Thank you so much for your contribution.

I was not watching Bill Maher back when the incident you cite happened and so I had never heard of it. Had I known, I would have tuned him out a long time ago. I started watching in summer/fall of 2004. While I always found his sexist attitude inexcusable and tiresome, he was no different than so many other comics, so I put up with his other self serving flirty and disparaging remarks so I could listen to the interesting panel that he had on.

To be honest, looking back, I wish I had never given him the time of day. We have not watched his show for over a year now and feel well rid of it. I became so much more attuned to the sexism and insults out there as a result of the offensive election coverage. I can only speak for myself, but it just illustrates how in the past when I heard a sexist comic’s diatribe, I wouldn’t laugh, and would dismiss disparaging comments against women but still watch to some degree — instead of boycotting altogether. Now I just turn my back on these fools. Perhaps when their audience goes down enough, they will think better of it. I’m not holding my breath.

If he was making racist and anti-Semitic jokes, do you think people like Paul Krugman, Helen Thomas or Christianne Amanpour would want to come on his show, but they all they did. I know this does not mean they support his misogyny, but if misogyny was seen as terrible as racism or anti-Semitism, would all these brilliant people come on his show. NOPE.

If Bill Maher was making anti-Semitic jokes or racist jokes the way he makes misogynistic jokes, he would be seen as another crazy just like Ann Coulter or Rush Limbaugh. If he was making anti-Semitic or racist jokes, we would ask why does he do that, why does someone who is politically astute (I no longer think of him this way), who is so progressive (no longer think of him this way as well) making racist or anti-Semitic jokes. Would he even have a career if he were making racist or anti-Semitic jokes?

If he was making racist and anti-Semitic jokes, do you think people like Paul Krugman, Helen Thomas or Christianne Amanpour would want to come on his show, but they all they did. I know this does not mean they support his misogyny, but if misogyny was seen as terrible as racism or anti-Semitism, would all these brilliant people come on his show. NOPE.

I just have a few points I would like to point out which have really nothing to do with Maher’s article, and also you have done such an excellent job on pointing out everything in that article. (breaking up into two post)

The first point is this to quote, you stated you used to watch his show until the Hillary bashing. Well this is the problem, Bill Maher as far as I am concerned was showing his misogyny since early 2003, remember his take on feminism in his stand up victory begins at home. The question is why didn’t we women just stop watching him then and there, why did it took the blatant and extremely vile misogyny to begin during the elections for us to finally say enough. Had Bill said what he said about feminism about the civil rights movement or Jewish groups, we all know he would be shunned and won’t even have this job at HBO. In fact I stopped watching after his vile breastfeeding rant, hi refusal to apologise, Garafolo (or house bitch as I like to call her) giving him a free pass and almost everyone thinking what he said was no big deal. I am not surprised he justified calling Hillary a cunt. Slurs against women including the word Bitch is not seen as terrible as calling AAs the N word or calling Jews Hymme.

So isn’t sad the very first time he uttered something misogynistic he was not held accountable for it, not even after his vile breastfeeding rant.

So we should have boycotted this moron, right form the very first time he uttered something misogynist, we should have shunned him the way Mel Gibson is being shunned and when I say we I mean both men and women.

I just have a few points I would like to point out which have really nothing to do with Maher’s article, and also you have done such an excellent job on pointing out everything in that article.

The first point is this to quote, you stated you used to watch his show until the Hillary bashing. Well this is the problem, Bill Maher as far as I am concerned was showing his misogyny since early 2003, remember his take on feminism in his stand up victory begins at home. The question is why didn’t we women just stop watching him then and there, why did it took the blatant and extremely vile misogyny to begin during the elections for us to finally say enough. Had Bill said what he said about feminism about the civil rights movement or Jewish groups, we all know he would be shunned and won’t even have this job at HBO. In fact I stopped watching after his vile breastfeeding rant, hi refusal to apologise, Garafolo (or house bitch as I like to call her) giving him a free pass and almost everyone thinking what he said was no big deal. I am not surprised he justified calling Hillary a cunt. Slurs against women including the word Bitch is not seen as terrible as calling AAs the N word or calling Jews Hymme.

