On Friday’s episode of “Real Time,” Bill Maher ended the weekly “New Rules” segment with an angry plea for people to stop thinking they need to have an opinion on every major issue.
“Especially if you don’t know what the f– you’re talking about. And if you’re getting your facts from TikTok and Instagram and Facebook, I don’t want to hear your hot take on asymmetrical warfare, because there’s a term for someone who gets their news from Facebook: Mom.”
“You know, among the worst things that social media ever did was it made everyone feel they had to weigh in on every controversial issue or breaking news story, and that’s my job,” Maher joked.
Maher noted that “the more time everyone spends telling everyone else their political positions… the more we’ve been at each other’s throats,” adding, “here’s a trend I would love to see on Twitter: No opinion.”
“This Thursday is Thanksgiving, the cherished yearly celebration when distant friends and scattered family members gathered together to fight about Donald Trump. The other butterball,” Maher continued. “Not just Trump. We will also argue about abortion, and critical race theory, and guns and prisons and schools. And this year, we’re fighting about Israel. But here’s the thing: You’re not actually legally obliged to have an opinion.”
Maher joked that “the Indians and the pilgrims were able to sit peaceably through the first Thanksgiving because nobody brought up politics, even though I’m sure the Indians had strong feelings about immigration,” and then reminded viewers of NBA legend Michael Jordan, who famously stayed out of politics in the 1990s because “Republicans buy sneakers too.”
But thanks to “big brother,” Maher argued, “those days are gone… You must participate in this online circle jerk or you’ll be or you will be seen as an insensitive prick who’s single handedly obstructing much needed progress in the world.”
Maher listed what he thinks are several examples of this problem, including the fight between Disney and Florida governor Ron DeSantis, as well as fights over LGBTQ-friendly items in stores like Target.
Why did I ever need to know that Chick-Fil-A is chicken that’s Christian? Can it just be chicken? This is unsustainable… we don’t all agree and never will. And most people don’t want to be forced to say anything.”
Maher cited the example of “one executive who was interviewed about the pressure companies have felt to make a statement about the Hamas war, said ‘we’re not historians. A lot of us didn’t understand the issue very well. Didn’t understand the history.’ Exactly. And I bet you still don’t, so why not just shut the f— up.”
Maher concluded with this vow: “This Thanksgiving, I’m going to make beer can chicken with Budweiser and Chick-Fil-A, and anybody who doesn’t like it can f—themselves.”
Watch the whole clip at the top of the page.
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