a pin saying my pronouns are She/Her and it's just like how the f@@@ did we end up here.
Lol holy shit right…I still wish nobody knew nothing about nothing and everybody thought Reagan was the best president in the history of the world and we all liked bill Cosby and there were no problems in the world worth discussing with our peers 🤯🥴😂
We all read the newspaper daily in the 50s and 60s. Still do. Some good articles I remember when making my vote count for mayor. Sheriff and school board and judges
Can’t agree more. The funny thing is that truthfully, the matters for which everybody has a strong opinion is often time to complex issue that goes very deep, and most of us are ill informed.
There is nothing wrong of having an opinion, even on subjects that we know very little. But forcing others to agree with you, or else you throw a tantrum, is just wrong. But the most egregious is not letting people to keep their opinions private to themselves, not everyone needs to take a stand on everything all the time, and that‘s why we fight all time.
Bill basically reads my comments, deletes them, and then creates his monologue based on what I say. I've said for years that there needs to be a clear separation between work and politics. No politics in the workplace. No politics tied to any product or service. I'd have it written into the Constitution. The clear separation between company and politics. It will become as taboo as religion.
To paraphrase the once-awesome Dennis Miller, everyone now feels that their opinion should have an impact, even if it's like the impact of bird shit hitting a windshield.
I remembered way back when I wasn't at risk of being labeled a bigoted murderer if I didn't display my preferred pronouns on my LinkedIn profile. Those were the days.
I have been saying this for the last 5 years. My current employer is so cringe. Every single day our employee home page just smacks you in the face with the newest virtue signaling trend they must let you know they are standing behind. 😂
If the American government wasn't so full of corporate-funded lobbyists, I would agree with Bill regarding companies taking political positions. But the American government is full of corporate-funded lobbyists and gerrymandered "safe" districts, so those lobbyists have more control over politicians than voters. Therefore if you want to effect change, making a company take a political position is more effective than voting out your representatives because government is more responsive to corporate money than voters.
Probably the biggest problem with telling people you don’t have an opinion on something (as I occasionally do) is one of two things: people either presume you’re indifferent, or they criticize you for not being up to date on an issue so they insult you with something along the lines of, “what is wrong with you? How can you not be up to date on this?”
And those reactions are exactly the point and what deters people from doing what you say here. We have to be able to tolerate the reactions of others and not be deterred or intimidated by them. My response is, "Thank you for sharing that." and move on.
I suppose the pressure to have an opinion on something when I’m a person who hates confrontation has made me spend more time trying to learn history. I feel like I can’t say anything I can’t back up, so I research it. Then, knowing more makes me MORE unable to comment because I usually just see that both sides of a debate have legitimate reasons to be supported. I really am rubbish at taking any stance. I sit on a well informed fence.
Perfect stance that! That's the best approach. Everything that is agreed on is never black or white, but the grey. The grey area is where the compromise comes in. Advantage YOU for being informed. Well done!
10/10 would be a customer. half thr brands i no longer shop from is not bc I disagree with whatever political stance they have, but bc I f hate being lectured at by a hypicritical ass or a corporate management.
There is a Company that created a game called Hell Divers that took that stance. The LGBT community decided to attack them on why "There is no LGBT representation in the game" so they banned all of them. The Right wingers rejoiced and the banned them too. It was hilarious.
Like political leaders who take a stand against a cult and/or its leader then flip on that stance out of fear of that increasingly violent cult? Spinelessness is not exclusively on the left or the right: woke or asleep.
Money talks! They are all obsessed with money and would rather sell their mother to the lowest bidder then to take a stand and have their bank account go down a little!
Thanks to living in Japan, I have learned from the locals that if I don't know enough about a topic then I should NOT have an opinion about it AND that is OK!!!! I still have opinions about what I'm passionate about and read about.
Well said. Couldn't agree more. This "I stand with" BS has gone too far, sometimes adding more wood to the fire. I don't care who my coffee shop stands with as long as my coffee is fresh.
My family is much more traditional for thanksgiving, our topics will be; “Do you think you’ll ever get married”, “ Maggies screwing her kids up and she wont listen to anybody “, and the annual “when is your grandmother going to die?”
I deactivated my facebook and twitter about 2 weeks ago and am not looking back. Social media is the worst thing to ever happen to humanity. If someone really wants to be a part of my life they will have to put forth some actual effort.
That works so long as your happiness isn't reliant on other people. I mainly use Facebook because it's the best resource for event listings around the city. Nothing really offers a replacement, yet anyway.
@BigBadJerryRogers I use songkick and local news sites for events listings now. I also prioritize quality over quantity in all things. Was never one to have many followers or friends on social media anyway.
Consider if you will that maybe those in power indoctrinating a growing majority of both sides of the political aisle have also planned for the irrelevance of those who step outside the flock: the silent independent minority nobody listens to who has no effect on election results in a 'democracy'. I stepped away for a couple years a couple years ago as well, then remembered that- like any tool- social media has its uses too & not the least of those is staying in contact with certain family & friends, but also practicing a level of moderation. Also remember, however, that UA-cam- especially the comment section, qualifies as social media.
I'm still being called a weirdo for ditching social media almost 7 years now. I left before TikTok was even a thing, now it's one of the most mental disorder apps out there that kids & adults should avoid if they value their mental health.
@@ThatSingingGuy Really? Last I checked it's a video platform first, every thing else is last. Commenting on videos & replies will not put it on the same category as the rest. You're well aware of which social media Im talking about. Why do I need to spell it out?
@@Lilpat60 It's literally social media, and that's literally how we're using it to have this conversation. It still has an algorithm judging what content you want to see. If you mean you left Facebook, Twitter / X, or Instagram, say as much. But you are still participating in social media.
@@ThatSingingGuy I'm still confused as to what your real point is in starting this argument. You can not interact with anyone on this platform unless a video is present. Yes it is a form of social media, but it's secondary, not primary purpose. People just started calling it social media recently & it became a thing because the Sub system is similar to the follow system use on major social media. It's a video sharing website with social media characteristics. The reason I'm on UA-cam is to watch videos (Music, News, Docs, Comedy etc). I'm not here to get into pointless social media beefs like the one you're starting right now. If I wanted that kind of BS, I'll be on Twitter or whatever it's call nowadays or the others. I can choose to comment (socialize) or not & still watch my videos. I don't need to write a freaking essay to explain my point to normal people when they can put two & two together themselves. Whatever that's going on with you, that's your own problem. Deal with it.
I don't have a problem with regular people sharing their opinions, no matter how stupid or ill-informed it is. The problem I have is when corporations who's products has nothing to do with politics start doing it, or celebrities whoses careers has nothing to do with politics start using their platforms to talk about it. The BIGGEST problem is when these people start using their powers to enforce their politics.
Especially when that company is closer to utility companies. You know, Google, Apple, and many other tech companies whose product are essentials for every day's life.
I’m a political centrist and exhausted and fed up with the politification of everything. Even though I believe that the likes of Daily Wire capitalizes on hatred and division, IF their new media company Bentkey actually delivers on their promise to provide apolitical content (not pro/anti left/right), I can see there being a huge demand for such. My kid already has to go through bullying, inflation crisis, covid and having to share the biggest land border with a dictatorship (Russia), etc. The last thing she needs is cartoon characters telling her that she might be a boy because she doesn’t like dresses or that she’s inherently evil due to the circumstances of having been born to two white parents. I want my entertainment, products, services and news without political bias, religiousness or push for segregation based on qualities we have no control over (sex, skin color, looks or sexuality). I miss the 90’s when Denzel Washington and Will Smith were actors and not BLACK actors, Buffy and Xena were terrific TV shows and not shows helmed by WAHMEN, Boys Don’t Cry, Philadelphia and Crying Game were movies about poignant social issues but you were not obligated to have a cultist attachment to them.
@@advancedomega tech companies are not utilities. Apple makes phones, verizon is the carrier, the cellular tower companies are the utility companies (American Tower, Crown Castle, SBA). You can use another phone through another carrier to arrive to the same result. Same for X and Google.
