Bill Maher on Occupy Wall Street: "They're not the counter-culture; they're the culture."
By Ben ReiningaOctober 22nd, 2011, 3:48 pmComments (43)
Occupy Wall Street is still going strong. Cornel West popped up yesterday (and got arrested) at an uptown protest, and folk legends Pete Seeger (who's now ninety-two) and Arlo Guthrie showed up to march with the protesters. As the protests continue, there are increasingly signs that this isn't an isolated incident of a few pissed-off hippies, but a genuine movement that might have real staying power.
As usual, a comedian said it best. Last night, on Real Time, Bill Maher summed up the state of the protest better than perhaps anyone else has to date, saying:
"There's not going to be a repeat of the last time the hippies were in the streets. Those hardhats you're depending on to turn against the lousy hippies? Here's what they're doing now: They're cheering them on. Because now, the hardhats are just as broke as everyone else. These people down there, they're not the counter-culture; they're the culture. They don't want free love; they want paid employment. They don't hate capitalism; they hate what's been done to it. And they resent the Republican mantra that the system perfectly rewards the hardworking and punishes the lazy. And the poor are just jealous mooches who want a hand-out. Yeah, because if there's one group of people who hate hand-outs, it's Wall Street."
If you've got a minute, the whole clip is worth watching, if only for his digs at Rush Limbaugh. A rather sweet video of Seeger and Guthrie with the protesters is also below.
Commentarium (43 Comments)
Hmm. Yeah. But a bunch of them really do hate capitalism. And even more want paid unemployment.
They don't hate me. You have no idea what you're talking about.
Well, if Seeger and Guthrie are there, it really has gone beyond hippies and into the mainstream
Exactly. If they could dig up Peter, Paul and Mary, I'm sure they would do it.
my brain, my comments would make sense.
They were folk singers in the same vein as Pete Seeger and Arlo Githrie, stupid.
Another typo because I know how you live for them, spell troll.
I'll let that one slide, conservatroll. I might suggest that you spell correctly when calling anyone "stupid" in the future.
You're stupid. Thanks for the useless advice.
"I busses"...keep those classic conservatroll hits coming!
What, no Culture Club songs from you?
Not this time. I'm just waiting for more paranoid neocon fantasies from you.
Maher is neither witty nor particularly insightful as this situation indicates. It's his latest attempt for 15 minutes in the spotlight.
Oh, Publius... The left know that the right have no sense of humor. We don't expect you to understand these things. I'm sure that you'll reply with some incredibly convincing argument about how Bill Maher is a failed comedian, despite being so rich and successful.
The way I see it is that the Right Wing actually has a phenomenal sense of humour. They're more than willing to take a joke far beyond the levels any sensible person would.. hence, Herman Cain, the longest political practical joke.
The real joke is their own world view!
Maher preaching to the choir, as much as he'd hate that expression.
The right didn't elect a brilliant amateur!
No, they elected Bush, who was a moronic professional
Being rich and successful is the metric? Then the Wall Street executives Maher likes to decry are, in fact, the truly and appropriately successful?
I think you forget that Bill Maher isn't stealing money from American taxpayers.
lol. That's the best you can do?
How about Mexican drug lords? Presumably they're not "stealing" money from anyone. Are they successful?
Yes, you made a bad comparison. The success of Bill Maher does not equal the success of Wall Street is any aspect imaginable. Nice try with the Mexican Cartel segue! LOL, indeed!
So you still have no argument at all except the silly stealing money thing?
the argument with your faulty comparisons. Now you're dust distracting from your own failure because you'll never admit you're wrong about anything.
Nobody on here admits that they're wrong. If they thought that they were wrong, they wouldn't have stated it here, dumbass. And what is dust distracting? Hell of a typo for the spell troll, isn't it? I busses you're just as fucked up as everyone else here. You are more of a dumbass though.
P.S. Did you catch the misspelled word there?
Hahaha! Sorry, conservatroll, I don't take the bus...certainly not the short one you ride on. "Dust" was the wrong word (no excuse there) but not a typo: It is still spelled correctly. Plus, if you look closer you'll find a comment I recently made about being wrong about Publius. Bonus points of you find it!
You have no balls or brains.
controls them all. What's it called? Kick ball. Come on, short buss... You can do better than that!
says that your "balls" are too small and that you're too "stupid"! She also said you should let the "adults" have a "grown up discussion". Did I just sum up all of your possible insults? Diggin' deep, conservatroll!
Two trolls. Or more likely just the libtard troll thinking he is clever.
that one! "Libtard"...hahaha! Comma comma come on, think harder. Tell us how you really feel!
hi im from canada. we just elected a bush look alike with only thirty percent of the vote. thats democracy in motion. oh yes we had a summit where they arrested the first 300 people who
went to work in toronto. damn fine policing that. who'd want to work when you could sit in a cage in all your finest undergarments and not eat for three days. now come on i say, our countries fine. oh right umm ya, they also took away the money given to political parties from parliament so that the parties have to count on the lobbiests. and umm right, they spent millions and millions on a g20 summit without even asking us if thats cool? ...ok..maybe the protestors have a point ..um sorry about being annoying the police are kicking down my..doo
If this is culture, we need antibiotics in the worst way. Folks, the 60s are over; they have been for a long time.
Now you say something