Theology and Church, Politics and SocietyJanuary 9, 2008 12:51 pm
Becky Garrison writes a percipient post on Bill Maher’s recent appearance on Late Night with Conan O’Brien over on the God’s Politics blog (her post contains a link to a YouTube video of the interview). I don’t like Maher’s gall or vitriol, which I think he’s trying to pass off as sarcasm, wit, or satire. Maher seems to have made an a priori judgment that any faith in anything supernatural is irrational, or even schizophrenic—his representation of Christian beliefs is a caricature at best. Can we put he and Ann Coulter in a jar and shake it?
I’d like to see a Maher/Coulter celebrity boxing match, or perhaps even a UFC fight between them.
Comment by Timbo — January 9, 2008 @ 1:18 pm
I’m really torn on Maher. I’ve seen him live, try to catch his HBO show whenever I can and think some of what he says is spot-on and really funny. Often times, though, I find myself cringing and not liking him at all. I’ll give him this: he does spark debate in a way is more thoughtful than Ann Coulter.
Comment by Jason — January 11, 2008 @ 11:01 am
Maher is provocative, that’s for certain. I don’t have cable, so I haven’t seen his show much, but what I’ve caught in YouTube clips, I’ve seen him move to a harsher approach than his humor had in the past. I used to enjoy Politically Incorrect when it aired. I wrote Coulter off a long time ago and actually broke my own rule that I would never mention her name on my blog—disinterest and apathy seem to be the only way to make her go away. If Maher keeps the rhetoric up like he did on Late Night, then I hope the public and media would turn the heat on him as they have with Coulter. I’m torn on this matter. On the one hand, I am disappointed that Maher’s “schizophrenic” comment didn’t receive similar condemnation as Coulter’s homophobic and xenophobic remarks rightly have. On the other hand, perhaps Maher like Coulter only wants to start fires and any attention is good for his career. Ignoring him may prove to be the best tack.
Comment by Tyler Watson — January 11, 2008 @ 11:23 am