The older I get the more I see the censorship of alternative voices and realities in that, because the self-serving dominate version of reality is allowed to go unchallenged.
My brother started dating and is now married to the most liberal woman I've ever met. I'm more in the center, and my mom is liberal. Anyways, every family dinner she dominates the conversation with the trendy woke speak of the week. Her and my mom bully me at the table over politics, because I don't agree with some of their politics. Fast forward one year, we've gone from dinner every Sunday, to only special occasions, and this year we're not celebrating thanksgiving or Christmas. We're considerding selling the family business, my mom and I don't talk, and I never see my brother. My dad is lonely because his kids were his main source of social contact besides my mom. My brothers wife, brings up a woke topic, takes the most woke stance, then accuses anyone to the right of her stance of bigotry. Our family fell apart, the business is on the brink of being sold, and everyone walks on eggshells. If my brothers wife could just stop with the politics, we'd all be so much better off.
@@TedWheeler-k2d Have a weekly lunch or walk or chess game with just your dad. Have debates wit mom and sisinlaw just not over a meal, maybe tennis or archery Hope you stay in touch. I see my family for a month every 4 yrs. Some I see daily, some weekly, some once. But your parents likely won’t outlive you. We don’t discuss politics at the table, but as the most liberal visiting an ultra conservative area, there are people whom I can discuss politics with and others I can point out all those bridge repairs and roads paved under infrastructure funds. I hope you get more liberal as time goes by, but at least find parental socializing you can live and thrive with. 👨👩👦💕☮️ take the word “woke” out of your vocabulary until you read the definition. Avoid the sisinlaw and make alternative socializations with others
Having an opinion is a good thing. Making differences of opinion something adversarial is not. People who think different than you, doesnt have to be your enemy.
Having a beer or three is a good thing. Having all the beers available is NOT a good thing. Having an opinion or three is a good thing. Having an opinion on every single goddamn topic is NOT a good thing.
It's something fostered in high school debating societies, where it's considered adversarial and trashing the other speakers and whipping up the audience is an easier way to win than calmly presenting rational arguments.
Couldn't agree more about everyone having an expert opinion about all subjects because they read it on social media. The simple rule in our family is that there are two subjects that we NEVER talk about at the dinner table...politics and religion...and remarkably...dinner is a fun get together with family!
@@cioccolateriaveneziana I'm pretty sure all opinion works that way. Is that your opinion or did you delve deep into the mechanics of Real Time and vet their research.
A lot of his content these days is " That's my job, stay in your lane". The man is often very funny, but I wouldn't and don't trust anything he says when forming my own opinions.
@@daviderwin4705 I find no objection on that. but hes right when he says we don't care about every uneducated opinion you have. Its a bit of straw man because you didn't addressed his core argument. You juts said "i don't trust him". Which is fine, but you don't need to trust anyone to determine the logic of an argument. You just have to look at the argument by its merits. I know its harder and requires more knowledge. But is better.
Yep.As he often says.He doesnt pretend to be important.He s not in politics.He is on tv making jokes.So...its just a guy,saying what HE thinks about stuff.Nothing more.
The way a company or corporation treats their employees/interacts with their community -- aka the sole thing that is actually in their ethical wheelhouse -- is what matters. Everything else is just PR or positioning to turn a bigger profit.
People are just following your example Billy. They're reflecting the hostility you put out in the world. It's not your fault solely but we're living in the world your sarcasm creates.
Irony is poetic coincidence to point of looking like universe's commentary on instance. Bill Maher is enjoying a show business career, and that's the level of his show while the literal news channels deadpan futility in current events to prepare us for "Chinese democracy. "Some cool guns n roses instagram utopia we get thinking relieved of in. It's important to get the show.
We need to get better at accepting someone may have another point of view and that can change based on facts you havent learned yet. I'm tired of people taking a stance because its popular and not because they actually agree.
I agree with Bill on 90% of things, and yes, everything is over politicized. That being said, one of the few things consumers actually have power over is where they spend their money. So, I understand why some people don't support companies like Bud Light, Chicfila, and Disney. That's one of the only ways you can hold companies accountable.
that's true but the far right and far left take it to the extreme. The tell us if your opinion doesn't match theirs. It's the wrong opinion and if you don't boycott this company ten you support homophobia, or any other phobia or racist bs. THA is what he's talking about.
@Billsmafia50 I agree. There's no such thing as civil disagreement anymore. That being said, maybe there never was, and nowadays, there are so many platforms to voice your opinion.
Most major companies such as Anheuser Busch which makes Bud Light has been been around for more than a Century, that loss of money was a drop in the bucket. The people today that can drink alcohol legally will be long dead and Anheuser Busch will still be turning a profit.
It's rare for a company to actually realize why it is losing revenue, especially if the reasons are multifold. Money can only say "yes" and "no", it never says why, and if you think companies pay attention to social media other than how to monetize a trend, then I have an NFT of a bridge I can sell to you.
Been saying it for years- turn off the news apps, limit social media to one or two days a week for fifteen minutes. You will be happier and more at peace...
Perfect example! I live in an ultra-conservative small town in Texas. Three stop lights and a cloud of dust, perfect. I am a moderate and my neighbors are quite conservative. Every Saturday night and many holidays we gather together and have dinner or a couple of beers. We call our porches the Mac bar. Since the town is a dry town its our running joke. Only one rule at the Mac bar and anyone who comes over is told the rule. We don't talk religion and politics. We already know we probably don't agree with each other on most of it so why bother. We are there to enjoy ourselves. And it works!
Yeah... I agree it works for sure and good idea... but I also feel a bit sad that people cannot talk about these issues. Don't you think it's strange in society that there are topics that are off limits if you want to be friends??
That honestly used to be the rule about work, don't discuss religion or politics. It worked well. Now with the virtue signaling, companies demand you declare your pronouns, give money thru payroll deduction to BLM, etc. I just want to be left alone.
So… freedom to drink is BANNED, and we’re supposed to…not be upset? lol WHAT? I love how you’re just shrugging off the fact that your freedom is being taken away. Congrats on not being moderate.
People used to say: don't talk about religion or politics. It's easier to be friends if you don't bring up such heated topics. One time in high school, my friend and I started talking about abortion. We disagreed on the topic, so we decided we better just change the subject.
I love the irony of Bill saying not everyone should have an “opinion” while continually spewing forth his bullshit about Israel, while telling anyone smarter, I mean having a different (more informed and thought out) opinion than his to “shut the fuck up”. What a great atheist!
I’m going to play devils advocate with just two words: Citizens United. If we are going to be funding political speech, only fair to know what that speech is.
@@MarkG-nl4oq Please educate me, a non-american youngster, then? I had the idea that Citizens United did spark a marked increase in how much money companies can pay on things understandable as campaigns for political candidates and parties, which did not exist before to the same degree. Am I wrong?
@@nielskorpel8860 So Citizens United is a non profit organization that supports Republican candidates and causes, at the time Michael Moore a very liberal filmmaker made a film critical George Bush, the response to 9/11, and the War in Iraq, accusing Bush of being in league with the Saudi’s and the Saudi’s being responsible for 9/11 and then starting wars in Afghanistan and Iraq to divert people’s attention and enrich his friends and family along with holding a personal grudge. It was timed to coincide directly with Bush’s re-election. Citizens United filed two FEC complaints alleging that because of the timing and because of the corporate entities involved with its release and distribution that it was not a legitimate piece of artistic filmmaking but rather a political advertisement and in-kind campaign contribution to John Kerry. SCOTUS dismissed those complaints and refused to hear them alleging that Moore was a known and bona fide filmmaker and the corporate entities involved were not connected to any campaign or working on behalf of a campaign or political party. Citizens United decided then to release a movie directly critical of Moore’s film and Democratic Nominee John Kerry, but in this case when an FEC complaint was made against Citizens United they said “well your film is different because you’re a political organization not filmmakers” so Citizens United decided ok we will just start making more movies and establish that we are in part commercial filmmakers, which they did between 2004-2008. They then went back to the court and said well since we are now in the communications business we think that these provisions governing “electioneering communications” and funding, disclosure and disclaimer requirements as applied to political advertising are unconstitutional, it’s unacceptable to say that a corporate film studio has rights to advertising that a political communications company doesn’t as you have already ruled in that ads on political issues were not banned from election cycles, and the Supreme Court decided “you got us, political advertising is an independent expenditure and companies have every right to use their money and platform to voice their political opinion and advocacy” and the left has cried about it ever since despite the fact they use corporate communications and PACs more than Republicans along with advertising and campaign materials from labor unions also included in the decision
@@nielskorpel8860money in politics is just a Bernie brother talking point. Funding politicians is not a negative thing. I guarantee that you can not name a single law passed due to citizens united off the top of your head.
