Thanksgiving is next week, and there will undoubtedly be thought pieces and many incidents where politics derails the whole dinner. From COVID to Donald Trump, someone is bound to nuke Turkey Day before kickoff. It will most likely be started by the more communist-leaning members of the family; they always start the fights. And once again, Bill Maher had a simple message regarding incidents like this: shut the f**k up.
The HBO host has been on a roll lately. Besides one week, where he went after House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), Maher has been more to the right of things on the issues. It’s not that he’s been red-pilled, but I think we’ve reached a point where he cannot stand the other liberals on his side of the aisle.
The comedian eschews political correctness and yearns to see this trending on Twitter one day: #NoOpinion. He aptly pointed out one of social media’s more cancerous qualities: that everyone feels they need to weigh in on whatever issue is the flavor of the week. The position of merely not taking one is unacceptable. As the comedian quipped, those who remain silent on these platforms are why racism still exists.
Companies are now being place under immense pressure to put out statements on topics that are not within their wheelhouse. I couldn’t care less what Pennzoil or Fruit Roll-Ups thinks about transgender bathrooms. Does Snickers really have to weigh in on gun control? Does Woodford Reserve have to post something on their accounts about drag queen story hour? No—they don’t.Maher quoted a recent CEO who was asked about the Israel-Hamas war, where this executive said, “we’re not historians. A lot of us didn’t understand the issue very well, didn’t understand the history.”
“Exactly,” Maher exclaimed. “And I bet you still don’t, so why don’t you shut the f**k up.”
He later added that he doesn’t need to be reminded that Spanx is against racism, or that Chick-fil-a is “Christian.” He warns that this is a recipe for societal instability because we will always be at each other’s throats with this model. No one agrees on everything, so the social media mindset of needing to comment on everything, and go after those with differing opinions, is a sure fire way to shatter a nation.
He's right—it is an annoying that we’re all forced to “participate in this online circle jerk,” lest we be viewed as an “insensitive pr*ck who’s singlehandedly obstructing much needed progress in the world.”
Differing opinions is what makes America great. I enjoy Bill Maher’s commentary and comedy acts, even though they’re historically anti-conservative. I read far-left publications just to get the other side, which was more enjoyable 15 years ago because this intersectionality/trigger warning/ woke nonsense didn’t exist. It’s why I can have intense, but respectful conversations with my more left-leaning family members.
I disagree with Maher, who said that the pilgrims and American Indians were able to share a meal because politics wasn’t brought up. He quipped that this happened, despite the American Indians probably having strong opinions about immigration. In my case, I’m the one who pokes the bear while wearing my MAGA hat, and saying that I’m thankful for family, health, and the Second Amendment when we go around the table.
We have differing opinions. Okay, that’s fine. The problems of the world aren't going to be solved today, so shut the f**k up and eat, so we watch football later. Once you can accept that you're likely to hear an opposing views, whether that be on climate change or whether Die Hard is a Christmas movie, your chakra will be aligned. And that message was directed at left-wingers.