http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53p0_ZlCCR4&feature=mh_lolz&list=WL79479D6CCED517CC
I don't actually watch Real Time With Bill Maher and I DEFINITELY do not watch Fox News, but I was stunned at the above clip that someone posted on the HBO website.
I would like to point out the following observations:
1) The news reporter couldn't even properly name Bill Maher's documentary! He called it "Religiosity," while it is actually called Religulous - it is a portmanteau of the words "religion" and "ridiculous."
2) The psychiatrist, Dr. Keith Ablow, states that Bill Maher is "not affiliated with life at all." How can a living person NOT be "affiliated" with life? He has life, he works with living people, he lives in a society of living people ... am I missing something?
3) Keith Ablow claims that Bill Maher hates or "has it in for" women. If Bill Maher is in favour of abortion, how does he HATE women ... it sounds like someone pro-abortion is in favour of women being able to make their own choices. It also sounds like he would very strongly care about women, as women who live in areas where abortion is not legal still seek abortion from people who are unqualified to perform them. This means that 20 million unsafe abortions are performed every year in places where it is illegal, and each year 67 000 women die due to complications from these procedures. With these statistics in mind, I'd say that anyone in favour of legalizing abortion is actually "pro-women" and"pro-life" for that matter, in the sense that legalized abortion performed by qualified doctors could prevent many deaths.
http://www.who.int/reproductivehealth/publications/unsafe_abortion/9789241596121/en/index.html
4) Maher didn't call Bristol Palin a "slut" for being "horny." It doesn't seem like he is implying that there is anything wrong with being "horny." But this supposed psychiatrist is! Ablow practically said that if any women have sex because they are horny then they are sluts! It's obvious to me that Bill Maher is just trying to point out the fear and shame people have of sexuality and sexual feelings. I doubt he would be making fun of this if the young woman simply acknowledged that it's not practical for everyone to wait to have sex until they are married -- after all, not everyone ends up getting married!
Bill Maher didn't actually criticize or make fun of Palin for being "horny." It seems he was doing kind of the opposite - criticizing her for feeling the need to hide the natural urges every human being has.
To Dr. Ablow on the other hand, use of the word "horny" implies that she is a slut ... therefore implying that only sluts get horny. A slut is supposed to be someone who sleeps with MANY people, not just one, but this doctor is implying that a girl doesn't even have to sleep with a man to be a slut ... she just has to have the desire to sleep with a man to be a slut.
I hope no young girls saw this, because obviously Keith Ablow is the one who is ANTI-WOMEN.
I also thought the alternative Ablow suggested was hilarious - he pointed out that Bill Maher could have phrased her not as being horny, but as HAVING FEELINGS for the boy. Let's get serious for a minute: if people only had sex WHEN they wanted to express their love for someone, they wouldn't do it that often. Married people would stop having sex after the first year of marriage! When one partner would try to initiate something the other would say, "It's okay honey, you don't have to prove to me that you love me ... I believed you the first time." Even married people sleep together often because they are horny!
It's because of people like Keith Ablow that this young girl felt the need to cover up consciously consenting to sex before marriage. As a comedian, Bill Maher was pointing out the silliness of this kind of attitude, and as conservatives the news station and doctor had to re-validate and re-inforce this attitude.
Agreed. Maher was reacting to what is apparently written in the book. He states that Palin said she "blacked out" on "wine coolers" she did not know were alcoholic when she became pregnant. I believe he's saying you don't have to make excuses for wanting to have sex. It's OK if women want to express their sexuality and you don't have to "have feelings for the boy" in order to do that. If the Palin's don't want to be the subjects of ridicule then they need to stop having every moment of their lives posted in the spotlight. Otherwise, you are fair game and don't get to whine about it later.
ReplyDeleteI'm female and a mental health professional. There is nothing misogynistic or pathological in his humor. He has his politics and his opinions. Most of it I agree with, some of it I don't. That's life.