Maybe the Activist Consumer Thing Is Because People Don't Think That Their Vote Matters But That Their Money Does ( Capitalism As A Force For Good ? 🤔)
Nah, it’s because what actually matters is the boring, hard work of understanding actual policies and who is actually pushing for meaningful change. “Voting with your wallet” is just another thing that lets us feel like we are doing something but is just as meaningless as complaining about a movie on social media.
Vote with your dollars is legit. Boycotts legit work. Of course, voting should matter as well. No reason we shouldn't have 50 state vote by mail & paid national holiday for election day too. It's both. We'd better be able to walk and chew gum at the same time. Anyone who says it's one or the other may be selling you something. Let's hope we can walk and chew.
I'm SO happy that I work for a company which, despite having a market cap greater than Target, or Ford, or Adidas or Burger King, no one has ever heard of, so we're not all pressured to make political statements, and can focus on just making our product. I can't imagine how many "sensitivity trainings" and other such crap I'd have to put up with if we were in a public eye.
@@eralddavid6892 - no, david, private companies don't have a "market cap" value, because they don't issue stock. So I work for a publicly traded company.
That’s not the point. You should not be FORCED to have an opinion, and companies should not be forced to weigh in on complex political issues just for the clout.
Shut the efff up and stop price gouging me on inelastic goods! That's all I care about!! Not your political statements aimed at increasing your bottom line without accountability 🤑
Thank You! No kidding. I don't want to know their opinion on some social justice issue, and they don't need to know mine. The more they push an agenda, the more I back away and decide I don't want what they sell.
But do you still buy from those businesses? I hate Dylan Mulvaney as much as anyone else. But having him as a spokesperson or whatever isn't gonna stop me from buying from a given business. I still buy groceries and other stuff from Target because I don't give a shit about the pride stuff. It shouldn't bother anyone. If it does, you are a fragile pussy.
I agree the younger generation never learned how to handle conflict. That said, every American generation understands better than the previous generation we are nothing but consumers, and how we choose to consume is the only power and source of identity we have. There's nothing wrong with using that power to promote green energy, marriage equality or, say, legalization of marijuana, or paying attention to what your consumption is funding.
Have you seen conservative boomers? lol have you seen the way Trump and his older supporters behave? Saying this is a problem of younger folks is ridiculous.
To be fair, the younger generation is a produce of their elders…that’s us. We have no one else to blame for problems of the younger generation than the previous generations who taught them how to think, or not think.
"every America ...understands... we are nothing but consumers" Hope you meant that tongue in cheek. ...And believe in whatever may lie in those things that money can buy, though...
This, right after Bill raised hell on Gen Z "for not having opinions'' & "Not giving a damn" → → I like you, Bill, but I remember those jokes! And I am a Gen Xer!
Yep, you're right. I like Bill and he is spot on funny much of the time but half the stuff he says is contradictory to what I have learned about his belief system over the years.
Yes bill makes a living from talking politics and complaining about things in general. Granted he puts in a few jokes to make it more tolerable but he's still part of a group that keeps the discussion on certain issues going far longer than needed
I didn't stop drinking Bud Light in 2023 because they hired a "trans influencer" as spokesperson. I stopped drinking Bud Light in 1991 because it's a piss-poor excuse for a beer.
@@James_Willow Fam, take a step back and realize there are things called statistics and charts and polls. Especially when you poll the world and "caucasians" become the global minority, it's easy to see who has consumed what media.
@@James_Willowhis books have been sold worldwide and translated into multiple languages, so yeah. Also😊 I'm African and I've read his books since highschool👍
See you're sort of proving Bill's point. You don't know if Lovecraft was racist. What you know is how to use a Google search and find quotes from old, white, dead guys. What you know is "J-A-C-K S-H-I-T" and yet, you can't shut the fuck up about it.
He is spot on, but he is ignoring the giant bull in the glass shop: ESG investors. The three biggest investors in the world: Black Rock, State Street, and Vanguard each force companies to fly political flags of the companies can't get bank loans. Companies don't care of the twittards lose their minds, but they do care if Black Rock threatens to pull their billions of dollars of investment or if banks won't loan them money to do their business.
What I hear from this editorial is: “it used to be so easy to lie and create false narratives and manipulate public opinions of people in accordance with the desires of our corporate overlords. But now everybody is involved in the debate, and we are having a hard time doing so.”
@@BigBadJerryRogersI am interested in knowing how many people set their houses on fire or burn themselves or their sheds with their turkey friers this year
Saying “I don’t know enough about that to have an opinion” has gotten me out of a few hot button conversations lol
You're an intelligent man.
That's actually very honest.
I used to say that to be polite but it started leading towards the "well then you're ignorant" response. Most people want validation, not discussion. So now I say "I'm not getting into that" and they usually leave it alone
Nice one I'll be sure to use this 💯💯💯
@@jackedattack8781I like making liberal women cry, telling them everything they believe is a lie. 😂
For over 10 years, from 1989 to 1999, I met with friends every weekend. We played card games, watched TV shows, went to the movies. In all those years, I could have counted the number of times we argued politics on one hand, and still had fingers left over. And it's not like we were 15 year-old kids. We were in our 20s! *What happened to those times!* I want them back.
"..... What happened to those times! I want them back.".
Ain't gonna happen thanks to Unfettered Capitalism and the now Unfettered Politicians that they 'bought'.
[ps America is done as a country and 'humans' are done as a species].
Teachers brainwashing students is whats happening
Totally agree with you on that!
friend rule: no politics or religion allowed
Having to work overtime or two jobs is what did it. Social media is all the time anyone has left for so all you see on there is anger and false comparisons. Nobody has time to hang out and when they do, they often find themselves saying, “hey, did you see such and such on tik tok or facebook.”
Cancel social media. The worst thing that ever happened to society.
The more we fight each other over every little thing, the less we notice the things those in power are getting away with and the less energy we have to fight them when we do notice.
That’s why this is made by design. Divide and conquer. My neighbor is not my enemy but the ones in power distracting us all.
You're actually right about that. it can kind of spread us out too thinly so that there's not really enough people actively fighting against the stuff we really need to fight against, because everybody else is too busy in their own drama
Speak for yourself
That's exactly what they want, the public confused & unfocused
Bill was perfectly fine with fighting over every little thing until it started to backfire in his whiney face. Enjoy those Jew hating "progressives" you helped create, Billy.
I wait for the New Rule every week. Thanks for delivering regularly, Bill.
#NoOpinion
You know, he doesn't read these.
Oh goodness, I'm very sorry. You are in my thoughts ❤
Woke up, Bill’s Show is going going gone!
lmao facts
When I was a kid I was told there are three things you never discuss in polite company; Money, religion, and politics. That adage worked so well for many years.
And it's funny how as soon as society started running it's mouth about everything all the time on social media, things began to unravel.
Carnal living versus walking in Spirit. Praise Jesus Christ.
@@James-me6dw Yeah, sure, ..that's what it's all about. So, you win a cookie at Sunday School next week.
@@user-mz1kt6iz4e so you hate Jesus Christ?
@@James-me6dw Christianity is 99% fake. Christians praise Jesus all the time but they don't follow any of his teachings.
Yeah that was really stupid advice.
If We The People are supposed to be running things.
