'Hits the nail on the head': Internet supports Bill Maher as he calls university protests 'narcissism'
MANHATTAN, NEW YORK CITY: Bill Maher kicked off 'Real Time' on Friday, April 26, bluntly stating that activists who block traffic in the name of a cause are not helping their case; instead, they are likely hurting it.
In his 'New Rules' segment, Maher took aim at protesters who disrupt traffic in the name of a cause, bluntly stating, "No one likes you."
Bill Maher critiques protest tactics
Beginning the episode, Maher argued that such actions only alienate people and do not effectively persuade them to support the protesters' views, especially when they cause inconvenience like making people late for work or preventing them from picking up their children from day care.
“You can glue your hands to the street, since your hands don’t have to do any work today,” Maher said, and claimed that for many social justice warriors, “It’s more about the warrioring than the causes.”
Maher discussed the current wave of pro-Palestinian protests, suggesting that those who are passionate about social justice should also focus on issues like the subjugation of women in many countries, hunger in North Korea, China’s human rights violations, and the persecution of gays in Burundi.
He questioned, "Are you really speaking truth to power, or do you think you look cool in a keffiyeh?"
He continued, "Which is really just the new Che Gue t-shirt another historical figure you never researched and so think is a hero but was actually a sadistic racist monster fighting for communism the worst form of government ever".
In a humourous turn, Maher then said, "When small matters; when activism merges with narcissism less about the cause and more about 'me! look at me! watch me!' and if you like the way I'm fighting Injustice remember to like and subscribe..."
Maher then urged activists to consider if the causes they champion are truly the most important things in their lives or just trends that they recently became aware of.
Bill Maher's call for responsible protest spurs online support
Maher's statements were met with a wave of support on social media, as users expressed appreciation for his candidness.
One viewer said, "We should stop celebrating every form of fanaticism."
Another viewer noted, "He has a point about protest in general... just stay on the side of the road and ask for people to beep their horn if they agree. Blocking traffic just pisses people off."
One more viewer wrote in support, "Holding a protest sign at the side of the road is legal. Blocking traffic is not."
One more person said, "Thank you Bill Maher for verbalizing quite succinctly what I feel, but can't successfully say."
Another viewer thanked, "Thanks for this Bill! Can’t stand the self righteousness of some of these people."
"Thank you for continuing to call out crazy," one comment read.
"Wow - Bill hits the nail on the head once again! Thanks Bill for speaking the truth," another comment read.
This article contains remarks made on the internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.
