Maher Gives Cuomo a Lesson in Comedy

“Anything that deviates from the one true opinion on this means you’re some horrible bigot or transphobic.”

-Bill Maher

#freespeechmatters 23.11.2021

During an interview with Chris Cuomo on CNN, comedian and “Real Time” host Bill Maher declared that he is “Team Dave,” and “Team Free Speech,” while making the argument that the woke, sensitive left is destroying the Democratic party. Cuomo accused Chappelle of a “long history of going after trans people,” conveniently ignoring the fact that Chappelle has a long history of making jokes about white people, Asians, gay people, and any other group of people you can possibly imagine. He has had a long run in stand-up comedy.

Maher responded to Cuomo’s accusations by reiterating a point that he made on his own show that argues transgenderism is a relatively new concept that we’re being expected to understand rapidly. He also explains that the word “phobia,” which means irrational fear, has travelled far from it’s original definition. Maher notes that, while he does not believe the comedian is punching down on the community, Chappelle is a “little obsessed with this one issue.”

Anyone who has watched “The Closer” on Netflix in its entirety understands that Chappelle is not “transphobic,” nor does he go out of his way to “punch down” on the transgender community. It’s obvious that Chappelle has some question, but the miserable mob won’t let anyone ask questions about what should just be inherently understood, regardless if its a relatively new concept to those who identify with their biological sex. He may spend more time on the transgender community than he does other communities, but that’s only because they seem to be the only community that can’t take a joke. If anything, Chappelle is being inclusive by joking about the LGBTQ+ community. If he didn’t make any comments, I’m sure he’d be under fire for a different form of discrimination.

We are not always going to agree. Disagreements are natural; we should be able to have them without furthering this divide. While I think overspending on programs that will literally not solve anything is ruining the Democratic party, I understand why Maher thinks it’s the overload of wokeness. We have taken political correctness and injected it with steroids. In today’s age, you can get cancelled for what you say, and for what you don’t say. If you are targeted by the mob, they will find a way to paint you as a villain to the masses.

Maher was trending on Twitter for his "explosive" interview with Cuomo, and many right-wing tweeters were surprised to find themselves agreeing with the California liberal. Maher is a Democrat, but he has not devolved with the party. Democrats used to, at the very least, respect differences in opinions. Democrats encouraged having open conversations about serious topics in hopes that progress could be produced. The Democratic party has drastically changed, and Maher is one of the very few left who represent the liberal ideals the party once had.

I, too, used to be a registered Democrat. While my ideology has changed for a number reasons, most specifically outrageous government spending on programs I think would be managed much more efficiently in the private sector, I have never changed my stance on free speech. I maintain to this day that the First Amendment is the most important addition to our Constitution, because it gives us the right to defend the rest of the document.

Cuomo did nothing but spend his time repeating talking points made by liberal elites. He paints the transgender community as incapable of defending themselves. He suggests that Chappelle’s use of his platform empowers people who want to cause harm to these people. He then demands that comedians stop making jokes about the transgender community.

Stop making jokes, about a community, because of how they identify? That sounds like discrimination on the basis of gender identity, and it’s being openly promoted by the liberal elites. We’re only a few more absurdities away from completely segregating ourselves from each other, and it’s obviously being encouraged by those in power. Chappelle treats everyone as a human being. He doesn’t worship the ground anybody walks on. He is not afraid to stand up when the mob demands he sit down. Things would be much easier for their narrative if he would just disappear.

Here’s a suggestion for Chris Cuomo: You have proven time and time again that you are not a journalist. Your involvement in your brother’s sexual assault scandal should have been enough for CNN to remove you from their platform. You are dishonest with your viewers and are largely adding to this nation’s great divide, whether you know it or not. Now that I’ve told you that, stop doing it. Is that a bad suggestion?