This needs to be said more, and youngsters need to wake up to the fact that corporations dont have convictions other than more money good, less money bad
The world is not black and white.Its yellow and purple...🙄😁uh..No,its actually just many shades of grey,i mean.But any nuance about anything seems to have gone out the window,with the arrival of social media.It was supposed to be the way to connect people.But not just to argue and fight,and create division and stoke conflict.
Youngsters? It's everyone regardless of age. Bill even pointed that out with the whole Bud Light thing which was mostly certain older gen people having an issue instead of just enjoying their beer and going about their life.
@@ArianaRosalia that's fair. Our dumbass boomer uncle is just as bad if not worse when it comes to having an opinion on everything.
The biggest and most powerful "corporation" in the world, is the United States' Federal government.
Most youngsters are aware that money makes the world go round and corporations defer to the almighty dollar. This isn't news to anyone.
Spot on, Bill. Do any of us really want corporations to be our moral guides in this world? I don't think so.
Oh he'll no. Corps are incapable of moral thoughts. They exist to make money only.
Read woke Inc. Has great thoughts on this point and some viable solutions to make it possible.
Actually hes not spot on, because what Bill is taking about is companies giving there option without pointing out that it is solely for profit. Its not that they are "woke" its all for money.
@@yvettemontalvo7991 I disagree. If it was truly all about money, real capitalism, why would Disney continue to crank out woke movies while they are losing billions of dollars? At some point, someone in their organization prioritized "messaging" over profits. Bud Light did the same thing, prioritizing a small minority of the population while completely offending the large majority of their customers and they are also losing billions of dollars for that. If companies actually did just focus on profits instead of becoming the moral police, they would be far better off.
They are getting on this now because the baby boomers will start dying in large numbers soon and they want to start getting young people now before they start being loyal to other companies. Don't forget Boeing, Amazon, Starbucks, and other companies doing the same thing. Sure they may take a short term loss now, but in the future they will be able to claim they were the first to care about true diversity, and they will profit for years from that.@@davidmoran7827
Do any of us want Bill to be our moral guide?? Also, he works for HBO....these things just pass you by don't they? Does he even pump his own gas or have an ounce of a clue what life is like outside of his LA mansion?
If we understood the difference between debate and opinion that would be a world worth living in, and a platform worth supporting!!
The fiction or what the fictions used to market?
“You always have the option of having no opinion”- Marcus Aurelius
@@Bills_Wife_And_Kids To state "I have no opinion", however, is not an opinion. That's a statement of fact
As rocker Rod 'The Mod' Stewart said in his unreleased song 'Don't Ask Me Nothin' 'Bout Nothin' . . . . ( . . . I Might Just Tell You The Truth, Boys!)' from the early 90's . . .
"Opinions, boys . . .
They be just like *ssh*les!
Everyone's entitled to at least one
. . And this one's mine.
And if you don't like it,
Feel free ~
To stick it where the SUN DON'T
SHINE!!"
© Rod Stewart 1992.
"If 50 million say a foolish thing, it is still a foolish thing." -Bertrand Russell.
"Silence is violence" -
Liberals
@@S-K-log-W The only God I need
He really hit it on the head when he said we used to watch the news and move on. Everyone is obcessed with politics now.
Maybe we shouldn't be obsessed, but we should definitely care. That's the lowest bar that democracy asks a voter to do. Unfortunately, ours is pretty fucked at the moment.
Lol Good. If we’d have actively held our politicians to account all these years maybe we wouldn’t be living this complete hell world shithole scenario in the first place 🤔😅
@@sartori69 Why care that much? It really doesn't matter who the President is anymore because we can't change the system.
We must be paying attention. Those who do not learn study and hear/see history are destined to repeat it. We do not want a dictator or king in the USA. We do not want a German descendant or cousin of Hitler rhetoric overthrowing US Constitution. We all stand to benefit by paying attention. If it takes obsessing to get the masses to vote and learn history in time to pay attention, then obsess, please🇺🇸🇩🇪not
"Everyone is obcessed with politics now."
Not really. Not many read anything to actually learn.
Half of Trump supporters still thinks he won, or that he is religious.
Thank god for Bill Maher. A man that speaks out about what is wrong with society today. I'm from the UK, and the woke Brigade in this country has got larger and larger. Even in Universities where at one time they used to encourage free speech, has turned into a cancel culture.
Slaves were forced to behave in ways lied about as encouraging free speech near you? You not in the same places?
Bill is saying something that Emperor Marcus Aurelius wrote in the Meditations:
*“You always own the option of having no opinion. There is never any need to get worked up or to trouble your soul about things you can't control. These things are not asking to be judged by you. Leave them alone.”*
That is precisely the reason these pro-Palestine/Israel/Haman/IDF rallies in this country completely baffle me. Do these people really think that if they chant loud enough, Israel and Palestine will hear it thousands of miles away and magically do what they demand of them? Do they really think that getting into even a slight shoving match with people with an opposing viewpoint will accomplish a goddamned thing? Hell, I can ask that of ANYONE who takes to the streets and rallies about ANY CAUSE. Or some right-wing blowhard who sets up a table on a campus and wants nothing more than to make people cry? So you posted a UA-cam short about it. BIG FUCKING DEAL! You have accomplished absolutely nothing.
Aurelius would be horrified everyone under 30 is reading his diary and calling it a philosophy.
@@tauIrrydahyou have a sad life sir
Taoism
Stoicism@@jefferyjacobson3290
One problem is that we've got an entire generation, the first in history, that, thanks to the Internet, have grown up able to surround themselves exclusively with people who are just like them, and see the world the exact same way. It is ridiculously easy to filter out any differing viewpoints, with the click of a "block" button.
Now, that would be nice if you could live your entire life without interacting with people unlike you. But that will never happen. As long as you live in a society where you need things from others, and others need things from you, you will inevitably come across someone not like you. Living most of your life online has robbed you of the ability to co-exist in what is, frankly, the most diverse world in all of human history.
The problem is the boomers/conservatives have figured this out too and are just as bad. Toss in the natural shit posters, and contrarians...
You just described a retirement village in Florida, or a church in the Bible Belt. Or Mississippi.
You don't need a block button anymore. The almighty algorithm will do the filtering for you.
@@Jenifer_R_ Now take that mentality, and apply it globally.
@@MiketheCabbie I know. I encounter conservatives all over the internet. It's staggering how many there are and how happy they are to see the world go backwards.
The best Thanksgiving rant ever. What kind of world are we living in where Bill Maher is a lonely voice of reason?
I beg to differ with your "voice of reason" statement. ALL of his "shots" were fired at only one side . Conservatives. What shots did he take at the left?
This town needs an enema! 🎉
@@larrygrassinger2819 People on the left have found reasons to be mad at Chick Fil A
@@m228562 You said absolutely nothing about Bill Maher, but that's a lefties way of arguing (total deflection 100% of the time)
My freaking point was that bringing up Chick fil a was Maher's swipe at the left. I'd make a snide comment about how "the right" argues, but I 'm not sure it'd be fair to other right wingers to refer to you as an example of them.
The problem is that these companies want to latch onto trending causes as a marketing ploy. Then, when the cause is controversial, it becomes all the things wrong with society.
NAILED IT.
tru dat !!!!!
There is one aspect about this political consumerism that absolutely drives me nuts is that it's all surface level. There are serious human rights issues involved attached with pretty much every good sold and it barely is talked about. People will stop buying Bud Light or not eat at Chick-fil-A, but won't buy a USA made product. No judgment because I consume goods made by awful practices also. It's just blows my mind the silly things people will complain about.
People buy American made products what are you even talking about.
@TheEvolver311 I'm talking the people who won't buy Bud Light or Gillette and the group that won't eat at Chick-fil-A or go to Hobby Lobby.
So you really go out of your way to only buy America or European clothing, that way you don't participate in the modern slave market?
@@TheEvolver311yeah yeah American products with "Made in China" stickers
@@TheEvolver311
There it is......
"There are serious human rights issues involved attached with pretty much every good sold" is complete BS
Social media has created far more "experts" than we really need.
Morons, not "experts".
More of this, Bill Maher! We need more people calling out today’s insanity!
