Some Democrats say cancel culture doesn’t exist. But TV host Bill Maher isn’t one of ’em.
During Friday’s episode of Real Time, the comedian went up against the culture yet again:
“[I] don’t want to talk about cancel culture and this nonsense every week, but I don’t think people understand how this is a tsunami and how fast the goalposts change almost on a weekly basis.”
Bill ran down a list of possible gotchas.
It’s “not just what you do” now, he said, but “anything you’ve ever done. It’s not just about what you say but what you listen to, what you order, who you say you like, any sort of association.”
Conversation turned to the topic of now-former Teen Vogue Editor-in-Chief Alexi McCammond.
As RedState’s Kira Davis pointed out Thursday, 27-year-old Alexi recently resigned — just as she was beginning — after staff protested tweets she posted ten years ago.
Alexi had already issued at least two apologies for the allegedly anti-Asian and anti-gay posts.
As relayed by Fox News, Bill was burnt:
“Can I just say something? People talk s— in private! We can’t legislate that away! For f—‘s sake, can we have a little common sense? People talk s— about each other in private.”
Panelist Heidi Heitkamp — a former Democratic senator — blamed the magazine for not supporting their new hire.
And she had a message for corporate America: Don’t “buy into this stuff.”
Bill seconded:
“You’re right. Somebody has to have some [guts].”
Heidi went on to accuse Republicans of a cancel culture attempt with annual claims of a war on Christmas.
Maher amen’d there as well, but he made a distinction.
And along the way, he took a whack at woke “brats”:
“Yeah, they’re snowflakes, too. But they don’t control the media the way these brats do. That’s the problem. I don’t think that it was Republicans who got Alexi [fired].”
To hear Bill tell it, we’ve recently gone retro:
“I remember watching movies about the 50’s and the blacklist era, when people would whisper that you were a communist. And all it took was somebody informing on you and saying…they saw you at a rally or at some peace march. And you were branded, and your career was over. Or you were on the blacklist.”
It’s a real party pooper:
“People go to parties now, and they…don’t want to talk. They’re like, ‘Can I talk? I don’t know your girlfriend. She might be woke.’ Really. I’m not making this up. This informant thing — it’s not just what you do, it’s what you don’t report? That’s another way the goalpost moved.”
[Language Warning for the video below]
Taking on “woke” demands. @BillMaher says it reminds him of Hollywood’s “blacklists” where now “people go to parties” and “don’t want to talk, they are like ‘can I talk? I don’t know your girlfriend, she might be woke.’” It’s “so Soviet” and “Stalinist.” #RealTime pic.twitter.com/zdHxOEqzdN
— Brent Baker (@BrentHBaker) March 20, 2021
Bill noted the story of Mumford & Sons banjo player Winston Marshall.
As covered by RedState’s Brandon Morse, the musician recently propped journalist Andy Ngo and his anti-Antifa book Unmasked.
Winston tweeted, “Congratulations, @MrAndyNgo. Finally had the time to read your important book. You’re a brave man.”
That didn’t go so well:
I honest to god called “Mumford and Sons will go fash” a decade ago pic.twitter.com/WDRfLQqxRV
— jeff dirt (@muttgomery) March 7, 2021
One of my favorite bands is trending bc the banjo player once again made it clear he likes fascist propaganda. He's not representative of the whole band, but the silence from Mumford & Sons on this has gone on too long. #AdoptANewBanjoPlayer
— Niki Hancock (@HancockNiki) March 7, 2021
nobody could've seen this mumford and sons thing coming pic.twitter.com/p6c1w56LxI
— Dan Hicks (@profdanhicks) March 7, 2021
Winston deleted the post and offered this:
“Over the past few days I have come to better understand the pain caused by the book I endorsed. I have offended not only a lot of people I don’t know, but also those closest to me, including my bandmates and for that I am truly sorry. As a result of my actions I am taking time away from the band to examine my blindspots. For now, please know that I realize how my endorsements have the potential to be viewed as approvals of hateful, divisive behavior. I apologize, as this was not at all my intention.”
— Winston Marshall (@MrWinMarshall) March 10, 2021
Bill got bent:
“This guy tweeted out that he liked a book. It’s a book called Unmasked. I never heard of it, you never heard of it. It’s apparently not favorable to Antifa, so it’s criticizing Antifa. Okay, people write books. He tweeted out, ‘Finally had the time to read your important book. You’re a brave man,’ to the author. Now he has to step away…”
The Democrat called Winston’s apology “so Soviet.”
“‘Over the past few days, I have come to better understand the pain caused by the book I endorsed.’ What? What, did you hit someone over the head with it? ‘I have offended not only a lot of people I don’t know but also those closest to me, including my bandmates.’ What a bunch of p—ies they must be. ‘And for that, I am truly sorry.’ It’s so Stalinesque. You know what? How about, ‘I can read what I want. I’m a musician.'”
The tide of cancelation does appear to be rising.
Will it soon stop?
Throughout history, societies have learned and passed down many lessons.
One relates to judgment and accusers’ fingers pointing back at them. It’s one we all have to remember, and one we all at times forget.
At the moment, the world seems especially forgetful.
-ALEX
See more pieces from me:
Bill Maher: The Left Is Ushering in a New Era of ‘Resegregation’
Find all my RedState work here.
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