The latest monologue from Maher’s show is called “Eat the rich,” taking off from the murder of the United Healthcare CEO and arguing that it’s AI more than people like the CEO who makes healthcare decisions, as well as players hospitals and pharmacies who rip people off in a system full of different parties all dedicated to enriching themselves. In the end, he indicts hospitals as the main venal actors, but notes that Americans, obese and sugar-hungry as we are, bring a lot of illness on ourselves.
He moves on to “GenZers, calling many of them “fucking stupid,” dividing the world up to oppressed and oppressors: a Manichean view of the universe that led to Brian Thompson‘s assassination. He adds, “It wasn’t that long ago when liberals thought shooting people who don’t share your politics was bad – or at least a micro-aggression.”
It’s not one of Maher’s best bits, but has some good parts, and conveys the lesson that urging violence on your political opponents is stupid and nonproductive.
My favorite zinger: “You don’t hate the rich; you hate that you ain’t the rich.” That reminds me of a certain blogger. . .
h/t: Divy
I really liked that “you hate that you ain’t the rich,” line, too.
Someone help me out, please. Who’s the blogger PCC(e) is referring to?
Must be PZ Myers.
Ohhhhhh, I bet you’re right. Thank you.
He recently reversed a decision to retire because he “can’t afford it”.
Those poor students and colleagues at Morris – they must have celebrated like crazy, but have now had to put the champagne on ice for another year or so. He admitted a few months ago he struggles to engage his students these days. TBH, if I was a student in his class, I’d be unmotivated. I’d also recommend avoid meeting him with no one else around.
The poll showing 41% of young adults think the murder of the CEO is acceptable is a depressing outcome. The same poll shows 22% of Democrats and 12% of Republicans give the killing a pass. Suprised that even an anonymous poll would show such high numbers. So, that many people in our nation don’t just automatically think Murder Is Wrong and Vigilante Justice is Unjust? This might explain why young people protested the destruction of Gaza by Israel but not the terrorism by Hamas. They aren’t anti-violent, they are anti-violence of those they believe are the True Victims. Maybe kids aren’t learning about the benefits of rule of law.
The New Religion states that killing people is justified, but misgendering someone is not.
Maher covered a lot of territory here. I cringed a bit when he created a hierarchy of those to be killed, wondering if some moron might take him seriously. Indeed, the health care system is broken in the U.S. The food chain from patients, through insurance companies, to hospitals, pharmacies, drug companies, advertisers, consultants, attorneys, tax collectors, and even cable TV providers is so long that it’s amazing that anyone in the chain gets enough of the pie to stay in business. That just tells you how much money is being injected in at the bottom.
I hope that Maher is wrong about Gen-Z. There’s a lot of stupidity to go around, and much of what they learned about the oppressors and the oppressed comes from the mouths of their older teachers and professors. Sadly, the Gen-Z folks are plagued by bad role models who have given them a bad start.
Interesting how the US has gone from deploring Sarah Palin’s (odious) crosshair graphic to a significant minority of young people thinking that the actual murder of a CEO on the streets is acceptable in such a short time. WTAF?! Maher’s “microaggresion” jibe was spot on.
Delighted to hear that Maher is using the term ‘eat the rich’. While this is excellent dietary advice, it is not new. In the 1970’s in one of Melbourne’s busiest inner suburban thoroughfares residents and motorists were given this advice courtesy of a paint up.
How sweet it was
Contained a couple cringe worthy things for me. First, you know those billing people doctor’s have to hire (out of their practice’s pocket) that he said are finding new ways to screw the patient? They are there to try to get the patient’s care covered, so they DON’T get stuck with a cash bill. Second, he’s back to his (essentially anti-vax) trope that if people just made better lifestyle choices and chose different vices than he does, they wouldn’t get sick. Very RJK Jr which is why Maher loves him. I used to work in a major academic center that attracted rich/famous who flew in for their health care. Constant amazement by the thin crowd who always exercised and ate well when I had to give them a serious diagnosis such as cancer. Incredulous that they got sick despite doing all the right things. (yes of course obese alcoholic smokers have things go wrong more often, not the point I’m making)
I know Maher says lots of things politically that the center to just left of center crowd that congregates here approves of (as I do). Just beware of what I call Manuscript Reviewer Bias. When people review a scienctific article and agree with the conclusions in the abstract they are far less likely to find fatal flaws with the paper than if they disagree with them. Keep thinking critically with everything Maher says
Unfortunately, doctors also have the tendency to blame the patient’s lifestyle for anything wrong that is found in him (or in his young children).