Thankfully we never fought at the dinner table over politics and that includes holidays. Years ago when the majority of my aunts/uncles and cousins were still alive, we always had good conversations during holiday meals about what everyone was up to and told stories about past holiday celebrations with family members who were no longer with us. Holiday meals were always a relaxing time together.
We played games like softball and badminton. Outdoors and moving. No tv and spectator sports
I'm with you there. One part of family is middle of road Republican and the other middle Democrat. We just don't even talk about anything close to political and it's nice. Lol
The people that talk about social justice are the worst. They buy endless crap from Amazon, and they get Uber Eats because they are too lazy to pick up their fast food,
But did you have some ol confused boy cousin sitting at the table with a wig on acting sullen and wanting to be called " they/them" ? And how many of them at the table were mixed race? Looking all grey colored. Its difficult to have a traditional Thanksgiving when half the people attending it look like the guests on a Jerry Springer episode!!
@@modickens1272 LOL No, thank goodness we didn't have anything like that at Thanksgiving. Now Christmas Eve was a different story. By the time we arrived at my aunt's house, everyone there had been boozing it up for several hours and tempers would start to flare between my Uncle and his son, and the Christmas night fights would begin. And instead of taking it outside they always punched it out in the living room in front of everyone. We used to laugh every Christmas Eve before driving over there. I'm not a conservative but I will never understand this gender business. I was filling out a questionnaire last year and there were close to a dozen listings under gender. I got so confused trying to figure out what was what that I finally typed in straight female at the bottom of the page.
Bill is a national treasure.
Spot on. People are so ridiculously full of themselves they actually don’t realize that saying something is complicated, implies a person is thinking instead of spontaneously picking a side or worse making a ten second judgment.
Such a great point. A generation has been raised to believe that they are the centre of the universe, and have the only valid viewpoint on anything.
Bill only hates people having an opinion when they're anti-Israel.
or worse using the current catchy phrase signifying nothing except arent i great i can agree with everyone when i say this and offend noone.
'you got this'😢
"Republicans buy sneakers, too." -
Michael Jordan.
If only every public figure had this level of maturity.
yeah he can't get into it because he might lose customers he can't do that to his millions
Retrumpicans buy white sheets, also.
@alexbowman4392
If democrats and republicans were mature then democrats and republicans wouldn’t be in Congress.
Michael Jordan was a weak-minded sellout, a true Libra.
Which is extremely important to society- selling more sneaking or social justice? Michael is a sellout for the dollars only!
Yes, yes, Yes!! 💯
Let corporations make goods and services and not take stances on every news story or political or social issue.
"Did you post the Black Square? - No - That's why there's still racism " 😂😂😂
That reminds me of when people wanted to boycott big oil by not buying any gas on a specific date (like May 14, 2006). I can't remember the exact date, but it was a one-day thing (month, day, year). It was the dumbest boycott ever.
LOL I still remember the good old days before social media. I watched the news on TV and then went about my day. Sometimes my mother and I would briefly discuss something that was on the news but that was about it.
Wowwee
I agree, a mix of the internet, social media, smartphones and 24/7 media has ruined this country. I went to a doctor the other day and she had on a pin saying my pronouns are She/Her and it's just like how the f@@@ did we end up here.
Lol holy shit right…I still wish nobody knew nothing about nothing and everybody thought Reagan was the best president in the history of the world and we all liked bill Cosby and there were no problems in the world worth discussing with our peers 🤯🥴😂
@@DewgNews You missed the point and Reagan with all his flaws was superior compared to what we have now.
We all read the newspaper daily in the 50s and 60s. Still do. Some good articles I remember when making my vote count for mayor. Sheriff and school board and judges
Can’t agree more. The funny thing is that truthfully, the matters for which everybody has a strong opinion is often time to complex issue that goes very deep, and most of us are ill informed.
There is nothing wrong of having an opinion, even on subjects that we know very little. But forcing others to agree with you, or else you throw a tantrum, is just wrong. But the most egregious is not letting people to keep their opinions private to themselves, not everyone needs to take a stand on everything all the time, and that‘s why we fight all time.
Bill basically reads my comments, deletes them, and then creates his monologue based on what I say.
I've said for years that there needs to be a clear separation between work and politics. No politics in the workplace. No politics tied to any product or service.
I'd have it written into the Constitution. The clear separation between company and politics. It will become as taboo as religion.
To paraphrase the once-awesome Dennis Miller, everyone now feels that their opinion should have an impact, even if it's like the impact of bird shit hitting a windshield.
Uh... wait... isn't what you just wrote EXACTLY what Bill Maher just said? Thanks, Captain Obvious.
People should feel invited to contribute their opinion only if doing so will be meaningful to the discussion. 99% of the time, it isn't.
I remembered way back when I wasn't at risk of being labeled a bigoted murderer if I didn't display my preferred pronouns on my LinkedIn profile. Those were the days.
I have been saying this for the last 5 years. My current employer is so cringe. Every single day our employee home page just smacks you in the face with the newest virtue signaling trend they must let you know they are standing behind. 😂
@@Bills_Wife_And_Kids I think that's probably turtles all the way down
If the American government wasn't so full of corporate-funded lobbyists, I would agree with Bill regarding companies taking political positions.
But the American government is full of corporate-funded lobbyists and gerrymandered "safe" districts, so those lobbyists have more control over politicians than voters. Therefore if you want to effect change, making a company take a political position is more effective than voting out your representatives because government is more responsive to corporate money than voters.
I know, Home Depot!!!! Am I right or am I right?
@@TheVonMatriceswow. Everything has to be a moment to talk about your politics.
The companies don't care about any virtue.
They only care about dodging taxes.
Probably the biggest problem with telling people you don’t have an opinion on something (as I occasionally do) is one of two things: people either presume you’re indifferent, or they criticize you for not being up to date on an issue so they insult you with something along the lines of, “what is wrong with you? How can you not be up to date on this?”
And those reactions are exactly the point and what deters people from doing what you say here. We have to be able to tolerate the reactions of others and not be deterred or intimidated by them. My response is, "Thank you for sharing that." and move on.
You're either part of the problem or part of the solution
So? Fck em! Life is too short to care about what idiots think about you.
agree. but people reacting like this are the problem. not the one without opinion.
@@LasVegasKev no!
I suppose the pressure to have an opinion on something when I’m a person who hates confrontation has made me spend more time trying to learn history. I feel like I can’t say anything I can’t back up, so I research it. Then, knowing more makes me MORE unable to comment because I usually just see that both sides of a debate have legitimate reasons to be supported. I really am rubbish at taking any stance. I sit on a well informed fence.
Perfect stance that! That's the best approach. Everything that is agreed on is never black or white, but the grey. The grey area is where the compromise comes in. Advantage YOU for being informed. Well done!
Really like your show. Some people can’t mind their own business and never will. You will have comedy material forever !
If I owned a business, the first rule in the corporate bylaws would be "Widgets Inc. does not take a political stance on anything."
10/10 would be a customer. half thr brands i no longer shop from is not bc I disagree with whatever political stance they have, but bc I f hate being lectured at by a hypicritical ass or a corporate management.
There is a Company that created a game called Hell Divers that took that stance.
The LGBT community decided to attack them on why "There is no LGBT representation in the game" so they banned all of them.
The Right wingers rejoiced and the banned them too.
It was hilarious.
There’s nothing worse than a celeb who posts an opinion and then walks it back because of woke pressure, have a f””king backbone
The Kardashians are absolute prostitutes in the celebrity sense, so no surprise there.
Like political leaders who take a stand against a cult and/or its leader then flip on that stance out of fear of that increasingly violent cult? Spinelessness is not exclusively on the left or the right: woke or asleep.
Same as spineless republican congressmen afraid to stand up to insurrectionist Trump
Money talks! They are all obsessed with money and would rather sell their mother to the lowest bidder then to take a stand and have their bank account go down a little!
Tiktok is the best weapon the CCP ever made
@James_Willow The fuck? Esxplain yourself Stalin
@James_Willow That was a typo but pretend I'm a f*cking idiot lke you are
It's more destructive than climate change.
