Bill Maher, listen up....
I have been a fan of HBO’s Bill Maher Show for many years; I appreciate the mix of guests—liberals, conservatives, Democrats, and Republicans—on its weekly panels, including black political, cultural, and literary figures. Maher gives no quarter to those whose politics or views he disagrees with; he is an equal- opportunity devil’s advocate.
In the “New Rules” segment, he offers incisive, thought-provoking commentary on current issues, including, celebrities who run for public office ( “You’re not good enough. You’re not smart enough.”); “good cops,” who protect abusive peers; or the pervasiveness of the so-called “cancel culture.”
Recently, however, I have been taken aback by Maher’s rants against the concept of, “wokeness” which, he believes, implies that whites should feel guilt for historical injustices against African Americans.
On a recent show, he states, “…Democrats are the party of every hypersensitive social justice ‘woke’ warrior bullshit story in the news.”
He decries the fact that public figures and celebrities oftentimes are victimized (by losing their job or reputation) for ideas (considered racist or sexist) that they espoused during a earlier period in their career.
Maher also decries the liberal notion that “‘Silence is violence (but) looting is not.”
Bill, “looting” is a loaded term for organizers of nonviolent protests against police brutality. Organizing groups know that damaging property does not foster their aims. In fact, looting is often the work of a few “protestors,” who take advantage of the anonymity provided by large crowds. Some advocates believe that “looters” are agents of the police or governments.
For the record, I do not believe that Maher is racist; however, by denigrating “social justice ‘woke’ warrior(s),” he undermines the work of serious advocates who propose initiatives ( e.g., defund the police or abolish) that he dismisses as not “common sense.”
In fact, calls to defund the police or abolish prisons are posited as alternatives to decades-long social and legislative policies that negatively affect communities of color, low-income communities, or persons with mental disorders.
Most public discourse or mainstream media coverage (including Maher’s) fails to furnish the reasoning behind these initiatives; hence, they are viewed as extreme by an uninformed public.
According to Merriam-Webster dictionary, “Woke is a slang term that is easing into the mainstream from some varieties of a dialect called African American Vernacular English….awake is often rendered as woke, as in, “I was sleeping, but now I'm woke.” 'Woke' is increasingly used as a byword for social awareness.”
Being “woke” can applied to native Americans, white Americans, African Americans, or women who work to address/correct historic injustices against them.
We should never forget Japanese interment camps in America, the Tulsa Race Massacre in Oklahoma, Jewish temple burnings, or Native American Trail of Tears.
Blame is not the name of the game, Bill.
Social injustices against any group demand accountability, redress, or reparations that promote the healing of collective (psychic ) wounds, acknowledge our shared humanity, and ensure that ugly histories do not repeat themselves.