So isn’t sad the very first time he uttered something misogynistic he was not held accountable for it, not even after his vile breastfeeding rant.

So we should have boycotted this moron, right form the very first time he uttered something misogynist, we should have shunned him the way Mel Gibson is being shunned and when I say we I mean both men and women.

If Bill Maher was making anti-Semitic jokes or racist jokes the way he makes misogynistic jokes, he would be seen as another crazy just like Ann Coulter or Rush Limbaugh. If he was making anti-Semitic or racist jokes, we would ask why does he do that, why does someone who is politically astute (I no longer think of him this way), who is so progressive (no longer think of him this way as well) making racist or anti-Semitic jokes. Would he even have a career if he were making racist or anti-Semitic jokes?

If he was making racist and anti-Semitic jokes, do you think people like Paul Krugman, Helen Thomas or Christianne Amanpour would want to come on his show, but they all they did. I know this does not mean they support his misogyny, but if misogyny was seen as terrible as racism or anti-Semitism, would all these brilliant people come on his show. NOPE.

This was the disappointment I felt. You see I am the type of person someone would describe as a staunch democrat, not anymore. Bill Maher’s jokes on republicans were always something to look forward to, everything he said about the Bush administration was funny, but I could tell from the way he talks about women, the hatred he feels for women. Whenever I bring that up, people would just accuse me of being PC or tell me he is an equal opportunity offender (YEAH RIGHT!), if he was he would be fired right now.

In fact imagine the impact it would make, if everyone who read NQ and feminist blogs cancelled their subscription to HBO to protest misogyny. Until we react the way Jews, AAs and other minorities react at bigotry, Bill Maher, Chris Matthews and the other misogynist will keep getting away with it.

Which brings me to the next point Ani, you see when you mention that the only reason you stopped watching Bill Maher was because of Hillary bashing, the obamabots would say you are just a sore loser, even though I know you are also referring to the misogyny. You see it wasn’t just the double standard that Hillary and women politicians face, how her Bosnia misspoke was worse than Obama’s Nafta flip flop, his community organiser experience means he is ready for the job of POTUS, her similar experience as the First Lady, her work before that and after that a Senator still did not make her more experienced than him for the job of POTUS. This is in itself is already the discrimination that women face but on top of that there is the bigotry that women face, the bigotry that is never acknowledged, Misogyny. We are told misogyny is not as bad as racism or anti-Semitism because women have never suffered, we were never hanged from trees or lynched. The fact that women are still being raped does not count as violence.

So Ani, your rant is not wasted on him, I urge NQ readers to boycott HBO, MSNBC and even Fox news. I know lately there has been talk here on NQ about how Fox News is the fair and balanced news but I cannot forget Bill Oreily’s misogynistic rant about Helen Thomas which I noticed NQ did not focus on the way you focused on Chris Matthews referring to Palin as a mail order bride. I am not saying MSNBC or CNN are better, but I am not ready to forgive the misogyny from Fox News either (remember Trucker Carlson laughing at the Hillary Nutcracker). I come to NQ and Hillaryis44 for the real news now, so I am hoping NQ would criticise the republicans when they deserve it the way you would criticise the dems and of course they most definitely deserve it.

Thanks again Ani, for all your remarkable articles, always a pleasure reading articles from intelligent women. Sorry for my long rant.

So why do it then? Or can we not even question why anymore?

Asking Zippy anything is like asking a Kiosk. He is not programmed to respond but merely to download his tripe.

poor old bill maher. on his way out to pasture soon.

It’s reasonable to assume that a passenger jet making low passes over New York City with a fighter escort might punch a few buttons.

So why do it then? Or can we not even question why anymore?