It appears 3 comments in this thread have been #NoOpinionAllowed.
Thanks to living in Japan, I have learned from the locals that if I don't know enough about a topic then I should NOT have an opinion about it AND that is OK!!!! I still have opinions about what I'm passionate about and read about.
Well said. Couldn't agree more. This "I stand with" BS has gone too far, sometimes adding more wood to the fire. I don't care who my coffee shop stands with as long as my coffee is fresh.
Queer people supporting Hamas, It would be better that they had had no opinion at all.
queer pals are being blackmailed and bombed by israel
Thank you, Bill, for pointing out the obvious: it's no ones moral obligation to be brutally honest.
Reminds me of an episode of Cheers, when Lilith says to Carla " you know it is permissible to have an unexpressed thought"
Lets start with you Bill.
My family is much more traditional for thanksgiving, our topics will be; “Do you think you’ll ever get married”, “ Maggies screwing her kids up and she wont listen to anybody “, and the annual “when is your grandmother going to die?”
But no politics lol.
I deactivated my facebook and twitter about 2 weeks ago and am not looking back. Social media is the worst thing to ever happen to humanity.
If someone really wants to be a part of my life they will have to put forth some actual effort.
That works so long as your happiness isn't reliant on other people. I mainly use Facebook because it's the best resource for event listings around the city. Nothing really offers a replacement, yet anyway.
@BigBadJerryRogers I use songkick and local news sites for events listings now.
I also prioritize quality over quantity in all things. Was never one to have many followers or friends on social media anyway.
I've quit the sm drug 2-3 years ago and I have never felt this much freedom to do and think whatever I want
Consider if you will that maybe those in power indoctrinating a growing majority of both sides of the political aisle have also planned for the irrelevance of those who step outside the flock: the silent independent minority nobody listens to who has no effect on election results in a 'democracy'. I stepped away for a couple years a couple years ago as well, then remembered that- like any tool- social media has its uses too & not the least of those is staying in contact with certain family & friends, but also practicing a level of moderation. Also remember, however, that UA-cam- especially the comment section, qualifies as social media.
I did that too and lost all my fake friends. Now I'm alone.
I'm still being called a weirdo for ditching social media almost 7 years now. I left before TikTok was even a thing, now it's one of the most mental disorder apps out there that kids & adults should avoid if they value their mental health.
You realise UA-cam is social media too, right?
@@ThatSingingGuy Really? Last I checked it's a video platform first, every thing else is last. Commenting on videos & replies will not put it on the same category as the rest. You're well aware of which social media Im talking about. Why do I need to spell it out?
@@Lilpat60 It's literally social media, and that's literally how we're using it to have this conversation. It still has an algorithm judging what content you want to see. If you mean you left Facebook, Twitter / X, or Instagram, say as much. But you are still participating in social media.
@@ThatSingingGuy I'm still confused as to what your real point is in starting this argument. You can not interact with anyone on this platform unless a video is present. Yes it is a form of social media, but it's secondary, not primary purpose. People just started calling it social media recently & it became a thing because the Sub system is similar to the follow system use on major social media.
It's a video sharing website with social media characteristics. The reason I'm on UA-cam is to watch videos (Music, News, Docs, Comedy etc). I'm not here to get into pointless social media beefs like the one you're starting right now. If I wanted that kind of BS, I'll be on Twitter or whatever it's call nowadays or the others. I can choose to comment (socialize) or not & still watch my videos. I don't need to write a freaking essay to explain my point to normal people when they can put two & two together themselves. Whatever that's going on with you, that's your own problem. Deal with it.
The irony of this rule being talked about on THIS show.
Well he did clearly say it’s his job
I don't have a problem with regular people sharing their opinions, no matter how stupid or ill-informed it is. The problem I have is when corporations who's products has nothing to do with politics start doing it, or celebrities whoses careers has nothing to do with politics start using their platforms to talk about it. The BIGGEST problem is when these people start using their powers to enforce their politics.
Especially when that company is closer to utility companies. You know, Google, Apple, and many other tech companies whose product are essentials for every day's life.
I’m a political centrist and exhausted and fed up with the politification of everything.
Even though I believe that the likes of Daily Wire capitalizes on hatred and division, IF their new media company Bentkey actually delivers on their promise to provide apolitical content (not pro/anti left/right), I can see there being a huge demand for such.
My kid already has to go through bullying, inflation crisis, covid and having to share the biggest land border with a dictatorship (Russia), etc. The last thing she needs is cartoon characters telling her that she might be a boy because she doesn’t like dresses or that she’s inherently evil due to the circumstances of having been born to two white parents.
I want my entertainment, products, services and news without political bias, religiousness or push for segregation based on qualities we have no control over (sex, skin color, looks or sexuality).
I miss the 90’s when Denzel Washington and Will Smith were actors and not BLACK actors, Buffy and Xena were terrific TV shows and not shows helmed by WAHMEN, Boys Don’t Cry, Philadelphia and Crying Game were movies about poignant social issues but you were not obligated to have a cultist attachment to them.
@@kuroeltheog"I'm a political centrist..." lmao 🤣
@bobjones4469
But aren’t corporations people? That’s what SCOTUS says.
@@advancedomega tech companies are not utilities. Apple makes phones, verizon is the carrier, the cellular tower companies are the utility companies (American Tower, Crown Castle, SBA). You can use another phone through another carrier to arrive to the same result. Same for X and Google.
as Americans, it is our birthright to have an opinion on everything.
Bill Maher finally said what I've been thinking for the last decade.
my parents always said the two things you don't discuss is religion and politics. the older i get the more i see the wisdom in that.
The older I get the more I see the censorship of alternative voices and realities in that, because the self-serving dominate version of reality is allowed to go unchallenged.
My brother started dating and is now married to the most liberal woman I've ever met. I'm more in the center, and my mom is liberal. Anyways, every family dinner she dominates the conversation with the trendy woke speak of the week. Her and my mom bully me at the table over politics, because I don't agree with some of their politics.
Fast forward one year, we've gone from dinner every Sunday, to only special occasions, and this year we're not celebrating thanksgiving or Christmas. We're considerding selling the family business, my mom and I don't talk, and I never see my brother. My dad is lonely because his kids were his main source of social contact besides my mom.
My brothers wife, brings up a woke topic, takes the most woke stance, then accuses anyone to the right of her stance of bigotry. Our family fell apart, the business is on the brink of being sold, and everyone walks on eggshells. If my brothers wife could just stop with the politics, we'd all be so much better off.
@@TedWheeler-k2dsounds like her expressing herself is the least of your problems.
@@TedWheeler-k2d
Have a weekly lunch or walk or chess game with just your dad. Have debates wit mom and sisinlaw just not over a meal, maybe tennis or archery
Hope you stay in touch. I see my family for a month every 4 yrs. Some I see daily, some weekly, some once. But your parents likely won’t outlive you. We don’t discuss politics at the table, but as the most liberal visiting an ultra conservative area, there are people whom I can discuss politics with and others I can point out all those bridge repairs and roads paved under infrastructure funds.
I hope you get more liberal as time goes by, but at least find parental socializing you can live and thrive with. 👨👩👦💕☮️ take the word “woke” out of your vocabulary until you read the definition.
Avoid the sisinlaw and make alternative socializations with others
@@kitcoffey7194 you are arguing with a bot, not a human being. No actual person would choose a name like zy5whatever.
Having an opinion is a good thing. Making differences of opinion something adversarial is not. People who think different than you, doesnt have to be your enemy.
Having a beer or three is a good thing. Having all the beers available is NOT a good thing.
Having an opinion or three is a good thing. Having an opinion on every single goddamn topic is NOT a good thing.
It's something fostered in high school debating societies, where it's considered adversarial and trashing the other speakers and whipping up the audience is an easier way to win than calmly presenting rational arguments.
"Even though I'm sure the Indians had strong feelings about immigration." K.O.!!
Couldn't agree more about everyone having an expert opinion about all subjects because they read it on social media. The simple rule in our family is that there are two subjects that we NEVER talk about at the dinner table...politics and religion...and remarkably...dinner is a fun get together with family!
