Folks who know stuff – and one’s gotta presume the folks at a Bill Maher show know stuff – know that stuff is, er, fucked up. A lot of stuff. Among such stuff: oil’s through the roof, housing’s in the gutter, and we’re at war where we shouldn’t even be.
So it stands to damn good reason that a man like Bill Maher would be popular among a certain subset of know-somethings; what seems unreasonable is why all these know-somethings need Bill Maher to tell ‘em what they already know, let alone validate their opinions.
But such seemed to be the case Friday night at The Fillmore Gleason, where America’s favorite leftie curmudgeon preached to a choir that had already concluded their song.
Don’t get me wrong: I dig Bill Maher. Lots. In fact, I believe only Jon Stewart and Arianna Huffington have done more to bring to light some of our country’s darker misdeeds. But I also believe Bill Maher’s best when he’s cracking wise among a panel of bright minds, like or unlike his own. Sure his wisecracks are often spot on. Yet confined to his stand-up, they become akin to adding to an already indelible stain.
Bush’s stupidity? McCain’s age? Hillary’s ballsiness? Politicians’ transgressions? An idiotic war? We know all about it.
And hopefully by now everybody else does too. Americans have just spent 7 long years being told what to think and when to think it, or, more to the point, being persuaded to not think at all. Those who’ve ignored the standard-bearing propaganda know this – Bill Maher knows this too. If not, that’s their tough luck. Funny? Yeah. Like a pie to the face of some blind man.
But I’m not telling you anything you didn’t already know, am I?
- John Hood