General thesis laid out here: only elites are allowed to have an opinion, shut up.
Great analysis Bill.
Bill built his whole career on opinion.
Bill is a fine example of his generation: do as I say, not as I do.
On opinion that is based on research and thinking.
@@cioccolateriaveneziana I'm pretty sure all opinion works that way. Is that your opinion or did you delve deep into the mechanics of Real Time and vet their research.
A lot of his content these days is " That's my job, stay in your lane". The man is often very funny, but I wouldn't and don't trust anything he says when forming my own opinions.
@@daviderwin4705 I find no objection on that. but hes right when he says we don't care about every uneducated opinion you have. Its a bit of straw man because you didn't addressed his core argument. You juts said "i don't trust him". Which is fine, but you don't need to trust anyone to determine the logic of an argument. You just have to look at the argument by its merits. I know its harder and requires more knowledge. But is better.
Of course this is all Bill’s opinion. 😂😂😂
He also regularly hosts guests with marked *different* opinions to his own, have you noticed that. I think Maher should be applauded.
Yep.As he often says.He doesnt pretend to be important.He s not in politics.He is on tv making jokes.So...its just a guy,saying what HE thinks about stuff.Nothing more.
The way a company or corporation treats their employees/interacts with their community -- aka the sole thing that is actually in their ethical wheelhouse -- is what matters. Everything else is just PR or positioning to turn a bigger profit.
"You don't have to turn this into something. It doesn't have to upset you". -Marcus Aurelius
People are told today by the media that they *must* have the "correct" opinion on every single thing, or else their "bad people"
That’s an opinion and opinions are not allowed anymore… unless you’re Bill Maher.
People are just following your example Billy. They're reflecting the hostility you put out in the world. It's not your fault solely but we're living in the world your sarcasm creates.
And, everyone like him.
Getting news from Instagram, TikTok, and FaceTime is the same as getting news from MSNBC, CNN, and Fox.
The irony... Bill should listen to his own words.
Well, that's your opinion.
his job is to give opinion and to piss left and right off equally
Which ones
Irony is poetic coincidence to point of looking like universe's commentary on instance. Bill Maher is enjoying a show business career, and that's the level of his show while the literal news channels deadpan futility in current events to prepare us for "Chinese democracy. "Some cool guns n roses instagram utopia we get thinking relieved of in. It's important to get the show.
He said, "That's my job."
We need to get better at accepting someone may have another point of view and that can change based on facts you havent learned yet. I'm tired of people taking a stance because its popular and not because they actually agree.
amen
When corporations are actively working against the people that buy their products, it's nice to know.
Yes, where would be if Colgate toothpaste didn't let everyone know it supports gay marriage?
Very true. Do you want to be enriching people who are doing all they can to support legislating against you?
@@BigBadJerryRogers Better stick to buying everything from the Amish then
@@BigBadJerryRogersas long as i can have my cold Coca Cola, they can do whatever they want
Wrong! You’re a snowflake!!!… according to Triggered Bill Maher.
Libertarians: Vote with your dollars.
Also Libertarians: Stop voting with your dollars.
He makes me want to resubscribe to HBO. At least there's one platform out there slowly recovering its sanity.
I agree with Bill on 90% of things, and yes, everything is over politicized. That being said, one of the few things consumers actually have power over is where they spend their money. So, I understand why some people don't support companies like Bud Light, Chicfila, and Disney. That's one of the only ways you can hold companies accountable.
that's true but the far right and far left take it to the extreme. The tell us if your opinion doesn't match theirs. It's the wrong opinion and if you don't boycott this company ten you support homophobia, or any other phobia or racist bs. THA is what he's talking about.
@Billsmafia50 I agree. There's no such thing as civil disagreement anymore. That being said, maybe there never was, and nowadays, there are so many platforms to voice your opinion.
@@Billsmafia50 Yo🤟🇦🇴 thats why they're "far"😅 Rest of us just look at the them as if... you know😵💫. Hey! At least they can shit on the "extreme"😂
Most major companies such as Anheuser Busch which makes Bud Light has been been around for more than a Century, that loss of money was a drop in the bucket. The people today that can drink alcohol legally will be long dead and Anheuser Busch will still be turning a profit.
It's rare for a company to actually realize why it is losing revenue, especially if the reasons are multifold. Money can only say "yes" and "no", it never says why, and if you think companies pay attention to social media other than how to monetize a trend, then I have an NFT of a bridge I can sell to you.
Then you have Donna Brazile snapping her fingers like an absolute buffoon while she literally embodies the exact type of person being critiqued here.
Feeding Hillary the answers before the debate , Donna Brazile should be in jail .
Been saying it for years- turn off the news apps, limit social media to one or two days a week for fifteen minutes. You will be happier and more at peace...
Right on the money again Bill. Fantastic season so far. 👍
Perfect example! I live in an ultra-conservative small town in Texas. Three stop lights and a cloud of dust, perfect. I am a moderate and my neighbors are quite conservative. Every Saturday night and many holidays we gather together and have dinner or a couple of beers. We call our porches the Mac bar. Since the town is a dry town its our running joke. Only one rule at the Mac bar and anyone who comes over is told the rule. We don't talk religion and politics. We already know we probably don't agree with each other on most of it so why bother. We are there to enjoy ourselves. And it works!
Yeah... I agree it works for sure and good idea... but I also feel a bit sad that people cannot talk about these issues. Don't you think it's strange in society that there are topics that are off limits if you want to be friends??
@@rcchristian2 for sure
@@rcchristian2No
That honestly used to be the rule about work, don't discuss religion or politics. It worked well. Now with the virtue signaling, companies demand you declare your pronouns, give money thru payroll deduction to BLM, etc. I just want to be left alone.
So… freedom to drink is BANNED, and we’re supposed to…not be upset? lol WHAT? I love how you’re just shrugging off the fact that your freedom is being taken away. Congrats on not being moderate.
People used to say: don't talk about religion or politics. It's easier to be friends if you don't bring up such heated topics. One time in high school, my friend and I started talking about abortion. We disagreed on the topic, so we decided we better just change the subject.
I have no opinion on this.
So you didn't like it...
I have no opinion as well.
Someday, someone will come up with the perfect gift for Thanksgiving & sell it on Etsy: A doormat that says "Leave Your Politics Outside". 🤫
I love the irony of Bill saying not everyone should have an “opinion” while continually spewing forth his bullshit about Israel, while telling anyone smarter, I mean having a different (more informed and thought out) opinion than his to “shut the fuck up”.
What a great atheist!
I’m going to play devils advocate with just two words: Citizens United.
If we are going to be funding political speech, only fair to know what that speech is.
Thank you!! 💯💯💯🎯🎯🎯
That’s not what Citizens United was about. It’s a left wing meme that Citizens United decided that corporations could fund political speech
@@MarkG-nl4oq Please educate me, a non-american youngster, then?
I had the idea that Citizens United did spark a marked increase in how much money companies can pay on things understandable as campaigns for political candidates and parties, which did not exist before to the same degree.
Am I wrong?
@@nielskorpel8860 So Citizens United is a non profit organization that supports Republican candidates and causes, at the time Michael Moore a very liberal filmmaker made a film critical George Bush, the response to 9/11, and the War in Iraq, accusing Bush of being in league with the Saudi’s and the Saudi’s being responsible for 9/11 and then starting wars in Afghanistan and Iraq to divert people’s attention and enrich his friends and family along with holding a personal grudge. It was timed to coincide directly with Bush’s re-election. Citizens United filed two FEC complaints alleging that because of the timing and because of the corporate entities involved with its release and distribution that it was not a legitimate piece of artistic filmmaking but rather a political advertisement and in-kind campaign contribution to John Kerry. SCOTUS dismissed those complaints and refused to hear them alleging that Moore was a known and bona fide filmmaker and the corporate entities involved were not connected to any campaign or working on behalf of a campaign or political party. Citizens United decided then to release a movie directly critical of Moore’s film and Democratic Nominee John Kerry, but in this case when an FEC complaint was made against Citizens United they said “well your film is different because you’re a political organization not filmmakers” so Citizens United decided ok we will just start making more movies and establish that we are in part commercial filmmakers, which they did between 2004-2008. They then went back to the court and said well since we are now in the communications business we think that these provisions governing “electioneering communications” and funding, disclosure and disclaimer requirements as applied to political advertising are unconstitutional, it’s unacceptable to say that a corporate film studio has rights to advertising that a political communications company doesn’t as you have already ruled in that ads on political issues were not banned from election cycles, and the Supreme Court decided “you got us, political advertising is an independent expenditure and companies have every right to use their money and platform to voice their political opinion and advocacy” and the left has cried about it ever since despite the fact they use corporate communications and PACs more than Republicans along with advertising and campaign materials from labor unions also included in the decision
@@nielskorpel8860money in politics is just a Bernie brother talking point. Funding politicians is not a negative thing. I guarantee that you can not name a single law passed due to citizens united off the top of your head.
Maybe the Activist Consumer Thing
Is Because People Don't Think That Their Vote Matters
But That Their Money Does
( Capitalism As A Force For Good ? 🤔)
Absolutely a factor we should all continue to practice. And guess what? You don't even have to to voice your opinion to anyone.
Nah, it’s because what actually matters is the boring, hard work of understanding actual policies and who is actually pushing for meaningful change. “Voting with your wallet” is just another thing that lets us feel like we are doing something but is just as meaningless as complaining about a movie on social media.
Vote with your dollars is legit. Boycotts legit work.
Of course, voting should matter as well. No reason we shouldn't have 50 state vote by mail & paid national holiday for election day too.
It's both. We'd better be able to walk and chew gum at the same time. Anyone who says it's one or the other may be selling you something. Let's hope we can walk and chew.
@@thrawncaedusl717 Or joining your protest line on a street corner
Bill Maher you are a genius
I'm SO happy that I work for a company which, despite having a market cap greater than Target, or Ford, or Adidas or Burger King, no one has ever heard of, so we're not all pressured to make political statements, and can focus on just making our product. I can't imagine how many "sensitivity trainings" and other such crap I'd have to put up with if we were in a public eye.
Ohh are you working on private company? Cargill or Koch Company?
just don't hire todays snot nosed young people who think they are out to save the world. the world doesn't need saving.
@eralddavid6892 He just said it's a company no one has heard of, so why would it be either of those whom everyone knows?
@@Roycebert Lol but to be fair for company who has market cap greater than these company that he listed, someone ought to know about it
@@eralddavid6892 - no, david, private companies don't have a "market cap" value, because they don't issue stock. So I work for a publicly traded company.
So no one’s aloud to have an opinion except Bill Maher? Got it.
That’s not the point. You should not be FORCED to have an opinion, and companies should not be forced to weigh in on complex political issues just for the clout.
Bigger and bigger fan all the time thx bill
"People don't want to hear your opinions. They want to hear their opinions coming out of your mouth."
Honestly, I would have liked this video so much more if that's what he said instead, very accurate
I've been saying it too, im sick of businesses telling me a stance on something. Just take my money and shut the hell up.
Shut the efff up and stop price gouging me on inelastic goods! That's all I care about!! Not your political statements aimed at increasing your bottom line without accountability 🤑
It's a tax avoidance thing for them.
Thank You! No kidding. I don't want to know their opinion on some social justice issue, and they don't need to know mine. The more they push an agenda, the more I back away and decide I don't want what they sell.
But do you still buy from those businesses? I hate Dylan Mulvaney as much as anyone else. But having him as a spokesperson or whatever isn't gonna stop me from buying from a given business. I still buy groceries and other stuff from Target because I don't give a shit about the pride stuff. It shouldn't bother anyone. If it does, you are a fragile pussy.
Spot on. Businesses shouldn't virtue signal to anyone.
I agree the younger generation never learned how to handle conflict. That said, every American generation understands better than the previous generation we are nothing but consumers, and how we choose to consume is the only power and source of identity we have. There's nothing wrong with using that power to promote green energy, marriage equality or, say, legalization of marijuana, or paying attention to what your consumption is funding.
Have you seen conservative boomers? lol have you seen the way Trump and his older supporters behave? Saying this is a problem of younger folks is ridiculous.
To be fair, the younger generation is a produce of their elders…that’s us. We have no one else to blame for problems of the younger generation than the previous generations who taught them how to think, or not think.
@@Tom-cn4cm I'm under 25, and we are no better than previous generations
"every America ...understands... we are nothing but consumers" Hope you meant that tongue in cheek.
...And believe in whatever may lie in those things that money can buy, though...
They don't help matters any. That's fo sure@@Tom-cn4cm
This, right after Bill raised hell on Gen Z "for not having opinions'' & "Not giving a damn" → → I like you, Bill, but I remember those jokes! And I am a Gen Xer!
Yep, you're right. I like Bill and he is spot on funny much of the time but half the stuff he says is contradictory to what I have learned about his belief system over the years.
Yes bill makes a living from talking politics and complaining about things in general. Granted he puts in a few jokes to make it more tolerable but he's still part of a group that keeps the discussion on certain issues going far longer than needed
Bill Maher needs to be presented to the 21st century.
He said exactly word for word what I wish I could type here. THANK YOU bill
I proudly have no opinion on most things
Read more.
@@kitcoffey7194 i have no opinion on your opinion
Don't let people think for you. Trying to think is better than not trying.
but less time to play video games.
Opinions are like a certain body part…everybody has one, and most of them stink!
That’s a favorite dictum of my father’s.
I didn't stop drinking Bud Light in 2023 because they hired a "trans influencer" as spokesperson. I stopped drinking Bud Light in 1991 because it's a piss-poor excuse for a beer.
perfectly acceptable reason
H.P. Lovecraft was horribly racist, yet that hasn't prevented non-caucasian readers from enjoying his works.
@@James_Willow Fam, take a step back and realize there are things called statistics and charts and polls. Especially when you poll the world and "caucasians" become the global minority, it's easy to see who has consumed what media.
@@James_Willowhis books have been sold worldwide and translated into multiple languages, so yeah.
Also😊 I'm African and I've read his books since highschool👍
Is H P Lovecraft an adult toy and lingerie shop? 😛
@@James_Willow yes, its called asking questions. Have you seen what they're doing in Japan?
See you're sort of proving Bill's point. You don't know if Lovecraft was racist. What you know is how to use a Google search and find quotes from old, white, dead guys. What you know is "J-A-C-K S-H-I-T" and yet, you can't shut the fuck up about it.
This is the segment that saves this country.
Maher makes excellent points. I'm surprised that Kinzinger didn't burst into tears.
Bills been on fire lately 😂
He is spot on, but he is ignoring the giant bull in the glass shop: ESG investors. The three biggest investors in the world: Black Rock, State Street, and Vanguard each force companies to fly political flags of the companies can't get bank loans. Companies don't care of the twittards lose their minds, but they do care if Black Rock threatens to pull their billions of dollars of investment or if banks won't loan them money to do their business.
Exactly right! They promised some big ROI for companies to be as woke as possible, putting emphasis on the Social part of ESG.. It's pretty sickening.
THANK YOU BILL! As a conservative independent, I am learning to appreciate your insight more and more!
#NOOPINION
What I hear from this editorial is: “it used to be so easy to lie and create false narratives and manipulate public opinions of people in accordance with the desires of our corporate overlords. But now everybody is involved in the debate, and we are having a hard time doing so.”
Beercan Chicken with Chic-Filet & Bud Light is the greatest idea ever.
America
@@BigBadJerryRogersI am interested in knowing how many people set their houses on fire or burn themselves or their sheds with their turkey friers this year
@@elegantgypsyrose5328 Yes. The media will call it the nationwide Thanksgiving inferno of 2023. Right in the middle of travelmageddon.
@@BigBadJerryRogers All of which returns me to the place where I reaffirm that the more I know of people, the better I love my dogs.
I love Chick-fil-A. Their fries are amazing.
Bill, keep saying the things I’m thinking!
It's tough to have #NoOpinion when we live in...The Panderverse.